FRANK VICTOR
The Metronome Profiles
Guitarist Frank Victor’s first three articles for (The) Metronome magazine, starting in the fall of 1933, profiled Harry Volpe, Carl Kress, and Dick McDonough. Victor gives us an artistic and personal glimpse into these musicians not found anywhere else and are today, ninety years later, the most in-depth appreciation of these three guitarists.
HARRY VOLPE
Who’s Who Among Guitarists, Introducing Harry Volpe
by Frank Victor, The Metronome, September 1933.
Who’s Who Among Guitarists
Introducing Harry Volpe
By Frank Victor
This is the first of a series of interviews with leading guitarists of the present day. The guitar is one of our oldest string instruments, and of late years, it has shown a strong comeback. Who are the boys playing the guitar, and how? Frank Victor will tell us about them in succeeding issues of The Metronome.
In my interviews with leading guitarists of the modern era, I have chosen this month a lad who has made such rapid strides of late that he has been selected by Erno Rappee of the Radio City Music Hall as guitarist and soloist.
Fellows, allow me to present Harry Volpe, better known as Jo Jo, to his intimate friends. Jo Jo comes in a small package, weighing only 140 pounds, is a scant five feet three inches in height, with brown eyes and black curly hair; oh, yes, and also a mustache in miniature. As might or might not be expected, he is married to a cute slip of a girl of Italian parentage almost as big as he is. Sometimes, to even things up, they pick them larger. But Harry likes everything small. It came about this way.
About five years ago, when Harry was playing at an Italian wedding, weddings being his main source of income, he decided to be excused from the small unit of Italian musicians he was playing with and made up his mind he would have a dance with little Anna. In fact, Anna had been catching his eye for some time until he could sit still no longer. Well, dance he did, only the dance turned out to be a fast Polka, and believe you, he had a tough time telling her tender things between puffs and shifts. However, brown eyes and black curly hair had done their damage, and Anna had also been casting sidewise glances at Harry.
Two years later (you’re a little ahead of me), they were altar-bound and vowed to trust and obey, or whatever it is. One year after that (you guessed it again), the offspring arrived, so what shall his name be? After a short squabble again, Anna succumbed to the charms of those brown eyes and black curly hair, so he was named Joseph.
Only a Guitar
At this writing, baby Joe is about two years old, and when he is in an angry mood or in any way indisposed, the only thing that will quiet him down is to have the pater Jo Jo give him a guitar to amuse himself with. According to Harry, the baby is inclined to be a guitarist, and guitarist it shall be.
Harry seems to talk about nothing else but that new two-family home is buying together with Al Duffy, that NBC maestro and hot fiddler. The home is located somewhere in the suburbs of Brooklyn; it has a beautiful garden, garage, and not forgetting the attic where he and Al can go to town on those hot solos for which they are noted. Well, Harry, now that that’s off your chest, won’t you tell us something of your early life and those colorful experiences you had while making trips back and forth from Italy? Yes, Harry will. So here’s the low down as he spilled it:
“My father’s name is Joseph. That’s a favorite name in my family. He makes his own accordions in Grotte, Italy, then sells them. When Dad was a kid, he went to public school in Italy. After that, he bought a two-bass accordion and learned how to play it all by himself. “When he has learned how to play the darn thing, he tore it all apart and so learned how to make accordions. And then he started to sell them and made a pretty good living at it.
”Dad also played guitar, later on, he got married, and I was the first child born.
“When I was six, I went to school down on the East Side, and when I was eight years old, my father took me back to Italy. In Italy, I went to school until I was thirteen years old, and during that time, I attended carpenter school and also got clarinet lessons while I was there. But I never liked to carpenter or to play clarinet.
“While I was at play in the country after school hours; I met a little girl who sang and played guitar fairly well. Then, I found out that I simply had to learn how to play the guitar. A short while afterwards, I began to play the guitar like something from all the things she showed me, and when I was at my best, I found out my father was taking me back to America.
“It was a blow to me; I hated to leave Italy because I had learned to like the little girl and also the guitar. But my father told me there were lots of little girls in America and also plenty of guitars. So Dad and I took the boat and came back to America, and for the first time, I got seasick on a boat.
Another Name For It
“Frank here tells me that today we call it lovesick. I went to live with relatives who also played mandolins and guitars, and they made me join them so I could learn more about guitar playing.
“When I was fifteen, I had a few dollars saved, so I bought myself a banjorine. From then on, I used to pick up jobs with American dance bands. But these fellows were not like my relatives who used to play in one or two keys only. These mugs could play in all keys, and I could not. So I bought a Cappo tasto and put it on whenever I got stuck with the hard keys.
