the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band

a band that produced the weirdest music of the 1950s
by consequently refusing to play in tune and on time

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 consistently 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... HiFi Sounds for Hounds

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 Guckenheimer 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.
One very memorable 'gig' was when they were recruited to play at the Fol-de-Rol, the festive party at opening night of the San Francisco Opera. They were a huge hit.

This site is dedicated to the band, a fantastic collection of very talented creative, intelligent and artistic, businessmen, craftsmen and musicians, who created this unique musical œuvre.

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 the drum in the band, but is best 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, Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band
RCA Victor 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 Victor 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

Note: The Oom-pah album was also released on Barbary Records.

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 means something like: "You laugh yourself to death!".
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-Polka

On the back of album there is a serious warning for the unexperienced 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 three albums are being offered on eBay and on-line second hand vinyl-sites, at fair prices. Ranging from $5 to $25, depending of condition of vinyl and sleeve. "Non-Thinkers" is most common, "Oom-Pah" less frequent.

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 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).

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,some great 1958 pictures and an unpublished Saturday Evening Post article (pics and article),
and a few download samples

This rare original Guckenheimer pin was sent to me by Rebekah Edwards.
She wrote me:
I've been reading your site and I've also been cleaning up things and found a giant Guckenheimer's pin. If you'd like to have this let me know and I'm happy to send it to you. I'm from a family that collects antiques and I'm pretty sure I found this amongst some items in Oakland at my parents shop, they used to make rubber stamps.

The pin measures 4 inches in diameter and is made by Economy Novelty & Printing Co (in New York). In the center is an image of the sleeve of the Non-Thinkers album. So it probably was a promotional item to go along the release of that album in 1959.
Thank you Rebekah for giving it to me!

Saturday Evening Post article

In 1958 Dorothy Taylor photographed the band at the request of the Saturday Evening Post magazine. Ultimately however the photos and article were not published.
Eric Emerson's treasure

It was Dorothy's son Eric Emerson, who sent me the well-kept original photos of the band and the concept text of the Evening Post's article. A real treasure and a great gift: 7 boxes of positive color transparencies, total comes up to around 75 slides in all. In addition to the slides there is some printed text material and a number of BW printed proofs.

Thank you so much Eric for this great gift!

Here is the magazine's article and some of these pictures:

Guckenheimer pictures 1958 by (c) Dorothy Taylor
click on image for larger image

The band in Maiden Lane, San Francisco. performing for the California Beer Festival, 1958, with the 1934 Austin taxi which Gump imported from England for their official transportation

Band in Maiden Lane, San Francisco. performing for the California Beer Festival, 1958

Maiden Lane, San Francisco. California Beer Festival, 1958, Audience reaction shot

Band at Lefty O'Doul's restaurant, San Francisco, playing for pre-game party for Milwaukee Braves and the San Francisco Giants

Garden "concert" at the Old Spaghetti Factory Cafe, North Beach, San Francisco

Old Spaghetti Factory Cafe, North Beach, San Francisco, Herr Doktor Guckenheimer conducts the overture from "Raymond"

Home rehearsal at Gump home, L-R Gump, Entrikin, Lichty, Kellogg, Hiatt

Gump home. Band tries on new hats, brought by Gump from Europe for added "uniform" color. L-R: Gump, Entrikin, Kellogg, Hiatt

Gump home rehearsal. Interior Gump's studio. L-R: Lichty, Coleman, Kellogg, Conroy, McDonnell, Hiatt

Guckenheimer's Sour Kraut Band

Just outside San Francisco's Opera House one recent night, the nine members of Guckenheimer's Sour Kraut Band shuffled silently into their musical firing position. Kapellmeister Guckenheimer raised a matchstick like a baton.
"Ready, Herr Schmidt?" he asked.
"Ya, ready" said Schmidt.
"Ready, Herr Glotz?"
"Ya, let's give mitt it out" growled guttural Glotz.
"Ready, the rest of mine bums?"
"Ya, ya," came the chorus, "We're ready, Herr Guckenheimer."

