I've known Drew Techner for close to 10 years. Drew's father, Joe Techner, was a trumpeter and member of the Elliot Lawrence Band from the late 1940s until the early 1950s. He was a member of the band when the Lawrence band's home movies were filmed on the road in 1951 by pianist Bob Karch and drummer Howie Mann. They had a camera and early color film (for the full post with films courtesy of Drew Techner, go here). They reveal a post-war America just getting back on its feet, filled with optimism and promise. [Photo above of Joe Techner courtesy of Drew Techner]
Here's one of the films while the band was in North Carolina and in Utah...
Last week, Drew sent along the following email:
Hi Marc. I made further changes to my post on the Elliot Lawrence band. In addition to some corrections, I eliminated the footnotes and there are a lot of incredible links. Some out-of-print Metronome articles and Philadelphia Bulletin clippings. Also, the private recordings that I amassed over the past 20-plus years are linked throughout the article as appropriate, and they are listed at the end. Most of the recordings transferred myself from 1950s open reel-to-reel tapes, 78 discs, home recording discs, and 16-inch transcription discs.
Thanks Drew! Jump in, Elliot Lawrence fans. You won't believe how much stuff Drew has put together and how great it all is. For a fantastic adventure at Drew's site, go here.
As for my 2016 interview with Elliot, go here.
