The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello,

My wife and I are newcomers to the world of Victrolas, having bought three in the last 6 months. She purchased a box of records earlier this year and we found a 78 instruction record for duck calls by Tom Turpin. We found a little information on him (see below from ducks.org) but we wanted to know if anyone had any further information on the record, pictures attached. I figure that this is an unique record but that unique does not equal rare & desirable (maybe I can be proven wrong here ). We appreciate any information or maybe where to find out more about it.

Also we would like to know if there is anyone near eastern Iowa that would be interested in the records that we do not want. There are about 50 records that my wife has decided don't fit our musical tastes, condition of the records are from fair to maybe very good. Records are free for the taking as we don't want them going into the trash.

Thank you.

Lee & Janet Lautzenheiser

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Tom Turpin – Memphis, Tennessee

Tom Turpin, the great experimenter, crafted turkey calls before he got into the duck call game sometime in the 1920s. In the end, however, he was credited with making a significant impact on the development of Reelfoot-style duck calls.

Turpin, it has been reported, spent hours in the field and in the marsh listening to birds and studying their habits. He took his knowledge back to the shop adjoining his home and designed calls meant to reproduce the sounds he witnessed in the wild.

Known for building calls much longer than the norm, Turpin also modified the taper and elevation of their tone channels. He developed both a call-making boring bar and the first hand-operated machine made to taper metal reeds. Wood from South America was a personal favorite.

An extraordinary caller in the field, Turpin also served as an educator of sorts. He wrote numerous calling articles for national outdoor sporting magazines and was involved with producing instructional records.

I remember these types of records from the early 1960's. Sears Roebuck and others sold these along with duck calls. They also sold battery-powered phonographs to play bird calls in the field. Notice on the label that these were not to be used where local laws prohibited it.
It's interesting that they still had 78 rpm records so late. At least the one I had was such an example.
I remember Hartz-Mountain parakeet and canary training records of the same era!
I tried teaching a pet Mynah bird using an endless tape loop connected to a timer. It didn't work!
Bob

I'm in Iowa, let me know what the records are.

Thanks,

Jery

List attached, I can email if you PM me.

Thanks.

PM sent.

Jerry

Here in Central Illinois, we often find a Duck Call Demonstration record by P.S. Olt of Pekin, IL. He made hard rubber duck calls. Interesting record, but a little hard to dance to

A little O.T., but here goes anyway:

I too had a few of the 45 rpm parakeet training
records. The parakeets always seemed to respond
much better to live voices and sounds of the room.
We had one bird that would mimic the sounds of
clattering dishes in the sink, since his cage hung
high in the corner of our kitchen.

As for mynah birds, one memory stands out.
There was a pet shop in Milwaukee that we used to
go to sometimes. They had a mynah bird that would
greet customers as they entered the store.

He'd say very loudly: "Hey! Wanna buy a budgie?"

I wonder: was this Tom Turpin in any way related to the other Tom Turpin?

Bill

lalautze wrote:Hello,

My wife and I are newcomers to the world of Victrolas, having bought three in the last 6 months. She purchased a box of records earlier this year and we found a 78 instruction record for duck calls by Tom Turpin. We found a little information on him (see below from ducks.org) but we wanted to know if anyone had any further information on the record, pictures attached. I figure that this is an unique record but that unique does not equal rare & desirable (maybe I can be proven wrong here ). We appreciate any information or maybe where to find out more about it.

Also we would like to know if there is anyone near eastern Iowa that would be interested in the records that we do not want. There are about 50 records that my wife has decided don't fit our musical tastes, condition of the records are from fair to maybe very good. Records are free for the taking as we don't want them going into the trash.

Thank you.

Lee & Janet Lautzenheiser

------

Tom Turpin – Memphis, Tennessee

Tom Turpin, the great experimenter, crafted turkey calls before he got into the duck call game sometime in the 1920s. In the end, however, he was credited with making a significant impact on the development of Reelfoot-style duck calls.

Turpin, it has been reported, spent hours in the field and in the marsh listening to birds and studying their habits. He took his knowledge back to the shop adjoining his home and designed calls meant to reproduce the sounds he witnessed in the wild.

Known for building calls much longer than the norm, Turpin also modified the taper and elevation of their tone channels. He developed both a call-making boring bar and the first hand-operated machine made to taper metal reeds. Wood from South America was a personal favorite.

An extraordinary caller in the field, Turpin also served as an educator of sorts. He wrote numerous calling articles for national outdoor sporting magazines and was involved with producing instructional records.

I found the same record, issued by the Marsh Laboratory, makers of the Autograph label today.