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Collection Overview
Title: Elbern H "Eddie" Alkire Personal Papers and Music Instrument Collection, 1926-1997
ID: 12/9/101
Primary Creator: Alkire, Elbern H. (1907-1981)
Extent: 73.0 cubic feet
Date Acquired: 02/25/2006. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Music - United States, Photographs
Formats/Genres: Papers, Sheet music, Sound Recordings
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Consists of original and published music, business records, correspondence, instructional guides and music examinations, programs, sound recordings, photographs, electrical and mechanical diagrams for several prototype Hawaiian guitars, music instrument catalogs, four original prototype Hawaiian guitars including the first 15-string acoustic guitar, Cruiser, Mini Surfer, and the experimental "Superaxe" guitar with 20 strings, 3 Epiphone Eharp 10-string electric guitars, and Alkire's original acoustic Hawaiian guitar that was used for 1000 radio broadcasts as director and lead guitarist of the Oahu Serenaders during the early 1930s. In addition the collection includes an original Rickenbacker Electro "Frying Pan" guitar. The papers and instruments document Eddie Alkire's career as a musician, music teacher, businessman and inventor. The collection also documents the evolution of Hawaiian guitar performance in America during its height of popularity between 1929 and 1960.
For more Hawaiian guitar materials, see RS 12/9/50 and RS 12/9/150.
Biographical Note
Elbern Homer "Eddie" Alkire (1907-1981) was America's most recognized performer, teacher, and innovator of the twentieth-century Hawaiian guitar. Eddie Alkire, the son of Bessie Alkire, was born on December 6, 1907 in Hacker's Valley, West Virginia. When he was five months old, his father was killed in a railroad accident and he was subsequently adopted and raised by his maternal grandparents, David Lee Alkire and Arminta Alkire (nee Lake). At the age of 16, his grandfather died, leaving Eddie to manage the family grocery store. Sometime around 1921, Eddie began practicing the guitar and enrolled in a correspondence course created by the First Hawaiian Conservatory of Music, a guitar store based in New York and New Jersey. In 1925, Eddie began working at a coal mine operated by Standard Supply Co. in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Soon after, he enrolled in an electrical engineering correspondence course, which he completed in less than a year. During this same year, Alkire performed guitar and tenor banjo for the first time on a radio station, W.M.M.N., which was located in Fairmont, West Virginia.
In 1929, Alkire moved to Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania in order to attend a technical night school. During this time, he was employed by the Westinghouse Electrical Company, where he built switch gear apparatuses and intended to become an electrical engineer. By chance, the Westinghouse building where he worked was located across the street from a local Hawaiian Guitar Shop and School. Members of the School tried to persuade him to abandon his pursuit of electrical engineering and to teach and perform at the school. He soon began playing on the school's Sunday radio hour sponsored by radio station K.Q.V.
In 1930, Alkire was persuaded to move to Cleveland, Ohio where he became a teacher and composer for the Oahu Music Company. Between 1930 and 1934, Alkire acted as the music director for the Oahu Serenaders, an ensemble that performed on over 1000 coast-to-coast, nationally syndocated N.B.C and C.B.S. radio broadcasts. As a performer, Alkire experimented with new tunings that enabled him to play four-part harmonies and rapid melodic passages and as a result the Oahu Serenaders fostered a deep fan base. In 1934, Alkire married Margaret Hanzel, who suggested that he find a more stable career. That year, Alkire and his wife moved to Easton, Pennsylvania. It was here that Alkire created his own music publishing company. Building upon his own educational experiences and the publishing experience he gained from Oahu, Alkire created a series of progressive correspondence lessons that taught beginning and intermediate players how to play Hawaiian and Spanish guitar. His correspondence course would continue publishing learn-by-mail lessons well into the 1960s.