The leader's arm swooped down, foot sIapping the pavement. Ein, zwei, drei -- and what went for music fractured the night air, wailing oompahs from the flugelhorn, thunderous boom-booms from the trommel, mad chiming of the glockenspiel. At that exact moment, strictly by design, the doors swung open and the homeward-bound music lovers, finishing their bee with Beethoven, emerged to be assaulted by the off-key rendition of "Kommst Ein Vogel Geflogen" (A Bird Comes Flying). To a man the opera patrons paled.

For a moment on this March of Dimes night it was touch and go. Would the opera goers laugh or lynch? Then someone snickered. And the snicker swelled to a mighty guffaw as the crowd ganged around the huffing, puffing Sour Krauts in their ill-fitting uniforms.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," interrupted a woman in diamonds and decolletage, "what in heaven's name are you playing?"

"The March--from Dimes," said the leader, passing round his spiked helmet. Coin after coin plopped into the headgear until it was abrim with money--for polio victims, of course. Beethoven from his grave must have led the applause, it was that tremendous.

That experience was nothing new for the Sour Krauts. They are forever stealing the show. These mad musicians, probably the zaniest group in the nation, are actually staid business and professional men from the Bay Area. Their roster reads largely like a Who's Who. [then follows a Personnel List]

At the drop of an octave, the fun-loving Sour Krauts will play almost anywhere at almost any time. They think their hobby is rewarding. They've given concerts for the wounded in veteran's hospitals; they've played at lodge picnics, harvest festivals, church socials, club meetings. They also have offered their services to any political candidate who can deliver a platform to satisfy all of them, which to date has never happened.

At the Sonoma Wine Festival they were solemnly awarded a price "For Valor." In Virginia City, Nevada, fretting to play for the sake of playing, the unpredictable Sour Krauts stopped on a street corner, set up their instruments and gave an unscheduled concert for two ragged urchins and their lop-eared dog. Natives of Virginia City, refer to their visit as "the greatest event since President Grant came to town."

At the dedication of a department store escalator, with the needy benefiting, the Krauts had the time of their lives. They rode the escalators while playing, and found out that, on the up-trip, their number "Alta Kammeraden" ended exactly with the ending of the ride on the fifth and last floor escalator. Not a tootle left over. On the down-trip, "Deutschland Uber Alles" fitted to perfection. It nearly broke their hearts when they missed being invited to a brewery opening. They wanted to try playing the flugelhorn under schnapps. Gump, formed the Sour Krauts in 1949 for no more lofty a motive, originally, than to let off steam and have fun. They invented the Guckenheimer monicker because it sounded "good and German." Since they were all musically talented, they rehearsed as often as possible to be sure they wouldn't all be in tune an on time. Another requirement was 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. For the sake of additional color, they were soon calling each other by outlandish German names and talking guttural.

With their German descent purely of the "malt and hops" variety, any resemblance to any good old-fashioned German band is absolutely accidental. Still, they say their unusual avocation has a personally practical aspect.

"If everything goes to pot," explains Herr Gump lightly, "we can always open a beer hall." What he doesn't mention is that the play-acting Sour Krauts find deep satisfaction nowadays in seeing their hobby help others.

Liner notes "Oom-pah-pah in Hi-Fi"

San Francisco Records M-33005, 1955-56

Oom Pah Pah in Hi-Fi

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.

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

Basic text below is taken from 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 Band

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.
Fritz Guckenheimer

Gump published a few books. In 1951 "Good Taste 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 his 35 acre estate on 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.

Richard James Hiatt (1910-1973) was, besides architect and musician, a painter of landscape and architecture. He lived in Mill Valley CA, Jeannie Kellogg Keyes, daughter of Bob Kellogg. remembers the Sour Kraut Band playing in a stunning little coffee/ sandwich shop in Mill Valley. It was in the mid 60s. Her mother told her, Dick Hiatt had designed it. This Dick Hiatt's mini plaza still seems to exist, though in bad condition (source). At Richard Hiatt Place, a plaque says, "In Appreciation of his Service and his Love for Mill Valley, 1973."

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.

No more additional info found

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.
Lichty was 16 years old when he launched his art career by selling his first cartoon to The Judge for $20. He attended the Chicago Art Institute, from which he was ejected after he had started to place his gags under the Rembrandts and El Grecos hung there.
Graduating from the University of Michigan in 1929, he began his newspaper career doing spot cartoons and sports drawings for the Chicago Daily Times. He created his Grin and Bear It series in 1932.
His artwork had a hastily drawn, loose appearance. Frequent subjects included computers, family life, excessive capitalism and Soviet bureaucracy.

