a band that produced the weirdest music of the 1950s
by consequently refusing to to play in time or on tune
by consequently refusing to to play in time or on tune
Introduction
In 1949, Richard Gump and a few musical friends set up a band: the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band. They were playing old German
oom-pah music. But not the way a traditional Polka band played it. The Guckenheimers mastered the art of playing the music
just a little out of time and a little out of tune.
They kept on playing so consistent in a wrong way, it makes you can't believe your ears and wonder if you hear it right.
The result is hilarious. It sounds great. But be aware, don't listen to more than 10 songs in a row:
it may seriously damage your ears, or else inflict severe mental harm...
This Bay Area band has recorded three LP's in the 1950s. The first was released in 1955/56 on San Francisco Records,
a local label that specialized in weird albums like "Hi-Fi Sounds For Hounds" (sleeve, see right;
very strange music indeed, though ... alas, my dog did not react to any of the tracks played).
The other two Guckenheim LP's were released nationally by RCA-Victor in 1957-58.
These records found its way to music lovers all over the world. Sales in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands
must have been (relatively) large.
The band played for 36 years and appeared on TV shows with Arlene Francis, Will Rogers Jr.,
Arthur Godfrey, Ernie Ford and Don Sherwood.
Discography - US-releases
The complete Guckenheimer discography consists of 3 LP's. The first two have that great cover art designed by George Lichty, who actually played drum in the band, but is better known as famous cartoonist of his the weekly comic for newspapers Grin And Bear It.
- Oom-pah-pah in Hi-Fi, with the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band
San Francisco Records M-33005, 1955-56
Tracks: 1 Trink mir noch ä Tropfche* - 2 Daudeaumus** - 3 Die Wacht am Rhein - 4 Lauterbach - 5 Rain Rain Polka - 6 Present Arms - 7 Hi-Le-Hi-Lo - 8 Shuhplattler Tanze - 9 Under The Double Eagle - 10 Vilia 11 Blue Danube - 12 Village Tavern Polka - 13 Kommt ein Vogel geflogen - 14 Bier her, Bier her - 15 Alte Kameraden March
Note: this is how track 1 and 2 are spelled on the album. Probably 2 typing errors:
* the umlaut seems to be on the wrong character, "a Tröpschen" is correct German
** "Gaudeamus" makes more sense, Latin for "Let's Party!"
- Sour Kraut in Hi-Fi, The Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band
RCA LPM-1453, 1957
Tracks: 1 Poet And Peasant Overture - 2 Ach Ich bin so müde Polka - 3 Hamburger Waltz - 4 Warum so schnell Gallop - 5 Gesellschafts Lieder - 6 Hortensie Polka - 7 L'estudiantina - 8 Wien, Wien - 9 Tinker Polka - 10 Skaters Waltz - 11 Sobra Las Olas - 12 Springtime Polka - 13 Wiener Blut - 14 Tiroler Walzer - 15 Der lustige Musikant Polka - 16 Drink mein Liebling
- Music For Non-Thinkers, Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band
RCA LPM-1721/ LSP-1721, 1958
Tracks: 1 Second Hungarian Rhapsody - 2 Grad aus dem Wirdhaus - 3 Katarina Polka - 4 In München steht ein Hofbrau Haus - 5 Jägermarsch - 6 Um die Ecke rum - 7 In der Heimat da gibt's ein Wiederseh'n - 8 Stars and Stripes Forever - 9 Raymond Ouverture - 10 Kommes ein Birdie Yet - 11 Trinklieder - 12 Gruss aus Minneapolis - 13 Der Kuss (Il Bacio) - 14 Mädel wasch dich - 15 Rheinwein Polka - 16 Come Vere the Band Ist Playing
On RCA- Victor a 45 rpm EP was released "Sour Kraut In Hi-Fi" (RCA EPS 1-1453) which has four selections: Wien-Wien/ Wiener Blut/ Der Lustige Musikant Polka/ Drink Mein Liebling.
Additional German releases
Guckenheimer vinyl was also produced in der Heimat, Germany. Here the band's name was spelled the German way,
Sauerkraut instead of Sour Kraut.
