Pratt-Read

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.

Edith De Forest was associated with the Pratt-Read Company for over 70 years! She began working for the piano keys and action manufacturer in the early 1930s. Even after her retirement in the 1980s, she continued to work for the company’s museum. She later served as the company historian doing all her best to keep the stories of Pratt-Read alive and well. The company, which was established in 1798, has produced many products over the years from ivory combs for babies in the 1800s to tools for Sears today. In between, the founders developed a unique way to consistently manufacture ivory piano keys and later a wide range of piano actions, which have been included in hundreds of makes and models over the decades.