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.
(Many thanks to Rocky Entriken for photo and information)

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.

Darcy Edward McDonnell, as his formal name was, was born in 1925.
He wrote and illustrated, with his wife Gloria, stories about Frijolito, the Famous Mexican Jumping Bean.
He was living in San Rafael, CA and recently passed away (January 2010).

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 in World War II and received a Purple Heart.
After the war, Hugh worked as a scriptwriter for MGM studios and taught playwriting at the University at Berkeley. Then he went to New York, where several of his plays were produced on Broadway. Before retiring, he taught high school English.
Hugh was a founding member of the right-wing Institute for First Amendment Studies. He had a broad sense of humor and wrote limericks. The following limerick, written six days before his death, was his last.
    A hot blooded youth was named Spencer
    He wielded his tool like a fencer
    Girls went amuck
    when he started to...cry
    Rhymes not because of a censor
(information taken from his obituary).

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.

Robert Berkeley Kellogg (1921-1999), born in Berkeley, CA (thus his middle name). At school at Berkeley High he played Souzaphone. He continued his music throughout his life as a professional with Musicians Union Local Six where he was an insurance adjuster for a time.
Bob could play just about any instrument, but bass, tuba and guitar were his favorites. He had his own dance band (the Bob Berkeley Band) and played with the Paul Faria Orchestra. His main instrument within the music world was the stand up bass. His own band "The 4 Dirty Old Men" played at the Olympic Golf and Country club for weekend dances for many, many years.
When he was asked to play tuba in the Sour Kraut Band, he went to sit in at a rehearsal. His instrument was in perfect condition and his playing was superlative, and he remembered thinking, "My God, these guys are terrible!" As the rehearsal continued and the guys kept giving HIM odd glances, Paul Faria turned to him and said, "Bob, can't you even play one wrong note"?! It was at this statement that he got what the Gukenheimers were all about, and then he cut loose! A clown at heart, he had no problem screwing up from that moment on. Bob was with the band for many years.
Bob and his wife Aureba (Reba) owned and operated two music stores (San Lorenzo and Fremont, CA). Later they worked for one of their record distributors, Saul Zaentz, who purchased the Fantasy Records label and made it big by recording the hits of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
(Many thanks to Bob's daughter Jeannie for submitting the information)

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

No more additional info found

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.
After graduation, he worked for his father in the Joseph W. Faria Furniture Co., making and finishing antique reproductions, doing interior design and decorating. At night, he would perform with various dance orchestras including the Neil Bondshu and Carl Ravazza Orchestras from 1936 to 1942, playing saxophone, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. He traveled around the country with these bands, playing in fine hotels, doing radio broadcasts, making records and sound transcriptions.
Paul entered the Army Air Corps in early 1942. He was stationed in Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska and was with the 501st Bombardment Group in Guam as Special Services Officer and Information and Education Officer. After the war he continued in the Air Force Reserve and attained the rank of Lt Colonel, retiring in 1978.
After his active duty in the service, Paul worked as a traveling salesman for a Formica company but his his extreme drive to succeed resulted in his taking orders for such extraordinary amounts of Formica that the company could not fulfill them. In frustration, Paul left the company and accepted a stock clerk position with Gump's in San Francisco (1947). Eventually, he was promoted to Director of Gump's Interior Design and European Antiques departments.
He designed dining and living room furniture and had them hand-made in a cabinet shop. He also developed a unique finish on teakwood, that, once finished, looked half-way between oak and walnut. It was due to the simple classic design and this unique finish that Gump's sold millions of dollars worth of one particular dining table, which was sought out by people nationwide.
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.
Paul Faria left Gump's in 1983. From 1984 until 2002 he successfully operated Paul Faria Designs, Inc., designing and selling custom furniture and antique reproductions.
(Many thanks to Paul's wife Sue Faria for submitting the information)

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?.

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.

MILT BOWERMAN

Milt Bowerman was an active Guckenheimer in the later years of the band.

Camp Director - Hayward La Honda Music Camp

LLOYD SMRSTIK

Lloyd J. Smrstik (1922-2010) played the drum, following up George Lichty.