I know of 2 Guckenheimer records pressed and printed by RCA Germany:
- A 45 rpm EP, title: Sauerkraut in Hi-Fi,
subtitled: "Da brechen sie zusammen",
an expression that may mean something like: there they go, falling to pieces (like a card house).
A selection of 4 songs from LP 2 and 3 on this EP: Second Hungarian Rhapsody/ Poet and Peasant Ouverture/ Stars and stripes forever/ Wiener Blut.
- In 1974 the Non-Thinkers album was released on RCA-international, in a new cover
designed by Heinz Dofflein.
The album was now entitled "Mädel wasch dich", subtitle Music for Non Thinkers.
Of the original 16 tracks of the original Non-Thinkers album, 4 were left out.Tracks: 1 Second Hungarian Rhapsody - 2 Grad aus dem Wirdhaus - 3 Katarina-Polka - 4 Jägermarsch - 5 In der Heimat da gibt's ein Wiederseh'n - 6 Stars and Stripes Forever - 7 Raymond Overture - 8 Kommes ein Birdie Yet - 9 Trinklieder - 10 Der Kuß (Il Bacio) - 11 Mädel wasch dich - 12 Rheinwein-PolkaOn the back of album there is a serious warning for the unpractised listener to Guckenheimer music:
Nein, nein - Sie haben sich nicht geirrt: Ihre Platte rotiert mit der richtigen Geschwindigkeit um den Mittelstift Ihres Plattentellers. Genau 33⅓mal in der Minute muß die mehr oder weniger vertiefte Rille unter dem Stift vorbeirauschen .... u.z.w.
See complete text & translation.
The music of the band isn't available on a CD yet. It's exclusively -as it should be- to be heard on vinyl.
The music and the fans
Over the years a small but fanatic bunch of subnormal music lovers kept interest in this weird music.
Many of these fans are musicians themselves, though generally non-professional. They assured me
(I lack every little bit of musical schooling or instrumental ability) how extremely difficult it is for a musician to play music
that constantly is a little out of time. The Guckenheimers must have been genial musicians to achieve it.
Listen to what seems to be the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band's best known song, from the 3d album Stars and Stripes Forever. While most of the band's music is instrumental, this track features vocals by Doktor Fritz Guckenheimer, alias Richard Gump.
On this page (visitors, see map at the right) dedicated to the Guckenheimers, I have gathered some information about the band. To try to
fill in on the relative lack of information about this band. Remarks, corrections, additions are welcome
(mail).
I hope, in time I will be able to add some more information about the band and the musicians.
Below, I have copied the interesting and revealing information as was printed in the liner notes of the debut album.
Also the names of the musicians,
and a few download samples
Liner notes "Oom-pah-pah in Hi-Fi"
San Francisco Records M-33005, 1955-56
If music makes you feel good, good music should make you feel better.
In the case of the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band, however... the most delicate nuances of which we have diligently
and cautiously recorded here... the opposite seems to be true. This music proves that you can promote good feeling,
and even hilarity, with same of the sourest sounds this side of a German village square.
The Guckenheimers... a name taken from a whiskey label because of its flugelhorn lilt... came into being in 1949, when Richard Gump, a San Francisco art merchant of varied talents, was discussing the contemporary trend toward total commercialization of the Christmas season with several musically inclined friends in Sausalito, California... the first town on your left when you enter America through the Golden Gate. As proof of their own untainted, free Christmas spirit they immediately formed a brassy group and played German village band music on Sausalito street corners. This aroused some amusement, it hot overt good will.
Eight instruments appeared to be the upper limit of possible musical synchronization, but the repertoire of the group was enlarged to about a hundred numbers suitable to the atmosphere of the old-fashioned German band. Among the ready volunteers was George Lichty, the nationally syndicated "Grin and Bear It" cartoonist, who feels, that the band is "perpetuating a dying art form".
We re-print an article written by Music and Art critic R.H. Hagen of the San Francisco Chronicle. The story was written June 3, 1951 when there were nine members of the band. Only five men from the original band are heard in this recording.
NINE MEN AGAINST THE MUSICAL WORLD
by R.H. Hagan,San Francisco Chronicle.
