Truett and George

(http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/112466)

The REAL Roy Clark was playing the 33rd Annual St. Patrick’s Dance on Saturday 17th March 1934 in Malin Oregon which was just south of Klamath Falls Oregon. Harry H. George – the inventor of the TRUJO Banjo – was headlining with Roy that evening. 

On the way home after the gig, at about 2am Harry swerved to miss an oncoming car and died in the rollover accident. We know what happened as his pianist; Earl Pearson who accompanied him survived the accident. 

Harry already had five songs cut with Columbia records by that time and he and TRUJO Banjo name were quite famous and in high demand. Harry’s most remembered Columbia record cut, which is still being sold today, was “Ghost Dance” which he actually played on the guitar.

For those who had trouble finding information on the internet – search on TRUJO and don’t miss listening to “Ghost Dance” By Velma Stevens Truett and Harry George – it is often referred to as “diabolical” and has never been equaled. Most every banjo and guitar anthology includes a copy of it. There are several sites that let you listen to the recording – it is definitely different - but enjoy!

Now, for those who answered seriously and sent email to me – Thank you very much! Yes, Russ Presting did an excellent job with his “Trujo, Trujo… What’s A Trujo?” article. I so wish I could have met Russ! He did get a few details wrong (Harry and Velma were never married etc.) but Russ’s work will remain the most read source on the TRUJO history and I and my family will forever be grateful to him. 

If anybody knows how I may get in touch with Russ’s son, Keith in San Francisco please let me know. I have been trying to locate him. Please have him email me at: jimgeorge@tampabay.rr.com 

If anybody is still reading this and still interested – here is a brief outline from our family history on Harry George – none of which has ever been made public before:

The following is the continuing time line on Harry Hendricks George II and the TRUJO story:

1923 Harry played the guitar for a local radio station – possibly KPO - located on Sutter Street in San Francisco. Radio was just starting up in 1923 with the first broadcasts coming from department stores and hotels. Several “studios” actually just one room hotel suites were located on Sutter Street also the location from which Harry’s last known contact “Hotel Rialto” was from. Radio needed live talent as there was no recording capability at the time. Due to the unsophisticated radio equipment of the day – the banjo with its twangy sound would not carry well over the broadcast. The microphones and speakers would “break-up” trying to reproduce the banjo sound. That is why Harry played the guitar and not the banjo on the radio. 

But this is where Harry got the idea of re-stringing his banjo with guitar strings and tuning it like the guitar so it could be played over the radio. This gave the banjo a deeper sound that carried much better. This worked very well and was his claim to fame. For the first time banjo playing could be heard over the radio and this boosted its popularity and started the banjo craze. 

NOTE: According to Russ Presting who wrote them most comprehensive documentation on the TRUJO-George company: The Trujo was originally designed for radio broadcasting and phonograph recordings. It gained instant recognition by the dance Banjoists as well as the soloists to be so mellow and powerful. Being very resonant and having great carrying qualities, this banjo gives the ensemble new tonal character. The real banjo tone remains and is refined, equalized and augmented. It has been declared to be the first banjo manufactured in which all strings are equally powerful."

1924 Harry met Velma Stevens Truett playing the banjo at a local night spot and they moved in together. Velma was 23 years of age at the time and came from a well to do cattle ranching family with means in Nevada. She, also a free sprite, went west to get away from the dull farm life. She was intelligent, outgoing, educated, proficient on the banjo, and had money.

There is no record that Harry and Velma every married or devoiced as some researches assumed. In fact, Harry was still married to his wife Elisabeth in Philadelphia. There is no record that Velma ever used the last name George in any context.

1925 Harry published the Book – The Truett-Harry H. George 100 Banjo lessons – A typed written 115 page book. Actually, it is just the complete collection of Harry’s 100 individual Banjo lesson designed to be a self taught guide for his new style “Guitar Tuned” Banjo. The book had International copyright protection and a copy is on file at the Library of Congress (LC # 25018158, call number MT568.G46). A copy of the 2nd edition of the book is still available in Germany. 

Harry must have written the individual “100 Banjo lessons” prior to partnering with Velma as her name is nowhere on the inside the book. Each of the 100 lessons is headed with: “H.H. George System of Banjo Instruction.” Only on the cover page of the 2nd edition of the book is the title “Truett George system for the banjo - 100 Lesson.” So, it is assumed Harry finished writing the lesson plans earlier when he created his “Guitar Tuned” banjo and Velma funded the cost to publish the collection of lessons as a book some time after. For funding the publication of the 2nd edition of the book, Harry put Velma’s name along with his on the cover. 

This book became the core material for the TRUJO Banjo Company and the Truett-George Studios Company’s method of teaching the “Guitar Tuned” TRUJO banjo. Each TRUJO Banjo they sold also included a copy of Harry’s book. 