“At the age of fifteen, I was a much better banjo player. Playing around with the Americans, I really learned a lot, so I decided to buy a tenor banjo. I was playing very jazzy by this time, and I finally got a job with Lou Bring’s orchestra (who is now playing with Vincent Lopez). From there, I went to the Rosemont and did nothing but freelancing after that, as the money was better than steady work.
“I always believed that a black cat crossing in front of me was hard luck, and I also like number 17 for good luck, not that it ever brought me any luck to talk about, until I received a phone call from Al Duffy on the 17th of the month telling me he wanted Mr. Rappee and Cocozza of the Radio City Music Hall to hear me play. This occurred last year, and I am still there. My friends seem to be mostly musicians.
“My wife loves to see me at the theatre and also to hear my broadcasts, but she hates it when I practice at home. I enjoyed listening to Eddie Lang when he was alive, but now I do not care to listen to any other guitarist on the air. I tune in on the Casa Loma band every now and then. I receive some fan mail at the theatre asking me to play solos more often on the air.
“While I was checking up on my own solo of Volpette at the theatre, the contractor of the orchestra, Mgr. Cocozza looked over my shoulder and put a P instead of a V in Volpette, which made it Polpette, meaning meatballs in Italian. Well, my face was a little red after that.
His Idea of Fun
“I also want to tell you about the time I was writing the guitar solo part of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude. After a year of careful arranging, one morning, my kid came to my bedside and said, “Da-da!” When I awoke, I saw a whole year’s work on the Prelude torn to small pieces and scattered all over the floor. That was my kid’s idea of fun. So, between shows, I had to work and worry plenty to put those parts together again.
“I can honestly say I never missed a show or program in my life.”
Harry states that his salary now is about four times as much as it was several years ago. His expenses are also much greater today than they were. He changes cars every six months, is buying an expensive home, and has a private maid for his wife. He manages to save little or nothing at all out of what remains.
His hobbies are guitar playing, fishing, and swimming. Loves a police dog and would like to have one in his home, but he is very much afraid of the baby. Claims that as much as he loves a police dog, he does not trust one. His time is spent at the theatre, and when he is not busy with a show or a rehearsal, he manages to put in some time writing solos. Also gives a few lessons to a lucky few that were able to get to him before he got too busy. Broadcasts once or twice a week and rarely misses his hour of practice every day.
The Barre and Thumb System
In discussing the Barre and Thumb systems with Harry, he says that he uses both systems only he is inclined to favor the Thumb system for solo playing. We will take up a discussion of these two systems herewith.
I have encountered some very interesting […] Grand Barre System or the Thumb System. Some of the first-rate guitarists seem to favor the Grand Barre system, stating that it is possible to obtain fuller chords and more depth. In various encounters with first-rate guitarists, the general opinion seems to favor the thumb system. They say that the appliance of an extra finger makes speedier playing possible and also more strength distributed in the entire left hand, making the chords cleaner.
When you talk to an experienced guitarist, it is a very difficult task to convince him to use the system he is not accustomed to using. Therefore, he will tell you in an almost convincing manner how his system is superior to prove to you that his system […] better by playing for you, thus making you think that his adoption of the system is superior to the other. It is the most natural thing in the world for a person to play much more efficiently on a system that he has almost mastered than on the other, which he has used at rare intervals.
What do you do in a case like this? Probably, you just sit tight and remain satisfied with your present standard of playing. Then again, you may want to try the other system, which you might do without allowing enough time to give it a fair trial, and then decide to abandon the idea entirely. You know something is wrong, but you cannot decide for yourself where the deficiency is.
Due to the […] noted authority on modern guitar playing whom you can appeal to for information, you just give it up as a bad job. A few years ago, I was in the same predicament as stated above, and after pondering with the problem myself for a length of time, I decided to give both systems a thorough trial in every particular instance possible with the result that I was able to decide just when and where I would use either one or both systems to my utmost satisfaction.
I found that in playing dance music where real speed is not very essential, I use as much of the Grand Barre as possible. I do believe that the Barre will enable you to get fuller-sounding chords. But in playing solo parts either in a band or just solo, I must admit my preferences are for the Thumb system. Not having to apply your forefinger for a Barre enables that finger to get away quicker, even for a split second, which invariably shows the difference between the fast player and the slower one.