June 3, 1951
The Bay Area, long made famous as a music center by such organizations as the San Francisco.
Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera Company, has lately produced a highly inharmonious contribution
to the music culture of this country in "Guckenheimer's Sour Kraut Band."
This unique organization was founded in 1949, when nine Sausalito gentlemen of various professional backgrounds and previous conditions of rectitude decided to stop playing golf, canasta or pinochle in their idle moments and start playing low German waltzes, middle high German folk songs and high German opera for anyone whose ears were insensitive enough to be able to listen to the group for as long as ten unbroken minutes.
They have been playing their own remarkable interpretations of assorted gems from the German repertoire at lodge picnics, harvest festivals, charity drives, church socials, club meetings, and even street corners with unbounded success ever since.
Much of that success has come from a combination of qualities both visual and musical. On the visual side, one of the band's strictest membership requirements is the ability to wear with dignity and aplomb a set of Uniforms that obviously were classified as Army surplus shortly after the Franco-Prussian War.
On the musical side, one of the band's even stricter requirements is that each "member must be
constitutionally unable to play in time or on tune. To date, the membership has been limited to the
original nine members who passed this acid test. They include cartoonist George Lichty,
Business Executive Richard Gump, Writer Barney Harrold, Insurance Executive Robert Entriken,
Cabinet Maker William Phoedovius, Designer George Ashley, Salesman Cookie Conroy,
Business Executive Harry Mohler and Architect Richard Hiatt.
This rigid selection of personnel has resulted in some highly esoteric musical achievements. The band proudly admits that it is the only musical group in nine counties that has completely mastered the art of playing "Du, Du, liegst mir im Herzen," simultaneously in three-quarter and four-four time, not to mention a version of "Under the Double Eagle," played strictly eight-to-the-bar, a feat which, the players are quick to point out, requires the ninth member of the band to stop playing or find a less crowded bar.
Proud as the 'band is of these musical achievements it is prouder of the various decorations and trophies which such musicianship has earned. Not the least of these is a "Medal for Valour", which was presented to the group last year at the Sonoma Wine Festival.
This first recording of the Guckenheimer group was made under conditions ideal
for the true reproduction of the unusual range reached by Dick Hiatt on the flugelhorn, George Lichty's bass drum
and Bob Kellogg's tuba.
Richard Benjamin Gump (1906-1989) was son of the Gump family that owned the famous department store in San Francisco, specialized in Asian interior design. In 1947, when his father died, he became owner and managing director of Gump's. Dick Gump modernised the store (see Time Magazine 1949), with succes (see Time Magazine 1961).
The Non-Thinkers album was actually recorded on the main floor at Gump's, where the Steuben glass collection was kept. "Mr. Gump is pleased to announce that sonic breakage of this valuable glass was kept at a minimum", according to the liner notes.
Gump published a few books. In 1951 "Good Tast Costs No More" (left: scan of title page with Gump's autograph; illustration
by San Franciscan cartoonist Gerhardt Hurt), advising how to decorate the house interior in a sensible financial way.
In 1962 he published "Jade - Stone of Heaven", a highly acclaimed standard reference on the gem stone.
Besides business, he was active on various artistic and social levels. A real homo universalis.
Gump donated a Polynesian island, Moorea, to the University of California in 1981 to conduct research and take classes on issues including global warming, biodiversity and biogeography.
In 1989 Richard Gump's book "Composer, Artist and President of Gump's" was published, where he also writes about his Guckenheimer efforts.
Though the liner notes describe him as well-known at the time, nowadays there seem to be no traces on the internet left of the architect's works anymore. Anybody has more info?... -> mail
George Lichty, real name George Maurice Lichtenstein, lived 1905-1983. A very significant name for lovers and collectors of American newspaper comics. In Wikipedia and many other biographies however, his membership of the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band remains unmentioned.
Robert Entriken (1913-2000) later worked as an executive for the Fireman's Fund Insurance Group for many years before retiring and becoming a professor and dean at Golden Gate University in San Francisco (pic left). He also was a captain in the Navy Reserve and enjoyed talking of his four careers (insurance, music, Navy and academia).
