The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-11-13
HEDIDN'T GET IT
FROM HISDADDY
But This Elizabeth City Boy
Knows Where The Big
Pay Dirt Is To-Day

When one of the big phono-
graph record companies rec
entity advertised a record COM
posed and played by VIM.
Erskine Duff. of Elizabeth City,
a certain newspaper came out
with a fulsome piece in which
it said that young Duff came
from a musical family.
Now here is where TIE INDIE
PENDENT spills the beans. ErSkine
Duff is a son of Mr.. and Mrs. w.
=. Duff. His mother is Il natural
born musician. but his daddy aint.
The truth of the matter is. W. =.
Duff couldn't carry Il tune in a
freight car and he has to stop ana
think to distinguish the tune of
Yankee Doodle" from Nearer My
God to Thee" And this in spite OF
the fact that he is the founder and
president of the Duff Piano Co. and
and has sold more pianos. organs
and other musical Instruments than
there are families in his territory.
Mrs. Duff taught her husband to
play one chord on a piano when she
married him more than 20 years ago
and Bill Duff has used that one
chord on every piano customer he
has had since: but that's all the
music lie knows and he was plumb
flabbcrgasted when his one son re-
fused to stay in college and went
off With a jazz orchestra. Il didn
raise my boy to Sc a t0otcr. SAID
Mr. Duff with Il grOam. Like many
another parent Bill has lcap'ned that
boys like to have some SnN 50 about
what they're going to do and be.
But to get back 10 the musical
Erskine. In the. fall of 1922 his
parents sent him of to the In-
versity and he went thru the first
year with Il bang. Next year ditto.
His fathcr was SuiT that ErSkinc
would finish college in due course
fully equipped to be doctor. Il
lawyer. president of the university.
or ANYTHING else. And then Erskine
got sayophone on the brain and join
cd the Blue Melody Boys Orchestra
Of New Orleans in the summer of
1924. Be came back to the Uni
verSity last fall. finished his Junior
Year and was all set to 20 back as a
Senior this fall. But he didn't 20
lack. He played with the Foor'
Robinson Carolina Club Orchestra
this summer and lately joined the
Chas. Fulchcr Orchestra fer Il winter
engagement in Atlanta.
ErSEine is not an ordinary. am
bilious tnOter. He plays four S;iNo-
phones. an oboe and a cornet, writes
music. compOScS his own words
OrchpStratpS and is no ordinary
musician. And he is only twenty
wears old. Now take another look
at the yOungster. whose picture ap'
pears on this page. The American
liking for jazz music has created
such demand for jazz orchestras
that scores of cnterpriSing mllSl'
clans. with less native ability and
enterprise than young Duff has
have made fortunes in the business
or organizing and directing such
orcheStraS. Every considerable NOV
ing picture theatre. every big hotcI
and every popular restaurant. cab
arpt and night club must have Il
lively and original orchestra. There
is Il wider field Of opportunity fol
pcppy and original orchestra lead
crS to-day than is offered hy the
venerable professions of pedagogy
law and medicine. Erskine ma!
surprise his dad yet by organizing
an orchestra of his own and pulling
down a bigger salary than is paid
the President of the United Star'eS
You never can tell. And. after all
what the world wants to-day is' les
law. less medicine, less logic and
more jazz.