Another thing is the clarity of tones you can obtain with the Thumb system. You have an equalized distribution of strength in your hand, therefore allowing the right amount of pressure on every string. I also prefer using the small Barre in preference to the Grande Barre in soloing for the same reasons: faster getaway and cleaner chords.
I wish you would try both these systems thoroughly and see for yourself the advantages in mixing both. It may interest you to follow my monthly interviews with the leading guitarists and read what they have to say regarding the Barre and Thumb Systems.
SOURCE: Who’s Who Among Guitarists, Introducing Harry Volpe, by Frank Victor, The Metronome, September 1933.
Note: No alteration to Frank Victor's text has been made other than grammatical adjustments.
CARL KRESS
Who’s Who Among Guitarists - This Time It’s Carl Kress
by Frank Victor, The Metronome, October 1933.
Who’s Who Among Guitarists
This Time It’s Carl Kress
By Frank Victor
In my interviews with leading guitarists, I have the pleasure of bringing to you this month one of the most talked of guitar players in this country as we’ll as England. This boy is responsible for the continued use and popularity of the plectrum guitar with the inverted tuning which he originated and made practical.
When the late Ed Lang came here from the West and introduced the six-string guitar in dance bands, he jolted banjo players all over the country from their usual routine. An immediate demand for guitarists arose and the scarcity of them made it difficult for the accomplished banjoist who could not play six-string tuning. So the four-string tenor guitar was introduced to substitute for the six-string. It seems that after a short while of experimenting with the four-string tenor, the leaders knew that it was only a poor imitation of the real thing and therefore demanded the six-string or something different in the form of a four-string guitar.
Into the Picture
Here is where Carl Kress steps in the picture with an inverted tuning of the tenor guitar using a slightly longer handle thereafter and calling it a plectrum guitar. Carl tuned the A string an octave lower and tuned the C string an octave higher, therefore making the D string the melody string. Aside from this strange tuning, Carl played a style all his own which made him stand out as different from the six-string king, Ed Lang. Incidentally, these two artists admired one another to a great extent making possible a few recordings they did together in later years which are still the talk of the guitar industry as well as the music field in general. These recordings are now classics.
As a result of all this we now had two factions about equally divided: the four-string addicts and the six stringers. The six-string students stuck to their tasks improving on their medium. Those who found it hard to adapt themselves to the six-string guitar immediately took action on this Carl Kress tuning as we called it at the time, thereby becoming accomplished in proportion to their natural talents. The leaders took to this Carl Kress style like a fish takes to water. So you see everyone was happy.
A Little Delving
Sometime later Carl decided to find out if he could combine this strange tuning into a six-string combination, so try he did, and the result was a six-string tuning with the F and B flat bass notes added to the original tuning of the plectrum guitar. This form seems a little hard to finger properly, but if you could see Carl get over that fingerboard, you would agree with me that it would be a musical treat.
And now a little delving into Carl’s’ private life a la Winchell.
He is 5 feet, 7 inches and weighs 150 pounds. Has merry twinkling blue eyes, light blond hair, and a high intelligent forehead. It’s not any too common to find a musician who looks intelligent. Only 25 years of age with sparkling wit and a marvelous sense of humor.
As I was talking to Carl, Jimmy Dorsey passed by and said, “Frank, don’t forget to mention about Carl’s big nose,” and Carl promptly answered, “Everyone ‘nose’ that.” So we won’t mention the Snozzle.
Carl has been married just five months to a swell dame named Evelyn, whom he met at the Onyx, a rendezvous for musicians, just eighteen months ago. It was a case of love at first sight as far as Carl was concerned. Not so the fair one. She could not see him through a giant telescope at first and told him so. But he talked to her so fast for 36 hours at a stretch that she did not have a chance to say anything and finally in desperation she said “Yes.” How could anyone hope to compete with a determined bozo like that.
They lived at the London Terrace, quiet apartment house hotel with soundproof walls where Carl can put in his 3-hour daily practice when he comes home about 2 A.M.
Likes to swim and enjoy the use of a large swimming pool at London Terrace. I asked Carl for some of the lowdown of his early life, and this is the way he relayed it to me more or less. Attended Madison Grammar and Junior High School in Newark, graduated there, then attended South Side High School. While there, decided to take up German only, as that came very easy to him, you see his parents spoke mostly German at home, so he was quite accomplished in that language. Was very fond of football and baseball, but never played on the school team.
