- Newspaper ad from 1963
I’ve written before about Berl Olswanger — “Mr. Music of Memphis” — not only on this blog, but in my regular “Ask Vance” column in Memphis magazine.
He was a remarkably talented fellow: music store owner, teacher, author, composer, pianist, bandleader, and all-around entertainer. In fact, he did so much over the course of his career that it’s really hard to convey the entire range of his talents in just a few pages.
I know that countless biographers will face a similar challenge when they write about me someday.
Well, now there’s a website where you can learn more about the man and his music. Anna Olswanger, Berl’s daughter, has put together BerlOlswanger.com, and it’s one heckuva job. Not only does it contain a detailed timeline of her father’s life, but — best of all — she has compiled audio files of most of his music AND several television appearances, which are absolutely fascinating.
Go here to see what I mean, and have a great time there. I did.