In 1936, Alkire utilized his knowledge of electrical engineering to create an experimental 15-string electric Hawaiian guitar. By 1939, he had solicited renowned electric guitar maker George Beauchamp to help him cast the first 10-string Hawaiian Guitar, which he called the E-Harp (pronounced ay-harp) and which Alkire officially patented in 1950. Near the end of his life, Alkire designed several guitar pedals and several other Hawaiian guitars including: The Mighty Mo, the Super Axe, the Mini Surfer, the Cruiser, and the Islander. Alkire died on January 25, 1981. He was inducted in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame two years later in 1983.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Accruals:
Claude Brownell performance audiocassettes donated by Dick Alkire on February 21, 2018. Alkire business correspondence from 1932 to 1997, and 10-inch disc recordings donated by Dick Alkire on January 17, 2021.
Access Restrictions:
None.
Acquisition Source:
Richard Alkire
Acquisition Method:
Gift.
Other Note:
Pages
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Instruments and inventions],
[
Series 2: Publications, compositions and teaching methods],
[
Series 3: Business materials],
[Series 4: Professional materials],
[
Series 5: Personal materials],
[
Series 6: Recordings],
[
Series 7: Photographs],
[
All]
- Series 4: Professional materials
- Sub-Series 1: Articles, magazines and journals
- Box 105
- Folder 1: Lecture notes, 1969 (5 January)
- Folder 2: Hawaiian guitar articles
- Folder 3: "Harmonic Resources of the Eharp" as tape recorded
- Folder 4: "Overcomers are made of steel"
- Author: Bell, Victor
- Folder 5: Article draft, undated
- Folder 6: "Our trip to the convention"
- Folder 7: History of the steel guitar, lecture and article notes
- Folder 8: Published articles by Eddie Alkire
- Folder 9: FIGA articles
- Folder 11: "Metronome" column ideas
- Folder 12: Articles
- Authors: Gould, White, Waddington, McGinley
- Folder 13: "Hand stretching", 1932
- Illustrator: Klar, Edith
- Folder 14: "So you think you know how to write a country tune"
- Author: Marlowe, Kenny
- Folder 15: Magazine clippings, 1968
- Folder 16: News clippings, 1950-59
- Folder 17: _The Bandsman_, 1959 (Feb.)
- Folder 18: _The Billboard_, 1955
- Folder 19: _Dormhurst Triangle_, 1932 (Mar.)
- Folder 20: _Easton Express_, 1972 (Jun.)
- Folder 21: _FIGA News_, 1967 (Nov. - Dec.)
- Folder 22: _FIGA News_, 1979
- Folder 23: _FIGA News_, 1980
- Folder 24: _FIGA News_, 1981 (Jan. - Apr.)
- Folder 25: _Fretted Instrument News_, 1945-49
- Box 106
- Folder 1: _Fretted Instrument News_, 1950-51
- Folder 2: _Fretted Instrument News_, 1952-54
- Folder 3: _Fretts_, 1958 (Feb. - Mar.)
- Folder 4: _The Guitarist_, 1937
- Folder 5: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 1, nos. 1-12
- Folder 6: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 2, nos. 1-12
- Folder 7: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 3, nos. 1-12
- Folder 8: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 4, nos. 1-12
- Folder 9: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 5, nos. 1-12
- Folder 10: _Ha'ilono Mele_ vol. 2, no. 1 - vol. 3, no. 3
- Folder 11: _Hawaiian Guitarist_, 1933
- Box 107
- Folder 1: _Hawaiian Guitarist_, 1934
- Folder 2: _Hawaiian Guitarist_, 1935-36
- Folder 3: _Hawaiian Guitarist_ survey form
- Folder 4: _Honolulu Advertiser_, 1934 (June)
- Folder 5: International Hawaiian Steel Guitar Club newsletter vol. 4-7
- Folder 6: _Mastertone_, 1937
- Folder 7: _Music Dealer_, 1948, 51
- Folder 8: _Music Dealer_, 1952
- Folder 9: _Music Studio News_ vol. 12, nos. 1-4
- Folder 10: _Music Studio News_ vol. 13, nos. 1-4
- Folder 11: _Music Studio News_ vol. 14, nos. 1-6
- Folder 12: _Music Today_, 1947
- Folder 13: _The Music Trades_, 1962 (Jun., Aug.)
