E. K. Blessing Band Instrument Company

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Musical instrument manufacturer in Elkhart, Indiana.

[edit] History

The company's founder was Emil Karl Blessing, Sr. (b Oppelsbohn, Württemberg 24 April 1880; d Elkhart 24 Sept 1954). He emigrated to America in 1896 and came to Elkhart. His first experience in the industry was working for Buescher, and it is said that he helped Gus Buescher design his first piston valves. Blessing was working for the Mennonite Publishing House in 1899 and 1900. He then went to Chicago and in 1903 his name appears on a payroll sheet for Frank Holton. During the early years in this country he also worked for several tool and dye firms.

In 1907 Blessing had returned to Elkhart and began making musical instruments in the back of his house. For many years the operation was quite small. By 1926 the operation was officially known as the Emil K. Blessing Company. By 1936 it had become known as the E. K. Blessing Band Instrument Company. In 1940 it had incorporated, and in 1942 the name was changed to the less cumbersome E.K. Blessing Company, Inc. Emil was president of the company up to his death in 1954, and he was succeeded by his son E. Karl Blessing, Jr.

In 1961 Paul E. Richards succeeded to merge Blessing with C.F. Martin & Company to create the Richards Music Corporation. The Blessing part of the operation became known as Richards Music Corporation (Blessing Division). Karl Blessing was plant manager during those years. The corporation collapsed in 1964, and Blessing reverted to its previous identity. Merle O. Johnson, who married one of Blessing's daughters, became the new president.

For many years Blessing made student line brass instruments. In the late twentieth century it began upgrading its products introducing intermediate and professional lines of brass instruments and introducing better lines of flutes, clarinets and saxophones.