Lloyd played drums, many years, for Big Name Bands in the San Francisco Bay Area, belonging to the Musician's Union Local #6 for over 50 years. Lloyd retired from the California Ink Company in Berkeley, California after 42 years of service.
(information taken from his obituary).

Downloads

Just a few samples of the band's musical geniality.
Note: to prevent commercial mp3-searching robots to find the files, extension mp3 has been left out; so after download, add ".mp3" to the filename to be able to play the music.

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.

John Kelley of San Antonio, TX, brought to my attention H.L.Mencken (1880-1956), who must have been some sort of precursor of the Guckenheimers. John wrote me: "This merry group of amateur/professional musicians reminds me of H.L. Mencken's Saturday Evening Club. In one of his memoirs (Heathen Days?) Mencken describes the effort of this group of amateur musicians (in real life doctors, lawyers, and newspaper men) to bang out all nine Beethoven symphonies in a single evening. After stopping several times for beer and sandwiches the performances became more and more erratic. Mencken professes to not know for certain if they ever completed the entire set."

Another reincarnation of Guckenheimers?
Brought to my attention the Grand Isle Fire Brigade from Elk Grove, CA. Their manager, Fritz Koford, wrote me:
We are Grand Isle Fire Brigade, a german-style oompah band modeled after Harry Alford's Hungry Five, but perhaps sounding much more like Fritz Guckenheimer.
We recently bought "the little german book" to augment our collection, and in looking for recordings of these gems found the Gucka's who were playing the same book 60 years ago!
I was dissapointed that Mr. Gump didn't live to see us... he might have liked us. I understand from your website there is a heir somewhere.. and I wonder if there is any music left of the old group? We'd be honored to play it.
Hear and watch the band play on these YouTube-clips:

Comments

Over the years I've got many kind reactions from all over the world.
To quote a few:

Mike Skay: You've made my day. I grew up with these guys and have two vinyl albums safely stashed away. I tried to explain this group to my daughters but found that the only way to really appreciate them was to listen to them. As I told them---you really have to be good to play that bad. I was a fan of "Grin & Bear It" and have visited Gumps on my travels to SF.
I'm really glad that you are keeping these guys alive as the world needs a good laugh at least once a day

Barbara (Smrstik) Elling: I just have to say THANK YOU for your website. I have told my daughter about the crazy band that my uncle, Lloyd Smrstik, sometimes played with. I really appreciated seeing him included on the site.

Victor Krone: Als liefhebber van kromme muziek hoorde ik, ongeveer 40 jaar geleden, een zelf opgenomen cassettebandje van de Guckenheimers en, u raadt het al, ik was gelijk verkocht. De cassette, waarop w.s.l. de derde LP stond, is lang geleden verloren gegaan. Daar we de naam van de band en de titels van de opnames niet wisten, heb ik mij suf gezocht. Tot mijn grote geluk kwam ik ze, puur toevallig, op You Tube tegen en dus was het vinden van uw site een kleine stap. De info en de 6 songs heb ik natuurlijk overgenomen; hier ben ik heel erg blij mee.

Patrick Hydrick: I looked but could not find any of your tunes on iTunes. My father loved, in particular, the Music for Non-Thinkers album. I have many fond memories of him playing the album at its loudest and laughing at the miscues. I had completely forgotten the album until I went to my granddaughter's sixth grade recital this week. Thanks for the wonderful memories.

John Kelley, San Antonio, TX: Thank you for your very informative website devoted to the Guckenheimer Sauerkraut Band! In 1970 a friend gave me a much used (abused?) copy of "Music for Non-Thinkers". Ever since I have tried to introduce new friends to this hilarious group. I also have tried to find out more about the Band but until I encountered your website I had come up empty-handed. The background information that you provided is very interesting (and hilarious).
Thanks again for your excellent research and for making the results available to the world! Now if only we could persuade RCA to release the GSB's peerless performances on CDs!