Two Years on Piano
“I also studied two years on the piano,” he said, “but somehow or other I never could be made to take it up seriously as I did not care for that particular instrument. Funny how we have preferences for instruments, women, etc. Good thing we do. When I was fifteen years old , I started practicing on a banjo uke that I picked up somewhere. After a short time, I joined a kids band, and my father bought a twelve-dollar banjo for me as a birthday present. I never took a lesson on it, but instinctively did not like the A string on the banjo which had a marked bearing on my adopting the inverted tuning years ago.
“Going back to the kids band, a friend of mine asked me if I would try out for him as he had a job and wanted to know how good I was. I consented to him and played the only tune I knew – Out of a Million You’re the Only One. So far so good. He decided to test me further, so he put a new number in front of me to try my reading ability. Sorry to say, on account of my limited knowledge of notation at that stage, I just could not even start to play the number. We had a few laughs over the whole thing and finally I was promised the job anyway at the Avon Inn in Jersey, which lasted all summer. I sure made the best of it and really put in some hard practice during that time, especially with reading. Later on I got a job at the Blue Hill Plantation also in Jersey. I worked there for eight months.
“While working there a peculiar sort of accident occurred. We were having a party one night when we discovered a shortage of ice cream and malted milks. I nominated myself to take some of the girls home who wished to go and a friend of mine volunteered to go out and get more eats and drinks. We both started out together in different cars and in different directions. On my way back traveling at a speed of about 30 miles per hour I suddenly came to a crossroad and collided into another car. I decided to get out and gives this careless driver a piece of my mind. You can imagine my surprise to find out that he was the friend of mine that had gone out for supplies. We were slightly shaken up and bruised, but nothing more serious happened to us nor the drinks, so we both drove back to the party.
A Misunderstanding
“After about eight months at the Plantation I had a slight misunderstanding with the leader and left the job. Came to New York and got a job at the Rendezvous. Worked there for a week and received no pay so left the job. Tried to get the job back at the Plantation but luck was not with me. However, Lenny (Lennie) Hayton, whom I had worked with at the Rendezvous, fixed a recording date for me. I later met Tom and Jimmy Dorsey and they got me in with Eddie Elkins at the Roosevelt Hotel. After I was there a while, I joined Red Nichols and his Five Pennies.
“During that time I had a fallout with a girl I was very fond of, so decided to accept Red’s offer to go to the coast. While there I joined Nat Shilkret at the Strand Theatre and doubled with Red Nichols at the Club Mirador.
“Also recorded with Paul Whiteman … MISSING … landed in Jersey again. This time in Montclair. During the time I was there I received an offer to go with (Vincent) Lopez and try out for him. I could not go to New York without losing my job, so I decided to turn down the offer.
“Next job was at Springlake. After I was working there a while some friends visited me and ordered eats all around. When the time came for them to pay they confessed that they were broke. The management asked me to pay the check for them which made me sore and made up my mind to quit.”
Trade Jobs
“I called up the banjo player at the Avon Inn, a friend of mine who happened to be making $20 a week and asked him to exchange jobs with me. As I was making $80 a week at my job he quickly accepted the offer, and I was happy all over again.
“After this I joined Fred Rich at station WABC. It was during my time at this station that I had to sing on a coast-to-coast network, not through any fault of mine. The vocalist on this standby did not show up so they had me sing Sweet Sue in his place. I don’t think I was so good because I was never asked to sing again.
“After I left Freddie Rich I was free lancing and have been doing so ever since. While looking over some recordings I helped make, I always get a kick listening to Red McKenzie singing Just Friends.
“I played guitar for Joe Venuti on several broadcasts and also played for the Boswell Sisters. Got a great rise playing my own solo Dansant (Danzon) for Paul Whiteman at a Sunday concert. I missed only one broadcast in my life and that was a Victor radio program. I just plain overslept and could not offer any better excuse. It was during the Chesterfield hour that I was married, about five months ago.”
Carl tells me that since the depression and salary cuts his name has been shortened to Nupi, as he is known to his more intimate friends.
Close-Up
His wife and family just love the work he does, and they always listen to his broadcasts. He gets a big kick listening to Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey, and Connie (Connee) Boswell. Receives some fan mail occasionally. Most of his money has been spent on autos. In the past nine years he has had nine cars.
One of his hobbies is playing golf, also goes in for horseback riding in a big way. Is very fond of dogs, in fact he owns a wired hair fox terrier he bought a year ago, and named him Schatze, meaning ”treasure.”
He must get his three hours of practice daily regardless of time or place. Practices Segovia quite a bit. Does not know what to attribute his success in his business, but I will answer for Modest Carl and say that he is a gift of nature. In the inverted tuning that he uses on the six-string guitar, he employs forefinger for a Barre exclusively.