This course of training or “Style” of playing became known worldwide as the “Chicago style” of plectrum playing.

1926 Harry and Velma formed the Truett-George “TRUJO” Banjo Company. “TRUJO” was actually a play on their names TRU-JO. At first, they took Gibson made banjos, changed them a little – carved animal faces on the peg heads – painted designs on them - “guitar tuned” them and re-sold them. They marketed the modified banjos through music stores where they taught students. They would encourage their students to buy the TRUJO banjos from the store. Harry and Velma then received a commission from the sale. 

In this way, Harry and Velma didn’t have to front the money for the Banjos – which when they first started out they didn’t have. The music stores bought the banjos from the Gibson Banjo company based on Harry’s specifications. Harry modified them, converting them into TRUJOs and then the store sold them to their students. This method of doing business didn’t require Harry or Velma to need any capital, as the music stores provided the funds.

As time went on, the TRUJO Banjo became more sophisticated and singularly unique. With orders from Harry, the Gibson Banjo company modified their production units to his customized specifications. With Harry’s background as a metal machinist – he further retooled the Gibson banjos continuing to refine them. Later units even had spun brass metal sound enhancers to provide their unique mellow but strong sound that carried well in dance halls and most importantly – over the radio and on records. All this was never before possible with the poor sound carrying qualities of the standard banjos of the time. 

One must remember that the Banjo is the ONLY truly American instrument. Prior to this time, Banjos were just an American novelty. 

Their chance location in San Francisco combined with the opening of the new Panama cannel uniquely provided a direct transportation system for the TRUJO banjos to Europe and the Orient. The Panama cannel was now in operation and heavy European shipping traffic was using the Port of San Francisco for re-provisioning on their way to the orient and for returning home to Europe. 

Due to their uniqueness, many of the ships captains and crew would purchase TRUJO banjos and bring them back to their homes in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and England. Europe had been the birth place of almost ever know musical instrument of the day. For them, the TRUJO banjo was the first “new” musicale sound to come along in hundreds of years. Being uniquely American made them highly desired “travel trophies” – like tourist buying a model of the Eiffel tower when visiting Paris.

The TRUJO banjo also made the perfect shipboard instrument. It had little wood to absorb the heavy sea moisture that plagued other string instruments which would deaden their voice. Also, the Banjo had very little metal to tarnish and no valves to corrode and stick as in wind and horn instruments. Consequently, the Banjo “stowed-away” on many ships bringing it to worldwide attention within a few short years. There may actually be more TRUJO banjos in Europe than still left in the US. 

This “multimedia” exposure of the TRUJO brought the Banjo from the small cult instrument it was to world wide acclaim. 

1927 (7 Oct) At the Columbia recording studio in San Francisco Harry and Velma cut their still famous Banjo and Guitar duet : “Ghost Dance” and on the flip side was "Wabash Blues" released on Columbia record label number 1182-D, recorded October 7, 1927. It was also released on the Australian Regal G 20297 label. 

These were black shellac 78 rpm records (two tunes on each record, one per side). According to Columbia's records, there was a third tune recorded at the October 1927 session, "Slue Foot", but it was never released. It's possible there were a few test pressing of it made available but it never was officially released by Columbia.

Their sound tract of “Ghost Dance” is still available on four current CD labels selling today.

1928 Harry and Velma had employed several additional roving teachers covering most of the California coast teaching students and pushing their TRUJO Banjos. It was at this point that they formed their second company, “Truett-George Studios” and opened two of their own combination teaching studio and music stores with one located in Oakland and the other in San Francisco. They sold their TRUJO banjos Models A, B, and C, and a line of three TRUJO Guitars. The Truett-George Studios Company eventually had five studios up and running and many additional rotating teaching locations placed in upscale music stores. 

1928 (20 Apr) At the Columbia recording studio in Los Angeles they cut their other two songs "Chloe (Song of the Swamp)" and "The Burning of Rome" on Columbia record label number 1419-D, recorded April 20, 1928.

1929 Glen Spencer, who taught and managed the Oakland studio for Harry and Velma, became a managing partner in the TRUJO companies. By this time, Harry and Velma were in such high demand for public events and concerts that they couldn’t find time to run the businesses. Hal Roberts was hired to help Glen.

1929 (Sep) Harry, not one for the details of business, quietly leaves Velma moving to Klamath Falls, Oregon N42 13.771 W121 47.070 to just teach and play the banjo on his own. We believe he met “Helen” prior to leaving San Francisco and followed her to Klamath Falls Oregon as we could find no other reason he would have pick this location to move to. She may have been a student of his or met him while he was performing on the road. …

If anybody is interested, I can supply pictures of the most authentic TRUJO there is - as it is Harry’s original and is in the same mint condition from the last time he played it on the 17th of March 1934.