In the early years of his Guckenheimer musical activities, Robert divorced his wife Elizabeth, who was a former billboard model. He married Jean Finch in 1953 to whom he was wed 47 years, until his death in August 2000.
His oldest son Rocky is a journalist, now retired from 27 years at the local paper in Salina, KS., and since then a professional motorsport writer working for National Speed Sport News, SportsCar Magazine and Racer Magazine. Second son Edward (Bucko) builds boat trailers in Dallas. Third son Richard had a hard life the Sam Stone-way, after returning home purple-hearted but drug-addicted from Vietnam, fighting alcoholism, he founded the 1st Step Sober House. Sadly, he was robbed and murdered in 2008. Fourth son, Birch, is a pilot for Southwest Airlines living in Truckee, CA.
Hubert (Hugh) White (1916-1998) fought in Iwo Jima and was scriptwriter for MGM. After teaching playwriting at Berkeley, he went to New York where several of his plays were produced on Broadway.
(info from his orbituary).
Paul Coleman Faria (1918-2007) played saxophone and clarinet in many a band. In the 1950s he had his 10-piece Paul Faria Orchestra. He played with the Guckenheimers beginning album 2 and has led the band a long time from then on, until well into the 1980s.
Mr. Faria enlisted in the Air Force and retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1978 as a Lt. Colonel. He started work for Gump's in 1947 and eventually was the director of its European Antiques and Interior Design Departments until he left in 1983. From 1984 until 2002 he successfully operated Paul Faria Designs, Inc., designing and selling custom furniture and antique reproductions.
(most info taken from his recent orbituary).
Stars and Stripes Forever
the classic song of 'March King' John Philip Sousa.
Blue Danube
Johann Strauss' "An der schönen, blauen Donau" being violated.
Hi-Le Hi-Lo
in the Netherlands better known as Sinterklaas-medley "Daar wordt aan de deur geklopt" and "O, kom er eens kijken".
Springtime Polka
a very merry song.
Der Lustige Musikant Polka
the Merry Musician's Polka.
Come Vere The Band Ist Playing
another vocal performance by Fritz in treue German-English mix: "when the band is spieling, we have our Beer mit Schnapps".
The song is composed by Richard Gump himself.
Jenny Lind Hall in Oakland was the recording location. Recording engineer, Bill Engel, who is on the staff of Ampex Corporation used the latest Ampex model 350. One mike was used for pick up. Naturally, since this was a genuine German type band we used a Telefunken microphone! Levels were set at the session and natural dynamics are achieved by the absence of "monitering". The process was repeated at Capital by setting levels, adjusting for maximum volume peaks and transferring an almost exact replica of the type master to disc. Peter Dent handled the mastering. Newly developed Westrex amplifiers and recording heads were employed.
The same worried behind-the-scenes staff was present at the Oakland session: -- Richard Kepner -- financial wizzard stop-watch watcher and co-ordinator of San Francisco Records, kept notes op what was what. Al Levitt sat in a big chair with a furrowed brow shouting commands and generally confusing those about him! And here is the fruit of their labors! Welcome to it! You can expect the unusual and refreshing from San Francisco Records -- "Recorded without compromise and dedicated to documenting and preserving sounds and music."
NOTES BY RUBEN GARTERSNAKE
The musicians
Based on the liner notes of the albums. In minor font I add some notes of information gathered elsewhere.
FRITZ GUCKENHEIMER
Clarinet and Conductor, is Richard Gump, art dealer, musician, composer, painter and lecturer and organizer of the Guckenheimer BandRichard Benjamin Gump (1906-1989) was son of the Gump family that owned the famous department store in San Francisco, specialized in Asian interior design. In 1947, when his father died, he became owner and managing director of Gump's. Dick Gump modernised the store (see Time Magazine 1949), with succes (see Time Magazine 1961).
The Non-Thinkers album was actually recorded on the main floor at Gump's, where the Steuben glass collection was kept. "Mr. Gump is pleased to announce that sonic breakage of this valuable glass was kept at a minimum", according to the liner notes.
