Artley Flute Company

 Vivian Artley’s brother formed the Artley Flute Company in Elkhart, IN, during the 1930s.  With an innovation that allowed the instrument to be made cheaper, Artley became a successful product for school band programs as well as a well-established and noted professional line of products.  Vivian’s brother, Hube, and their cousin Don went into business together developing a brand of flutes still being made today.  The family history has not been well documented until our interview with Vivian, which was full of family stories and her memories of the flute making days. 

Carl Bosse played an important role in the uncovering of our industry’s history when he sat down for our interview to discuss the Artley Flute Company. Since Mr. Artley had passed away in the 1960s and Carl’s father, Richard Bosse, who had owned the company but was in poor health to relay his stories, Carl stepped in to help. Carl had worked for the company and kept many of his father’s papers. Carl spoke of his friendship with Mr. Artley and the product line that made the company world renowned. He also outlined some of his father’s innovative marketing ideas that made him a pioneer in the field.  

James Glanville was part of the team that relocated the Conn instrument manufacturing operations from Elkhart, IN to Nogales, Mexico, back in 1972. The result was a heavy blow to Elkhart, which had once been the Band Instrument Capital of the World. However, it was a needed move in order to keep the company viable in the changing world of manufacturing. James worked hard to produce quality instruments in the Nogales factory, which remained open until the early 1980s.