Aeolian Piano Company

Dave Campbell grew up in a household full of music! Both of his grandmothers were piano teachers and his father was a professional piano player. With such a strong background in music it was no surprise that Dave became a professional musician and made it his career until his early 30s. Dave also had a strong interest in engineering and put both passions together by getting involved with the piano industry. He worked for Kimball Pianos before being hired by Charlie Kaman,who formed Carrier Pianos in North Carolina. After building the factory and running the operations there he was hired by his long time friend, Peter Perez, to run the Aeolian Corporation of America in Memphis, Tennessee.

Henry Heller recalled with detail his father’s idea of moving the Aeolian Piano Company’s manufacturing plant from New York to Memphis. During the months of the move in the early 1950s, his father suffered a heart attack and died. It was up to Henry not only to take over the project of moving the plant, but also to serve as President of the entire company. Under Henry’s leadership, the company purchased a number of well-established piano brand names such as Winter, Ivor, and Pond. Henry’s NAMM Oral History was recorded over the phone and is an audio recording only.  

Bob Heller’s grandfather began working in the music industry as a piano manufacturer in New York. Along with two partners, his grandfather formed the Winter Piano Company, which under the leadership of Bob’s father, branched out to include other brands such as Aeolian Pianos. Bob worked alongside his father before taking over as president, overseeing the factories in New York and in Memphis, TN. Bob remembers the day in the 1960s when the factory burned down, which was a major blow to the company, which would close its doors in the 1980s. Bob’s memories of the factories and its people are of great value to the oral history collection as he helped us document the Winter and Aeolian chapter of our industry. 

Glen Howard was the first salesman hired by the Winter Piano Company following World War II. Raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, Glen is the son of a real estate broker who fell on hard times during the Great Depression. Glen emerged from those difficult years with a strong understanding of the value of a dollar and with his friendly personality; he seemed destined to be a salesman. During his career at Winter he played a role in the re-development of the dealer relationship program that grew cold during the war.  

 Jack Javens loved the piano business and became one of the industry’s quintessential salesmen.  He worked for the Aeolian Piano Company out of East Rochester New York beginning in the 1950s and stayed for 26 years.  He witnessed the famous merger between Aeolian and the Winter Piano Company in the mid 1960s and the strong competition of the home organ boom in the 1970s.  Jack was proud of the products he sold and spoke of the rich company history of Aeolian, which went back to 1903. 

Arthur Linter had many stories to share, like the one about his real birthday. “My mother told me, ‘Your birthday is March 14, 1913, but it says April 5 on your birth certificate because the doctor put it in his pocket and carried it around for a few days before he filed it.’”

He was a street wise kid from Brooklyn who took night classes to become an accountant and lawyer while working the day job of assisting his father in making headstones at a local cemetery. “The work was rewarding but I often told my father that his clients kept dying off.”

Peter Perez represents a lot of musical history. A former head of CG Conn and CBS Musical Instruments, Peter went on to become the President of Steinway & Sons. His career also included the purchasing of Aeolian Pianos in Memphis and Lyon & Healy in Chicago while he was working for CBS. Another fascinating aspect of his history is his family connection to the industry. Peter married Carroll Greenleaf, the daughter of Leland who was the former owner of CG Conn.  

Art Ritchie grew up in East Rochester, New York in the same part of town that Elmer Brooks grew up. Elmer would later hire Art becoming one of his mentors in the music industry. After serving in the military, Art returned to East Rochester in 1960 and joined the sales team at Aeolian Piano Company. As a sales rep his territory was largely in New England. As Aeolian expanded in the 1960s, the piano factory was moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where Art moved in 1973 to become the sales manager. He remained in that position until the factory closed in 1985.