Gump published a few books. In 1951 "Good Tast Costs No More" (left: scan of title page with Gump's autograph; illustration
by San Franciscan cartoonist Gerhardt Hurt), advising how to decorate the house interior in a sensible financial way.
In 1962 he published "Jade - Stone of Heaven", a highly acclaimed standard reference on the gem stone.
Besides business, he was active on various artistic and social levels. A real homo universalis.
Gump donated a Polynesian island, Moorea, to the University of California in 1981 to conduct research and take classes on issues including global warming, biodiversity and biogeography.
In 1989 Richard Gump's book "Composer, Artist and President of Gump's" was published, where he also writes about his Guckenheimer efforts.
ERNST SCHMID
Flugelhorn, is Richard Hiatt, a well-known architect. The teutonic tone of his flugelhorn little resembles his caressing viola, which he played at an early age with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.Though the liner notes describe him as well-known at the time, nowadays there seem to be no traces on the internet left of the architect's works anymore. Anybody has more info?... -> mail
LUDWIG SCHMITZ
Trombone, is in real life George "Cookie" Conroy, whose 285 pounds is used to great advantage by the Crown-Zellerbach Paper Corporation testing the tensile strength of paper tissue.
HUGO SCHMID
Drum, is George Lichty who has a splendid musical background from the University of Michigan where he studied Roman band instruments and Creative Listening. He is, incidentally, the nationally-famous cartoonist of "Grin and Bear It".George Lichty, real name George Maurice Lichtenstein, lived 1905-1983. A very significant name for lovers and collectors of American newspaper comics. In Wikipedia and many other biographies however, his membership of the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band remains unmentioned.
OTTO SCHMITS
Clarinet, is more formally known as Robert Entriken, top executive in San Francisco for the National Surety Corporation. His earlier musical high was reached when he played clarinet in the University of Kansas Band, seated in the top row of the university stadium.
Robert Entriken (1913-2000) later worked as an executive for the Fireman's Fund Insurance Group for many years before retiring and becoming a professor and dean at Golden Gate University in San Francisco (pic left). He also was a captain in the Navy Reserve and enjoyed talking of his four careers (insurance, music, Navy and academia).
In the early years of his Guckenheimer musical activities, Robert divorced his wife Elizabeth, who was a former billboard model. He married Jean Finch in 1953 to whom he was wed 47 years, until his death in August 2000.
His oldest son Rocky is a journalist, now retired from 27 years at the local paper in Salina, KS., and since then a professional motorsport writer working for National Speed Sport News, SportsCar Magazine and Racer Magazine. Second son Edward (Bucko) builds boat trailers in Dallas. Third son Richard had a hard life the Sam Stone-way, after returning home purple-hearted but drug-addicted from Vietnam, fighting alcoholism, he founded the 1st Step Sober House. Sadly, he was robbed and murdered in 2008. Fourth son, Birch, is a pilot for Southwest Airlines living in Truckee, CA.
RUDI SCHMITT
Trumpet, is Robert McDonnell who has worked under many conductors. In fact, Bob McDonnell is continuing his career as a fireman on the passenger trains of the Southern Pacific Railroad.JOHANN SCHWINDT
Clarinet, is Hubert S. White, Jr. His excellent clarinet tone confused the other members of the band until they learned of his playing symphonic works while a college student. He is Assistant Professor of Dramatic Art at the University of California.Hubert (Hugh) White (1916-1998) fought in Iwo Jima and was scriptwriter for MGM. After teaching playwriting at Berkeley, he went to New York where several of his plays were produced on Broadway.
(info from his orbituary).
HEINRICH SCHWERDT
Tuba, is Bob Kellogg, more deeply dedicated to music than any other member of the band. He plays hot, cool, symphonic and German tuba, in addition to the operation of two music stores.WOLFGANG SCHWETT
Cornet, is Dean L. Coleman, an inspector for the Pacific Fire Rating Bureau in Oakland. He is a brass teacher in his spare time and hopes none of his pupils (including his own five children) hear this recording
JOHANN SEBASTIAN SCHMITZ III
Clarinet, is Paul Faria, an interior designer, cabinetmaker and leader of his own dance band. He had a difficult time readjusting his intonation to the peculiarities of the German village-band tone.Paul Coleman Faria (1918-2007) played saxophone and clarinet in many a band. In the 1950s he had his 10-piece Paul Faria Orchestra. He played with the Guckenheimers beginning album 2 and has led the band a long time from then on, until well into the 1980s.
