Dan Tontz
My Musical Origins
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my mother whistling in the house. It was mostly popular songs of the day. She also sang songs in the house. A lot of times my Dad would also whistle around the house while doing projects on weekends. So I naturally started whistling songs at as a boy.
When I was 8, my mother started me on the accordion. Don’t know where she got the idea of the accordion, probably because she played the piano. The accordion keyboard is similar to the piano keyboard. I took private accordion lessons downtown on North Market Street at the June Frisby Music Academy.
The Accordion
My first musical instrument was a full-size accordion (a squeeze box). It was HEAVY. If you weren’t careful, the accordion would expand and you would lose control of it, which resulted in a horrible noise. So my accordion experience was unpleasant. I hated it.
The Clarinet
Well, my mom did not give up easily! The next year in 5th grade, my mother made sure I signed 
up at school to learn to play the clarinet. It took many hours of practice before I could play an actual song. I liked the clarinet a little, but boy, I squeaked a lot.
Then my mother got serious about my playing the clarinet. She paid for me to take private clarinet lessons each week. I had to get up early each morning and practice the clarinet for 30 minutes (a VERY long time). I had to use a kitchen timer clock and set it for 30 minutes. When the alarm went off with a loud noise, I knew I could stop practicing.
I felt sorry for my dad who had to wake up to my squeaky clarinet. But that never got me any time off.
Then Something BIG Happened! I saw the Benny Goodman movie at the old Crest movie theater. I did not know that anyone could play the clarinet as well as he did. It was a big surprise and it motivated me to practice a lot more.
Then, I started organizing small groups of guys to practice playing their instruments together in my basement. My mom was very tolerant of our “sounds” in her basement. I am sure we sounded pitiful, but it was fun. Plus we could dream of a future playing in a real band.
My Big Break !!
It came in the 9th grade at Robinson Intermediate school. The school band leader noticed me playing 3rd part harmony which was no fun. I was sitting way back in the last section of clarinets. One of my clarinet band mates was Skip Granger (class of ’60).
So the band director asked me if I wanted to play the Baritone saxophone. Wow! It had a deep, low, very distinctive sound. It was a brand new big beautiful shiny instrument. It was bigger than the alto or tenor sax. For me, it was love at first sight. I said “yes” immediately.
The Baritone Sax (the Barry)
The school owned the Baritone sax and there was a printed sheet music part for baritone sax. I got to play it for the entire 9th grade year. The fingering on the sax was similar to the clarinet so I picked it up fairly soon. You blow hard and it makes a great sound. (Left, a Barry played by someone else, not Dan, so you can see the size of the instrument)
I noticed that some of the popular R&B bands playing on the radio used a baritone (Barry) sax, i.e., Fats Domino. That made it even more fun.
During the 9th grade, I saw on local TV a group of high school guys playing Dixieland music in a band. Man, I wished I could play in a band like that.
Guess What? It was the Bill Strout Band (class of ‘59). Most of the members were attending East High.
Since I was playing the Barry sax, I was invited to audition for the band. Well, I got in, but mostly because I had a Barry and there was little competition on the Barry. So I brought the sax home on weekends and practiced with Bill’s band on Sunday afternoons.
My Tenor Saxophone
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. When I finished the 9th grad
e, I had to return the Barry to the school.
Oops! I had no sax to play. No sax, no band, no music.
Fortunately, my dad came to the rescue. He found a professional model tenor sax at Rosen Brothers Pawn shop in downtown Wichita on East Douglas. The sax had been pawned by a professional musician traveling thorough town, but never re-claimed. My dad bought the tenor sax for me. (Right, a tenor sax)
Also fortunately, Bill Strout agreed to keep me in the band playing tenor sax. I was so happy and was ready to have fun playing in high school.
I’m glad to know an expanded version of your music career. I remember you playing the accordion when the rest of the neighborhood kids were outside playing. You told me you like to practice and play which I couldn’t understand, because I had to practice piano for 30 minutes before school and after school and I hated that. We also had to learn classical pieces.I don’t think the piano was a good choice for me, but I wasn’t given a choice. I quit when I entered Robinson, because Mom scheduled my lessons before school hours.
That is something I didn’t know about Dan. I was probably involved with my vocal music.
Dan, I remember you most vividly when you played in Blll Strout’s dance band! Do you remember Bobby Gates, who also played the clarinet… and later wound up as our CIA Director and Secretary of Defense under two Presidents!