- Folder 14: _Musical Notes_, 1936
- Folder 15: _Pedal Steel Newsletter_, 1978
- Box 108
- Folder 1: SESAC Bulletins, 1942-51
- Folder 2: SESAC Bulletins, 1942-46
- Folder 3: SESAC Bulletins, 1947-56
- Folder 4: SESAC Bulletins, 1952-56
- Folder 5: _The Statler_, 1932
- Folder 6: _Steel Guitar Progress_ vol. 1, no. 2 - vol. 2, no. 1
- Folder 7: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Frank Brown
- Folder 8: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Joseph Clemmer
- Folder 9: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Everett Deming
- Folder 10: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Leonard L. Gross
- Folder 11: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Nick de Paola
- Folder 12: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Gene Mack
- Folder 13: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Ladis Marek
- Folder 14: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - John McGinley
- Folder 15: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Lloyd L. Nollinger
- Folder 16: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Hibbard A. Perry
- Folder 17: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Frank Quintana
- Box 109
- Folder 1: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Ruth Rees
- Folder 2: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Henry W. Rodenbeck
- Folder 3: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - W. O. Storhow
- Folder 4: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Ron Waddington
- Folder 5: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Sylvia Wagner
- Folder 6: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Fred Werner
- Folder 7: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Evan White
- Folder 8: _Steel Guitar Progress_ article - Robert Whitford
- Folder 9: _Steel Guitarist_, 1979
- Folder 10: _Steel Guitarist_, 1980
- Folder 11: _Steel Guitarist_, 1981
- Folder 12: _Your Music_, 1950-51
- Box 111
- Folder 1: Newspaper articles & publicity, 1930-41
- Folder 2: Newspaper articles & publicity, 1941-55
- Folder 3: Newspaper articles & publicity, 1950-59
- Folder 4: Newspaper articles, 1960-76
- Folder 5: _Rodeo News_, 1947 (May)
- Box 133
- Folder 5: Photocopied news clippings, ca. 1920-30
- Folder 6: Superaxe debut article, 1972
- Folder 7: Easton Express Electro article, 1976
- Sub-Series 2: Professional organizations
- Box 109
- Folder 13: Hawaiian Music Foundation literature
- Folder 14: American Federation of Musicians life membership card
- Folder 15: American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists meeting minutes, 1951
- Folder 16: American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists convention programs, 1936-40
- Folder 17: American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists convention programs, 1947-54
- Folder 18: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1940-58
- Box 110
- Folder 1: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1936-46
- Folder 2: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1951-56
- Folder 3: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1955-58
- Folder 4: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1950-64
- Folder 5: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1977-80
- Folder 6: American Guild of Music convention programs, 1981
- Folder 7: American Guild of Music registration list
- Folder 8: Association of Music Publishers
- Folder 9: Convention ideas
- Folder 10: FIGA directories, 1975
- Folder 11: Fretted Instrument Guild of America
- Folder 12: Song lists
- Folder 13: Reference and suggestions: lists played, 1942-43
- Folder 14: Program pieces (song titles)
- Folder 15: Reference and suggestions: lists played, 1942-43
- Folder 16: Set lists
- Folder 17: Radio continuity and list of programs, 1941-42
- Box 111
- Folder 6: Convention display materials, 1948-49
- Folder 7: Convention display materials, 1949-50
- Folder 8: Convention display materials, 1951-52
- Box 112
- Folder 1: Convention display materials, 1952-53
- Folder 2: Convention display materials, 1954-56
- Folder 3: Convention display materials, 1956-57
- Box 120
- Folder 2: American Guild of Music Lifetime Achievement Award
- Box 140
- Item 1: Gretsch Trophy American Guild Award- July 3, 1940
- Item 2: Gretsch Trophy American Guild of B.M. & G Award- July 10, 1941
- Item 3: Picks
- Item 4: Slide/Steel
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Instruments and inventions],
[
Series 2: Publications, compositions and teaching methods],
[
Series 3: Business materials],
[Series 4: Professional materials],
[
Series 5: Personal materials],
[
Series 6: Recordings],
[
Series 7: Photographs],
[
All]