SOURCE: Who’s Who Among Guitarists, This Time It’s Carl Kress, by Frank Victor, The Metronome, October 1933. (transcribed)
DICK MCDONOUGH
Who’s Who Among Guitarists - Paging Dick McDonough
by Frank Victor, The Metronome, November 1933.
Who's Who Among Guitarists
Paging Dick McDonough
By Frank Victor
In this interview, which happens to be the third in a series with guitar players, I am very happy to bring you a boy whom I have known for several years, a swell kid, and rated just about top, as far as first class guitarists are concerned.
Dick McDonough is the lad I am referring to, a very plain and unassuming, modest chap. Dick, always smiling and ready to do anything he can for a friend, is 29 years old, five feet eleven inches tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He has light brown hair and eyes, and is a product of New York, born in West 99th Street.
Dick is not married-that is not yet, and is handsome enough to cause many raves on the part of the fair sex. But so far no dimpled damsel in this town has been able to make a dent on Dick. His guitar seems to be his first and only love. He lives with his family in a beautiful country home out at Sunny Ridge, Harrison, N.Y., near the Westchester County Club, close to all the tennis, golf, swimming and ice skating you could want. But he passes these up, strange as it may seem, and sticks close to his guitar. Atta boy, Dick.
Richard’s father's name is Joseph B., still active, believe it or not, in the cloak and suit business. Imagine an Irishman in the cloak and suit business. As a matter of fact, his business associates call him Joe McDonough, the Irish Jew.
That reminds Dick of the time he was on the air with Billy Jones and Ernie Hare at NBC a year ago. During one of their broadcasts, the story centered on Solly Cohen, the irate cloak and suit employer. When it came time for one of the boys to pull the gag on Solly Cohen, they mentioned Joe McDonough, the Irish Jew instead. Daddy Joseph, listening in, did not expect the gag but he got a big enough laugh out of it just the same.
In his own way Dick related some of the experiences in his career and I am quite sure you would like to hear about his early life in Dicks’s own words … Enter Dick. ..
“Don’t know why you want the low down on me but anything to oblige. Attended and was graduated from St. Joachim’s Parochial School and Loyola Jesuit High School, right in little old New York. While at High School, I played on everything in sight including the baseball, basketball, football, and hockey teams. I even started to play on the mandolin and banjo. These instruments interested me because of their sparkle.“
“My playing left wing on the Hockey team influenced my holding of the banjo, strange to say. When I first took hold of a hockey stick I instinctively grasped it with the left hand forward on the lower end of the stick and the right hand at upper end of the club. Got so used to this position that I held the banjo the same way while playing. Which is why I became a left-handed player, although right-handed by birth.”
“Entered Georgetown University at Washington D.C., at the age of 17 and that same year took out a card in the musicians union in Washington, making me eligible to play the weekly dances, for which I had been receiving offers.”
“At the age of 19 I had my own band of seven musicians, all college boys. Since a number of the out-of-town bands played in Washington, I made it a practice to get acquainted with some of the boys and also sit in and play with them. That’s how I got my first break with Whiteman’s Leviathan Orchestra.”
“It was during my vacation that I accepted an offer to join the Leviathan Orchestra. Didn’t premiere auspiciously with this bunch. The very first number I played with them resulted in my breaking a string. Being a little nervous anyway, this incident made me more so, and I did want to make good with this reputable outfit. Oh, well something else is always happening to make life interesting. Recall that Merle Johnson was in the orchestra at the time, and it gave me a thrill to hear a saxophone played with such tone and skill.”
“There seems to be a special sort of evil jinx in pursuit of guitar players. At any rate, in my junior year of college I was operated on for the same type of tonsil problem that caused the passing on of Eddie Lang. and believe it or not, I had a very close call myself. But ‘who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf?”
“When I graduated from college I came to New York and entered Columbia Law School, my family being set on my being a lawyer. In my spare time, however, and for extra cash, I was working club jobs and that is how I happened to connect with Don Voorhees, then playing at the Earl Carroll Vanities. I also doubled at the Texas Guinan Club, which reminds me of the night I played about 80 Charleston choruses at the club. That was the time that the Charleston was in vogue. I vowed never to play another Charleston beat after that night as long as I lived.”
