[Dixielandjazz] Ed Sprankle

[John Farrell]

To most of you the name Ed Sprankle will mean absolutely nothing at all.
Without warning he died last week. Ed, an American who lived in Oakland CA,
was my best friend and surrogate brother for over 35 years (Bob Romans, he
was with me when we visited with you in Lodi). He played no instrument but
was a ragtime and early jazz fanatic, a piano roll collector of some repute,
most importantly to me he championed what I did and got me started in the
piano roll business - without his influence in my life I would never have
produced those midi files which so many of you enjoy, no piano rolls, no
sheet music, no nuthin'.

Early next week Mary and I will be flying to Oakland to attend his memorial
on Wednesday, I'll be there for just over a week staying with his wife
Joanie (I am still reluctant to refer to her as widow). Joanie tells me that
she is expecting over 150 attendees, mostly musos who will be giving him an
appropriate OKOM send-off. When my time comes that is the way I would like
to go.

He was one of us, guys - please spare a thought for him on Wednesday.

John Farrell
stridepiano at tesco.net
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm