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Hi all - Douglas Yeo, former trombonist with the Boston Symphony, and a good friend, is researching the life of John M. Kuhn, who played Sousaphone with many of the great concert bands, including Sousa's.

We happened upon a photo showing Kuhn helping Jack Dempsey play an upright bell Sousaphone, but we are not aware of the source of the photograph, or the context. All we had was a date - 1927.

Do any of you happen to know? I told Doug I would send this out to the tuba chat rooms I frequent. Thanks for any help you can provide!

I don't know anything about the picture I'm afraid, but it's interesting that it looks like he's using three bits!

I can’t be sure of the Kuhn connection, but 1927 was the year of the famous Dempsey/Tunney rematch, also known as “The Long Count” match. It occurred in September of that year in Philadelphia - if Kuhn was active in Philadelphia at the time (dark jackets and light trousers were common) it could have been a publicity photo for that boxing match. Everybody appears to be dressed in clothing that would be appropriate for that time of year, so it’s certainly possible.

And, since they are all dressed the same (and there’s a clarinet on the chair in the left background) the people in the background are likely to be members of a dance band, one with which Mr Kuhn was a member of.

Dempsey lost, FWIW

Looks like the word "CAMP" on the right of the picture... What is the significance of that?

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 3:43 pm Looks like the word "CAMP" on the right of the picture... What is the significance of that?

Yeah, "Dempsey Camp."

Who is this prominently positioned man?

Possibly tangentially related...?



https://archives.library.illinois.edu/s ... ry-1-2019/

Kuhn appears "tolerantly annoyed", and waiting for it to be over.

...

Good eye, bort!

A quick Google search comes up with a place called Soper’s Ranch, Ojai California, for the location of Dempsey’s training camp for the 1927 fight. It appears to have been a popular spot for boxers to set up training camp, partially due to a mineral spring nearby. It also appears to have had a cafe, which is where I’d guess the band was in residence.

https://www.ojaihub.com/going-the-distance/

https://catalog.scpauctions.com/1927_PA ... 30821.aspx

Next step is finding out what was the “house band” at that time.

Yorkboy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:38 pm Good eye, bort!

A quick Google search comes up with a place called Soper’s Ranch, Ojai California, for the location of Dempsey’s training camp for the 1927 fight. It appears to have been a popular spot for boxers to set up training camp, partially due to a mineral spring nearby. It also appears to have had a cafe, which is where I’d guess the band was in residence.

https://www.ojaihub.com/going-the-distance/

https://catalog.scpauctions.com/1927_PA ... 30821.aspx

Next step is finding out what was the “house band” at that time.

Now we're getting somewhere - thanks guys! Here is yet another photo from that day (although I still can't remember where I stumbled upon these images years ago!):