Niels Swinkels: Ik ben geboren en getogen in Helmond, maar ik woon sinds 1995 in San Francisco. In mijn vorige leven was ik Chef Kunst van het Brabants Dagblad en ik werk nu voornamelijk als freelance journalist/schrijver/vertaler en radio/podcast producer. Uit een of andere diepe krocht van mijn geheugen kwam onlangs de Guckenheimer Sauerkraut Band boven drijven; ik ken deze band al sinds Willem Duys er in zijn programma 'Muziekmozaiek' op zondagmorgen een keer iets van draaide, ten minste dertig jaar geleden. Maar aanvullende informatie bestond niet, of was in ieder geval toen niet te vinden. Ik heb nog ooit viavia een cassettebandje op de kop weten te tikken van 'Mädel Wasch Dich' en later ook nog gezocht of de muziek op cd te koop is, maar dat is niks geworden.
Hoe dan ook: dat kwam allemaal zeer onlangs boven drijven, en toen ik via Google weer op zoek ging naar meer informatie kwam ik -uiteraard- terecht op jouw uitgebreide en goed gedocumenteerde website. Daar zag ik ook dat de Guckenheimer Sauerkraut Band uit San Francisco kwam (hetgeen mij lang geleden ooit verteld is, maar ik was het weer vergeten). Vanwege de link met San Francisco lijkt het me aardig om een kort radio-programmaatje te maken over de GSB. Ik werk (als vrijwilliger) voor KALW, een plaatselijk 'public radio' station en produceer af en toe mijn eigen stukkies. Mijn vraag is of ik gebruik mag maken van de informatie op jouw website - en ik neem aan dat dat geen probleem is, maar ik vraag het toch maar.

Robert Noyes: I bought the "Oom Pah Pah..." LP when it came out. My fatal mistake was to lend it to someone. You know the rest of that story. Anyway, Google brought me to your page. You are doing a great public service for the world of music by posting this valuable data.

Chad Leich Stegina: Wow... What a surprize to find your Web Site on the Guckenheimer Sourkraut Band. How well I remember listening to their albums especially 'Music For Non-Thinkers' when I was a little boy. My Dad, an ex Marine, saw serious fighting against the Japanese in the South Pacific. During the late '50's many of his Marine buddies and their wives would come over to our house on a Friday night for an evening of music and party. Often we would have 50 or more people and the night was always wild with the beer flowing and folks dancing, expecially to the Guckenheimer Sourkraut Band. What a great memory you have brought back. Thanks for your site.

Bert de Gooijer: Hallo ik ben blij dat ik niet de enige mafkees ben! Ik heb ongeveer 25 jaar geleden de GSK band voor het eerst gehoord in een nachtprogamma van de VPRO [paesens en moddergat] en dat nummer [stars and strips forever] nooit vergeten. Via mijn speurtochten naar de Portsmouth Sinfonia [vast niet onbekend] vond ik GSK's Music for; op internet, vanaf die tijd lijden mijn collega's dubbel! Ik ben 54 jaar maar nooit volwassen geworden, dus een voorkeur voor vreemde muziek, bv Gothic, War metal en muziek van bv Toby Rix, Bob Bouber enz.

Mike Kohn: Thank you for putting together the GSKB site. Another big fan of the band is "Dandy Don" Hedeker, by day a mathematics professor at the University of Illinois, by night the Clown Prince of Polka in Chicago's "The Polkaholics", a funny, GSKB-inspired fusion where The Ramones meets The Six Fat Dutchmen. Don and I both collect old polka records and have been email friends for years. I did not know about the first GSKB album until Don informed me of it and sent me a cassette many years ago. I have both the RCA issues on vinyl, my father had Music For Non Thinkers on vinyl when I was a child.
I've found over the years that either you "get" GSKB or you don't. Thanks for creating the website for those of us that "get" it.

Denise Snider, Pullman, WA: Hello, I am a musician who plays in a German band and it was a great delight to find an LP of the Sour Kraut band at an estate sale today. I am looking forward to sharing this with my friends in the group.

