Thursday, April 14, 2011
Strange Connection
Some people like to believe that they have a family history that connects them to fame, fortune or royalty. For me, it’s true.
Well, there isn’t any fortune or royalty and the fame may be more like infamous, but there is a connection. About a year ago, I learned from my Uncle Tom Stevens that his dad, who was a part time professional musician, played his horn at night after work at the Old Howard Theater, the burlesque house in the old Scollay Square section of Boston. His name was William Henry Stevens, my Grandpa.
Phil Silvers at the Old Howard.
My son, Nick, took up the euphonium in the fifth grade and excelled at it throughout high school . He went on to double major on it and trombone at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When he was in middle school, my mom pointed out that the euphonium was the same horn that Grandpa played. It was in our genes, but didn’t surface until Nick.
The Old Howard is long gone and Nick teaches Music at a private high school near Baltimore, so he’ll never get to recreate his great-grandpa’s performances for Ann Corio and other strippers, unless… No.
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Hi Steve,
I was at Northeastern University when I was introduced to the Old Howard. Ahh, those were the days.
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I was at Northeastern University when I was introduced to the Old Howard. Ahh, those were the days.
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