Written by Charles Collett
Huntington, WV Newspaper – May 10, 1963
JACK REMEMBERS – Clippings from Soliloquy travel and travel…The memory about the Princess skating rink last week reached new Orleans where Jack Yates read it…Jack was quick to take his pen in hand and address a letter to us…
He writes “Dear Charley: What memories you have”…Anybody who lived in Ironton between 1910 and 1920 knew Jack Yates…His name was in the papers each week because he played the piano in popular dance bands…
Six feet tall like his daddy, who was a lawyer, Jack was best in the Tri-State on the piano…He traveled with dance bands to fill engagements in half-a-dozen states…Several summers he played on river excursion boats from Pittsburgh to New Orleans playing at the big hotels…He now is the owner of the National Radio Recording Co.
“Wright’s was a great trio,” writes Jack…”The pianist’s name was “Pickaway” Kendall – “Pickaway” because he was from Pickaway County (Circleville)…The drummer was great and we called him “Brownie”…At one matinee dance, he had the great “Battle Axe” Tinney playing drums, who later went to New York and had great popularity…Here’s another verse to the song you printed about Doctor Peck…”He bought himself a suit of combination underwear…To keep out the cold and chilly air…Wore it for six months without exaggeration…Couldn’t get it off because he lost the combination – and then the chorus…” Who told you so – well I don’t know…I got the saint’s history…From Old Black Crow in the hickory nut tree…I suppose the original was “hickory tree,” but I am passing it along with State Wright’s pronunciation.”
Another paragraph of Mr. Yates’ letter reads “I am now 66 and an old man in anybody’s book, and I’ve been around a lot, but the happiest years of my life were those in Ironton when State Wright’s orchestra came to town when I was taking piano lessons.”
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