Mr. Faria enlisted in the Air Force and retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1978 as a Lt. Colonel. He started work for Gump's in 1947 and eventually was the director of its European Antiques and Interior Design Departments until he left in 1983. From 1984 until 2002 he successfully operated Paul Faria Designs, Inc., designing and selling custom furniture and antique reproductions.
(most info taken from his recent orbituary).
BARNEY HARROLD
Writer Barney Harrold played tuba with the band in the early 1950s.Barney was born in 1915 as John N. Harrold in Sausalito and died in Napa, CA in 1995.
Barney was quite a character. He wrote short stories for Esquire magazine, had an unorthodox Sausalito art gallery,
brewed his home-made beer.
The picture left shows the Guckenheimer Band around 1955, with Barney as second from right, black hat, holding the little Eb tuba. Other musicians (probably), from left to right: trombone, Cookie Conroy, flugelhorn Richard Hiatt?, clarinet Robert Entriken, rhythmic assistance George Lichty, tuba Barney Harrold and cornet? Dean Coleman?.
The picture left shows the Guckenheimer Band around 1955, with Barney as second from right, black hat, holding the little Eb tuba. Other musicians (probably), from left to right: trombone, Cookie Conroy, flugelhorn Richard Hiatt?, clarinet Robert Entriken, rhythmic assistance George Lichty, tuba Barney Harrold and cornet? Dean Coleman?.
Many thanks to Liz Neumann, who sent me pictures of the band and information about her favorite uncle Barney. She also sent a scan of a newspaper cutting with an interview with Barney, that describes him pretty well.
BILL PHOEDOVIUS
Another Guckenheimer who played in the band (but does not play on one of the albums) was cabinet maker William Phoedovius (1921-2003). The picture
(as published in Helen B. Kerr's The Romantic Alta Mira, Marin This Month, March 1960)
shows the Sour Kraut Band, probably circa 1955. Bill Phoedovius is on the right (trumpet), Barney Harrold second right,
Cookie Conroy (trombone) center, and Robert Entriken (clarinet) second on the left.
Downloads
Just a few samples of the band's musical geniality:Stars and Stripes Forever
the classic song of 'March King' John Philip Sousa.
Blue Danube
Johann Strauss' "An der schönen, blauen Donau" being violated.
Hi-Le Hi-Lo
in the Netherlands better known as Sinterklaas-medley "Daar wordt aan de deur geklopt" and "O, kom er eens kijken".
Springtime Polka
a very merry song.
Der Lustige Musikant Polka
the Merry Musician's Polka.
Come Vere The Band Ist Playing
another vocal performance by Fritz in treue German-English mix: "when the band is spieling, we have our Beer mit Schnapps".
The song is composed by Richard Gump himself.
Links
I more or less started this web page because Wikipedia had very limited and incomplete information about the band. But a few weeks after I published this site, the Wiki page was extensively updated by son of Otto Schmits and it now contains a lot of interesting detailed information.There is a currently active San Francisco band that was greatly inspired by the Guckenheimers:
Polkacide plays punky polka.
Guchenheimer Guckenheimer Saur Kraut Band
Guckenheim Sour Kraut Band, Guckenheimer Sourkraut Band Saurkraut Band Guchenheim
Kuckenheik Gukenheim Kukenheim Gookenheim Goochenheim Guckenheim Souer Kraut Band
Sower Kraut Sowerkraut Sauer Kraut Band
(c) 2008, Kees van der Hoeven, Eindhoven NL
met heel veel dank aan Ruud Sempel en Freek Horst
with kind help of Luc Borgmans, Rocky 'Otto Schmits Jr.' Entriken, Jaap Hazewinkel, Liz Neumann.
met heel veel dank aan Ruud Sempel en Freek Horst
with kind help of Luc Borgmans, Rocky 'Otto Schmits Jr.' Entriken, Jaap Hazewinkel, Liz Neumann.
|
|