10-page early 1970's Miraphone tuba brochure

[Rick Denney]

This is fantastic. I had the ones from 1981 through 1985 for many years, but have lost them. I wasted a lot of time in high school looking at these things.

So did I, but they were from about a decade earlier.

I was able to borrow a 186 from Rice University in 1975–my band director played in the MOB and was a good friend of Rice’s Director of Bands. That’s the closest I ever got until about 15 years later.

Rick “in the California Sound Influence Zone in Houston in those days—see Bill Rose” Denney

[Rick Denney]

I seem to recall similar pics in Mirafone ads in the 80’s, with Tennessee Tech students and Winston Morris featured.

And in the back pages of the TUBA Journal about 40 years ago, some ad for this music store that had nothing shown but a horizontally oriented picture of a 188. That rings a bell…

Rick “oh, yeah…Mid-South Music” Denney

[the elephant]

I loved the NTSU studio photos. I now know most of those guys.

I have shared this story a few times, but I'll share it again. (heh, heh…)

In May of 1983, I was at UT Austin in Music Building East, trying to find the classroom where my accompanist and I were to perform for the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. I was running "almost late" so I was pretty stressed.

When I stumbled into the correct room, somewhat flustered, who looks up from writing on his judge's sheet but Bill Rose, my musical hero!

If I wasn't flustered enough already, this put me over the edge and rather obtusely blurted out, "Hey! You're William Rose!"

He smiled, nodded, and said, "Yes, I am."

He seemed pleased that I knew who he was. (It is always fun when some kid treats you like you're a star.)

Then I proudly blurted out, "I use your mouthpiece!"

He broke into a grin and blurted right back, "Hey, so do I!"

I felt so stupid, but he was very kind and calmed me down. I still have his comment/rating sheet. I was pretty starstruck, to be honest.

[bloke]

Mr. Rose’s responses to you were absolutely perfect, weren’t they?

(At that point in my life, I might’ve heard about the then: near-the-end-of-his-life Bill Bell - from my one-year-older-than-me mentor at my high school - who I have also brought up quite a few times - and who really had already mastered the instrument, but I knew just about nothing of makes, models, mouthpieces, players, or tuba music …I didn’t even know who played tuba in the local orchestra. I did - weary of school-owned mouthpieces with gouges all over them - end up with a “Helleberg 7B” - which “looked cool” - that I bought for myself when I was in 11th grade, but had no idea who-or-what “Helleberg“ was. … I could, however, name several notable nylon-string guitar players, had heard - “live” - Chris Parkening - very noisy left hand - and as well as the Romeros bros. in my teen years, and - compositions-wise - knew of quite a bit of flamingo, lute-transcribed baroque, etude-related, and other stuff about that genre. Of course, now I wish that I had viewed the TUBA as a little bit more than “a class in school”, and perhaps had access to a little bit better equipment than “a REALLY leaky old 1240”.)

Though my one-year-older (completely and absolutely self-taught) high school buddy was absolutely playing at a professional level, HAD I met (and better yet: heard) someone (an ADULT) like William Rose - somewhat early on, perhaps that would have sparked my interest earlier. I didn’t even hear Roger Bobo’s LP until I was about 19 or 20, and - to do so - had to special order it from a record shop (that was about two blocks from my parents house, yet I could see its giant round record-resembling neon flashing/moving sign - lit up at night - from my upstairs bedroom window… OK… I might as well link a picture, as it was somewhat impressive…)

[DonO.]

Even now, 50 years later, I still can’t believe that Mirafone sent me a FREE copy of that Roger Bobo solo LP just because I sent a letter requesting more information on their instruments! That record rocked my world and completely changed my perception of what a tuba could be and do! To be clear, I was aware that there was such a thing as a tuba solo. When I was in the 9th grade I went to District Band. It was my director’s habit to allow those who went to District to play a solo in the spring concert. He purchased a piece called “The Egotistical Elephant”, a tuba solo with band accompaniment. I proudly played it at the concert on my white fiberglass Sousaphone. It caused a minor sensation in my little town. So many people said to me (but primarily my parents) that they really enjoyed it, and that they had no idea a tuba could even play solo. And all of this happened before I ever listened to the Bobo album. The biggest difference for me post- listening was that I always thought tuba solos were for comic effect, depicting elephants and so forth. It had never occurred to me that a tuba could play serious solos written by major composers. So I decided to dip my toes into that realm. Our local music store had a copy of “Air and Bouree’” by Bach, arranged by Bill Bell. That was my introduction to the world of “serious” tuba playing.

[bloke]

That two dollars they spent (for that LP bought wholesale - from a local-to-them record company - by the box, plus media mail postage) was two dollars well spent…
…adjusted for inflation: about $15 today.

[DonO.]

Bloke-I added to my post. You might be interested. Or not!

I wonder how many horns that marketing strategy sold?

