My Newly Acquired Fox Music Company Band Organ Plays "Under the Double Eagle"

Let me introduce you to my new acquisition! This organ is attributed to have been built by the Fox Music Company in Kansas City, MO around the early1920’s. The stack, spool box and drive are identical to those used in the rare Fox Pianotainer coin piano. The roll guides are similar to those used on North Tonawanda coin pianos. As far as I know, this is the only surviving example of a Fox band organ, possibly an early prototype. Ron Bopp’s American Carousel Organ book has a photo of this exact organ on page Xii. This organ was originally placed at Wilson Famous Shows, a small traveling carnival from Astoria, IL. The organ still has a carousel start bell mounted on the case side. Wilson Shows operated a two-abreast Spillman Carousel. The organ was traded to Don Stinson who eventually sold it to Frank Rider who restored it around the late 1970’s. Frank Rider brought this organ to several Ohio and Indiana band rallies throughout the 1980’s. I’d love to find any existing information on this organ or a similar existing Fox band organ. C.L. Fox was the principle owner of the Fox Music Company. There has been questions if Fox Music Company actually built their own instruments or resold existing coin pianos obtained from various manufacturers. According to the Reblitz-Bowers Encyclopedia, in October 1919, Fox Music Company ran a classified ad looking for mechanic or repair men to build automatic pianos. C.L. Fox also exhibited an interest in instrument patents and patent research from communication with the editor of Presto. (Chapt 18 pg 147 Reblitz Bowers). This shows C.L. Fox had a genuine interest in automatic instrument construction. The tune it is playing is "Under the Double Eagle" which is a tune commonly associated with carnivals and circuses.