“My first broadcast was from the Carroll stage with the WOR house band. Then realizing all at once that music was my field and not law and that a lot of hard work was ahead of me. I decided to study guitar very seriously and legitimately and began study with Foden. After a number of previous attempts without success, I finally got an opportunity to hear Eddie Lang play privately. It was worth waiting for and I assure you that the occasion was a great inspiration for me.”
“I decided then and there that the six-string guitar was the only instrument for me and buckled down to some real work. Before I had a chance to completely abandon the tenor guitar, I made some recordings with Red Nichols on Columbia records. I played some solo parts on After You’ve Gone and Someday Sweetheart.”
“About this time I found myself working at the Embassy Club. Lasted there about a year during which time I made up my mind to discard the banjo and tenor guitar entirely and work exclusively on the six-string instrument. After the termination of this engagement I joined Smith Ballew and his outfit.”
“It was while accompanying Smith on the vocals that I realized the importance and possibilities of good guitar accompaniments, so I decided right then and there that I must include the specialty of accompanying singers in my daily practice.”
“I did this for about another year and then I joined Don Voorhees with the 9:15 review at the George M. Cohan theatre, and an all-star orchestra, which formed the nucleus of Don Voorhees’ great radio band. Worked with this outfit for another two and a half years at NBC, WABC and WOR, after which I did some free lancing.”
“Was featured guitarist on the Royal Gelatin and the Three Bakers’ hour with Billy Artz for one year. Then I made my first Brunswick recording with the Boswell Sisters and the Dorsey Brothers’ Orchestra, playing some solo parts including a number called Old Yazoo. Later on with some misgivings, I took the place (if anyone can), left vacant by the untimely death of the dean of modern guitarists, Eddie Lang, with Joe Venuti’s Blue Four. Am now looking forward to the time when a team of guitarists, such as Carl Kress and myself, can find a spot on the air to replace a few of the many piano teams. There are great possibilities in guitar teams, and I predict they will be coming along in the near future.”
“Mentioning the names of the Dorsey brothers brought to mind the time we played a prom dance at a country club. It was during the evening, at an intermission, that Jim Dorsey turned on the microphone without my being cognizant of the fact, and asked me to clown a little and imitate someone making a speech into a microphone. Without thinking I stepped up to the microphone and blurted out: “If the lady who is about to lose her diamond necklace will kindly hold on to it, no further announcements will be necessary.”
“Of course you can imagine my embarrassment when I found that it was a live mike. The din of the crowd suddenly subsided leaving me no alternative but to carry on with my announcement which I did to the best of my ability. These Dorsey brothers must have their pranks.”
“Speaking of favorite programs, I favor the one I am now playing on: Will Robison’s Deep River program. Robison is really getting some place with new and original harmonic effects.”
And now my friends, this brings me to the present day. When Dick tunes in on the radio himself, he listens in mostly to Duke Ellington, Flecther Henderson and Don Redman. He goes for those colored bands because he truthfully believes that they are the originators of true American jazz and are foremost exponents of rhythm.
He also listens to the Casa Loma band, Bing Crosby, and Mildred Bailey. As far as guitarists go, he tunes in on Carl Kress whenever the opportunity arises.
In Dick’s estimation Carl Kress is the greatest guitarist in point of originality before the public today. Dick receives fan mail occasionally. He points out one letter that was rather amusing. A wandering evangelist from Texas wrote and offered him an opportunity to join up with his outfit, as he considered Dick a very modern guitarist. After receiving such an offer from an Evangelist, Dick does not consider himself so modern.
Dick’s family is not very interested in his work because their chief aim was to make him a lawyer. But Dick don’t lose any sleep about it. However, I still prefer to see Dick bent over a gitter box than to have him trying to convince twelve in a jury box.
He takes pride in stating that he has never missed a broadcast or a record date. The policemen seem to be his best friends, every time he is in a traffic jam or any sort they always pull him out of it. His main hobby is to collect phonograph records old and new, mainly concert. In his spare time he likes to attend shows, movies, or similar entertainment. He does not own any pets. His main interest is the guitar and believe me, it is an instrument worthy of the best a man has to give.
The daily routine usually consists of a morning rehearsal, in the afternoon a record date, a broadcast or you may find him giving a lesson. Practices one hour daily at home, consisting of scales, technique, and fast chords. Likes to adopt a piano style on the guitar. He puts his chords in interesting inversions. Uses a Barre System almost exclusively with the possible exception of one or two chords in which the application of the thumb is absolutely necessary.
SOURCE: Who's Who Among Guitarists, Paging Dick McDonough, by Frank Victor, The Metronome, November 1933. (transcribed)