Patrick Van Griethuysen
Real Western Music: Mijn eerste kennismaking (Nederlands) | Stanley Kilarr: Een onvergetelijk verzamelaar (Nederlands) | Stanley Kilarr: Always "Your-For-Keeps" ( English)
Dutch record collector and music fan Patrick Van Griethuysen posted his recollections in the Dutch language about Stanley Floyd Kilarr, who was a producer for Rare-Art's Records, composer, promotor of country & western music, educator, veteran, journalist and a record collector. Today a summary of these two contributions with photos he made during his visit to Stanley Kilarr in Klamath Falls (Or) USA.
I became introduced to country & western music as a teenager thanks to a program on Dutch radio hosted by Gerard De Vries. He invited listeners to send him their requests and even invited them to come to the studio to become part of the broadcast. So I took my old Deus-chevaux, although very cold in winter, to drive to Hilversum, where the radio studios were located ...... In 1967 I found a holiday job in a bookshop in London, Foyles Bookstores and a room near Portobello Road.
I first came into contact with Stan in 1967 while I was working in that bookstore in London, a 18 years old boy that wanted to learn the English language. In the evenings I used to join live concerts by English and American singers and bands, most of them were over the hill, in so-called Country & Western clubs and pubs. In one of those clubs. I picked up an American magazine about old time Western music. This music fascinated me, as I never had heard that kind of Hillbilly music dating back to the 1920's and 1930's.
In one of those magazines I found an advertisement of a man in Klamath Falls (Or) USA, who offered four albums, he had produced himself for his own record label "Rare Art's" records. My English was not that good in those day's but I wrote him a letter, in which I told him, that I was interested to get those four LP albums. A few weeks later a letter arrived written in a scribbled handwriting, but we were able to decipher it .....
Reverse of a cover of one of the records released by Rare-Art's Records (Patrick Van Griethuysen collection)
Some some months later a package arrived with the four albums and a lot of original photos and information about the songs and the performers on those records. In the years to follow I promoted Stan's albums in a few Dutch magazines and was able to assist him in selling at least 20 sets of his albums. We had a lively correspondence for years about music, old time artists and singers. Unfortunately due to removals and a divorce all his letters got lost.
In 1982 I became interested in my pedigree and I discovered that some of my ancestors did immigrated to ...... Klamath Falls (Or) of all places! What a coincidence! We planned to visit our relatives in the States and in the summer of 1983 we traveled to Klamath Falls (Or). We had some nice days with our newly discovered family, but also a meeting with Uncle Sax, as his relatives nick named Stanley. He lived in a old wooden house, packed with boxes and piles of records .........
I took some photos and we talked about his music and about his collection. Although his house was packed from the floor up to the attic, he could faultness find the records I wanted to see or hear ...... He had asked a local newspaper for an interview with Stan and myself and, back home again, he sent me the article with photograph, which had been published in the local newspaper.
A great-nice of Stanley sent me, thanks to the publication in this Keep (it) Swinging blog a fragment of a home-video she made years ago. It shows Stanley presenting his albums.
Although the technical quality of this film could be better, this home-video gives a great portrait of this remarkable man.
A few months ago I took Stan's records out of my collection and played them. Great music. He was not only a nice person and a record collector, but also a composer, as most of the tracks on the albums were composed by him! I still cherish these records and the photos we made as a reminder of this great man, Stanley Kilarr
Stanley Floyd Kilarr passed away January 1995, 79 years old.
Patrick Van Griethuysen
keepswinging@live.nl
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Dutch record collector and music fan Patrick Van Griethuysen posted his recollections in the Dutch language about Stanley Floyd Kilarr, who was a record producer for Rare-Arts Records, composer, promotor of country & western music, educator, veteran, journalist and a record collector. Today a summary in English from these two contributions with photos he made during his 1982 visit to Stanley Kilarr in Klamath Falls (Or) - USA.
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Reverse of one of the records released by Rare-Art's Records (Patrick Van Griethuysen collection)
Hi I have a record signed by Stanley Floyd and am curious to as if it holds any value. He has written on the albums cover several times. And looks some what like a demo record
ReplyDeleteThat is how he did his records. They are a valuable part of history but not sure of monetary value.
DeleteI have a few boxes of 8mm films of Stanley Kilarr. From 1939- 1960s. They are of him and his friends and family. One is his Birthday party in 1953. His record collection is shown in one of them. I found these boxes at a Swap Meet/Flea Market in Los Angeles quite a few years ago and just started to look at them. He seemed like a very lively and jovial fellow. I decided to look him up online and this page came up. ®©
ReplyDeleteStanley was the most knowledgeable person in the world when it came to Music and the history of music. He could tell you everything about thousands of songs even to the backup musicians. Even his entrance porch was packed with albums. Any song you asked about he would tell you exactly what stack and where in the stack it was, and while I was getting it, he would tell the history of the album and the song. My entire collection of several thousand albums and 78’s were stolen. Sure wish I could replace the Rar-Arts records of Stanley as they were priceless to me. He was a great friend and a horrible loss when he died. Within a week of his passing, his nephew had demolished everything and made a parking lot of his property. I had to ask the sewing machine business next door what had happened.
DeleteThe nephew was my father. He lived in Loomis, California and had Stanley's record collection moved to his house. He added on an addition to store his massive collection. Stanley's house was falling apart when he lived in it and I believe had to be demolished or my father would of sold it if he could. Sax left my dad his estate. My dad and Sax were very close. He gave Sax the last car he drove. Stanley was only 8 years old when his mother died. His sister Nettie raised him along with my father and his other two sisters. He was like a brother to my dad.
Deletehi Hans i have been looking for this record the first one you have pictured here 'the grand daddies of hill billies'for years i lost it 30 yrs. ago a girl i was dating who's name i cant remember,she was related to stanely gave it to me,i would rather have on c/d with i hope the cover and text can you help me? 831 227-4422 and thanks so much for posting hartelijk dank robert backert https://www.facebook.com/robert.backert
ReplyDeleteHello, Uncle Sax is my great uncle. I would love to love to see these films. I manage his memorial on Find A Grave and my email is there for a private discussion. I was born in 1953. Amazing that you found these at a swap meet in Los Angeles. I live in Highland, CA. I am the one who took the above home video of Sax above and have it on VHS.
ReplyDelete