[prairieboy1]

Thank you for posting this gem! I was interested to see the picture of the tuba section from Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The director, Conrad Daellenbach, I believe is the father of Chuck Daellenbach of the Canadian Brass. I think Chuck might even be in the picture as the first tuba looking at the picture from right to left. Correct or out to lunch?

[ProAm]

I think I count six model 184's (5U and the one 6U) shown in the photos but there is no 184 mentioned in the Models listed on the last page. Does that mean anything? Even though it seems popular, was it an unusual model at the time? Or maybe more of an artist's model?

There is only one 185 shown in a photo so I am not as surprised to not see it in the model listing.

[Rick Denney]

There is no doubt that Bobo sold a LOT of Mirafones. But he also influenced a lot of young tuba players who could not afford their own tubas.

Wade, my solo contest judge throughout school was Robert Linder, who was Bill Rose’s boss at Houston Baptist College. He turned me on to both Rose and Bell, and treated me just as graciously. But studying privately wasn’t an option for me and I wasn’t good enough to force the issue. Dr. Linder had to hear me on a King plastic sousaphone every year but the one, and on a couple of occasions accompanied by my decidedly amateur sister.

(Including the year I played Air and Bourree, another thing from that era that influenced a lot of young tuba players.)

@TubaRay was a little ahead of me on the Texas scene, and drove over to Wichita Band Instrument Company to buy his still-beloved 186-5U CC in, I seem to recall, 1973. He may have been in grad school at the time at Kansas.

Texas was definitely Miraphone country. (Except Mike Sanders who played an Alex.)

Rick “halcyon days” Denney

[jtm]

Texas was definitely Miraphone country. (Except Mike Sanders who played an Alex.)

I was an engineering student at The University of Texas in the early '80s, playing bassoon in a non-marching ensemble, and I signed up for a semester of tuba/euphonium ensemble because it was open and seemed like fun. I also didn't know anything about brands or tuba players (I knew the brand of fiberglass sousaphone I'd marched with in high school, probably), and had never played an upright tuba or a tuba with four valves, but the music school gave me a locker and told me to check out a tuba. Nobody made a big deal about the brand, style, or size of tuba -- I was only vaguely aware that there were tubas other than Bb, anyway -- and I don't think I even noticed the brand.

Years later I learned (and could then appreciate) that the music school was just handing out 186 BBb tubas to non-majors who didn't have their own instruments.

[bloke]

...Years later I learned (and could then appreciate) that the music school was just handing out 186 BBb tubas to non-majors who didn't have their own instruments.

[LeMark]

UT-Arlington also provided miraphones to students that didn't own their own, but majors and non majors.

[Three Valves]

Record shop and BBQ stand??

[bloke]

The barbecue place is still there - next door.
Their meat is pretty good, but their sauce is amazing (TOPS). It’s a local chain - from just over the River in Arkansas to just across the line - into Mississippi - southeast of Memphis.
Records went out of style, but BBQ does not.
The barbecue place was originally a Roy Rogers roast beef place (I believe I recall the modest houses being bulldozed and businesses popping up around there beginning approximately 1970)…but who the heck wants rose-beasts, when barbecue can be made in the same joint?
People tell me that TOPS hamburgers are the best in town…but why should I go in there and buy a hamburger?

Record shop and BBQ stand??

[Casca Grossa]

Now I kind of want to send one of my 184's to Bloke to have one of those magical 6th valves put on it.

[utsatuba]

Whoa!! Are these a rescan? I posted these on the other forum back in 2009 but Photobucket (we had what we had) just removed a lot of photos.

[Tuba1153]

Mr. Rose was a rock star with the biggest heart. I miss him being around to listen, advise, or just listen to him tell a good story about general tomfoolery on the back row of the Houston Symphony.

[Jperry1466]

Very cool and some very familiar (to me) faces. I knew Roger Rush when he was band director at McLennan Community College in Waco in the 80s; I believe the 1st tuba student in the U. Of Houston photo is Larry Campbell who was for many years the band director and tuba teacher at Blinn College in Brenham; got to meet Wes Jacobs when he did a master class at TCU around 1970-71; was able to meet and hear Tommy Johnson at the 1974 T.U.B.A. southeast symposium at the U. of Tennessee (I believe bloke was there as well), and of course, Ev Gilmore. The pic of Wm. Revelli is interesting, because I don't remember ever seeing him smile, nor the students under his baton.

[bloke]

I played under Revelli's baton a couple of times after he retired. I'm thinking he may have chilled a bit, but the Miraphone picture is pre-retirement.

I also played under his second successor (Robert Reynolds, who was new, that year) about a week or two after I played under Revelli (for the second time). I hope it's okay to say here that I was much more impressed with Robert Reynolds.

Another remarkable band director that I played under for a few days once (still in high school, at that time) was Colonel Arnald Gabriel. I felt sort of bad for him - as well as embarrassed. He was being very nice to us, but - that particular year of an All-State band in Tennessee - we just didn't have the trumpets to offer him that we normally had. The real artist players across the state had graduated the previous year, and left a void.