Early Drum Machine (Jun, 1960)
Source: Science And Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1960
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What the heck is a flooglehorn?
You Play it Sweet, Side Man Gives the Beat
SOME oscillating tubes, housed in a cabinet sitting next to your piano, guitar or flooglehorn, can turn you into a one-man orchestra.The cabinet, actually a new electronic instrument called Side Man, produces a variety of instrumental sounds—from bass drum, torn torn and wood block to maracas, brush and cymbal.
The instrument will play in such rhythms as a waltz, cha cha, beguine, tango, march, rumba or 72 variations of a fox trot. Any of the rhythms can be varied from a slow 30 to a fast 195 beats per minute. Side Man (named after the members of a band who accompany the soloist) plugs into any a-c outlet, has three speakers and an 11-watt amplifier. Cost of the unit in a mahogany cabinet is $395. Manufacturer is the Wurlitzer Co., De Kalb, Ill.
Actually, the Wurli Sideman is generally referred to as the first drum machine.
Comment by relaxing — May 30, 2007 @ 5:29 am
I think they played flooglehorns in Fraggle Rock…
Comment by Kryten007 — May 30, 2007 @ 9:36 am
You know, a flooglehorn is what Chuck Mangioone plays.
Comment by Jim Dunn — May 30, 2007 @ 11:54 am
Holy crap, you’re right. I’ll have to pick one up next time I’m at Mega Lo Mart.
Comment by Charlie — May 30, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Arrrrggg, now I’m going to have to google “Flooglehorn”. I’ve got some sort of recollection of hearing it, and now I can’t rest until I know what it is. THANKS A LOT!!!!!!
Comment by Caya — May 30, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin.....flugelhorn
Etymology: German, from Flügel wing, flank + Horn horn; from its use to signal the flanking drivers in a battue
: a valved brass instrument resembling a cornet but having a larger bore
Comment by Caya — May 30, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
Chuck is pretty cool, and talented, I’ll tell you what. One of the first concerts I ever went to was to see him in Dothan, AL several geologic epochs ago. I still remember that his sax player, Chris Vadala, could wail.
Comment by Jim Dunn — May 30, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
My sole memory of Chuck Mangione is his playing O Canada at a World Series game held in the US. They had a 3651987-piece band and choir for the Star Spangled Banner, of course, but they just stuck Chuck out in front of the mic and had him play O Canada, almost as an afterthought.
He messed it up, too. Not as bad as the guy who sung O Canada to the music of O Tannenbaum, but really: could it be possible to be a little less dismissive of an entire country?
Comment by Blurgle — May 30, 2007 @ 6:20 pm
Given our current President it’s a miracle he regards Canada as a sovereign nation and not just a U.S. territory. After all it is in North America, right? Wouldn’t call it North America if it wasn’t part of ‘merica.
Comment by Charlie — May 30, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Actually this was back in 1993, I believe. Maybe 1992.
Comment by Blurgle — May 31, 2007 @ 2:03 am