Eric Andersen, Adelaide, OZ: I joined the Australian army at age 16 to be trained as a musician, and my first posting was as first clarinet to the Central Command Band, in Adelaide, South Australia. The band had only recently changed its instrumentation from that of a British style brass band of 30 players, to a small concert band of 34, and all of the woodwind graduates of my year were sent there as a group to boost the woodwind stocks. When the Adelaide band changed (as had all the other bands in the army at about the same time) from brass to concert, it must be said that we had more than one or two Guckenheimer moments ourselves. There were some very fine brass players who were told "You are now a clarinet player" and, particularly early on, some verrrrry strange sounds were being made.
Some time after I had arrived in Adelaide in 1972, one of the men brought a copy of "Music for Non-Thinkers" to work. I was single, and living in a barrack block only a short distance from the bandroom, and I would often come to work just in time for the first parade of the day. This particular morning I could hear the sounds of the German band coming from the record player, and when I opened the door it was apparent that there would be no parade, as everyone was writhing around, double up with laughter, and with tears in their eyes.
I soon joined them...
Just before I finished my 29 years in the army, I had 5 years as Officer Commanding/Chief Instructor of the Defence Force School of Music. In that role I was responsible for all musical training in the Australian armed forces, as well as providing training to members of some foreign armed forces, and some members of police bands from Australia and abroad. We would frequently have all sorts of distinguished visitors come to lecture the Band Officer Course students, or lead the full band in their own compositions. I vividly recall a visit where, for some odd reason, I mentioned the Guckenheimers to one particular guest (whose name, I'm embarrassed to say, now escapes me). Nobody else in the class had ever heard the Guckenheimers, and it must have seemed pretty strange to them that their boss and the visiting eminent music educator from the US were just about wetting themselves at the memory of the Guckenheimer's playing - and this without a recording anywhere within earshot!

Janice Barnard, Tasmania, OZ: Hi I am nearly 78 and I have never seen such an entertaining website as yours.
I am an avid collector of unusual, unique and/or crazy CDs of organisations which are purported to be bands.
My craziest at the moment is mine by download, of the Turkish Military Bursa Mehter band, whose weird playing is exacerbated by their singing along with it. I guess that their inability to observe the 2 basics of band, or any music, are correct notes and playing each note at the right time. I have been trying to work out if they have all been castrated or they breathe in too much helium.
At the moment I am downloading some of your website's tracks and I am sure that those will make the Turks music sound absolutely brilliant.
It sounds as if yours is a fun band, so keep it up.

Doug Brickhill: I just discovered your site after my brother sent me some links. My father used to play Music for Non Thinkers for us when we were kids- and we used to have such fun listening to the album on the stereo! He passed away about a year ago and I had forgotten about those long ago days. My father had quite the collection of classical music but I think this one was among his favorites because I think he realized how hard it was to pull it off in the way that these guys did it. Thank you for your info- I wish I could hug each and every band member for the great memories they have provided a soundtrack for!

Josee Kraker: Minstens 50 jaar geleden hoorde ik op de radio deze band. Ze werden geïntroduceerd door niemand minder dan Willem Duys. Ik was er meteen weg van en heb toen de LP gekocht en bijna stuk gedraaid (bij wijze van spreken).
Achter op de hoes stond een recept voor Kartoffelsuppe. Vaak gemaakt, erg lekker. De LP heb ik op CD over laten brengen en bij een recente verhuizing de LP naar de kringloop gedaan. Dat was een beetje dom! Temeer daar ik geen kopie heb gemaakt van de hoes voor- en achterzijde: ik zou dolgraag dat recept nog eens willen hebben.

Philip Vallentin, Canada: The family legend has it that my (Dutch) parents found the Music For Non-Thinkers album in the bargain basement of the Eaton's department store in our city of Hamilton, Ontario. Money was always very tight for my parents so this purchase must have meant a great deal to them. They were both avid classical music-lovers. My theory is that cover completely captured their imaginations......and this was from two people who experienced dreadful times during the German Occupation.
As you can well imagine, the album was a huge favourite and treasured as pure genius musical comedy. It would send our whole family into paroxysms of laughter. It was never possible to play both sides in one sitting as it would be fatal. Our entire family....12 children!.... have always cherished this album and would periodically pull it out over the years to be tickled to death all over again.
It was always fun to read the liner notes and look at the photos.....such classy humour! The original album eventually got misplaced after my Mother died 25 years ago. But thank goodness for the internet....as soon as Ebay was launched, I found a very good copy and bought it....and proceeded to bootleg many cds for my siblings. Even now I still love to play it for people who have never heard it to see what their reaction is. Quality people get it!

Thanks...

with kind help of:
Luc Borgmans, Rocky Entriken, Susan Faria, Jaap Hazewinkel, Freek Horst, Jeannie Kellogg Keyes, Liz Neumann, Ruud Sempel, Eric Emerson.

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

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