Nick Manoloff

Nick Manoloff (1898-1969) was: a manufacturer of slides/tone bars for stringed instruments to use for the method of slide guitar; an arranger and author of instrument method books and sheet music; and distributor of musical supplies and publications.

Nick Manoloff slide

Early life

Nick Manoloff was born "Nicola Manoloff", on April 3, 1898 in Bulgaria. He immigrated to the east-coast of the United States in 1922.[1] In 1935, he established residency in Chicago, Illinois with his wife Bernice(1909-?), who had immigrated to America from Latvia/Jugoslavia. They had a son, Nicki Manoloff born in Chicago in 1937,

Venture into business

Manufacturing

Nick Manoloff invented the Nick Manoloff Tone Bar. He was granted a patent (#2076331) on March 9, 1937.[2] The tone bar or slide was made of the revolutionary synthetic material known as bakelite. Bakelite(/ˈbeɪkəlaɪt/ BAY-kə-lyt, sometimes spelled Baekelite[3]), or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, is an early plastic. It is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from an elimination reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. It was developed by Belgian-born chemist Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907. These slides were 3"in length, 1" in diameter, round on one end and flat on the other with inscription, "Nick Manoloff Pat. 2076331. They were of array of colors such as: solid black or white marbleized/swirl: red and white; green and white; jade green and white; chocolate and white; and red and black. He made slides of several styles and sizes of metal, usually of high polished chrome, with the inscription of his name "NICK MANOLOFF". His slides were designed to be played on the Dobro, Hawaiian guitar, Resonator guitar, Spanish guitar, Resonator mandolin, Lap steel guitar, and Pedal steel guitar.

Publishing

In the early 1930s, Nick and Bernice were musical arrangers, eventually forming The Calumet Music Publishing, Co.[3] For many publications, Nick and Bernice were arrangers for songs, music, and instructional methods of stringed-instruments such as the guitar, dobro, and ukulele; particularly one ones requiring to be played with a slide. Over 180 works by Nick, were published in over 253 publications. An example was method book, "Nick Manoloff's Complete Chord and Harmony Manual For The Guitar". Bernance arranged many including books (The Bee). Music, such as Hawaiian, folk and cowboy songs, and Russian style and standards were their forte.

Sales

Nick and Bernice Manoloff formed a distributing business known as "Manoloff's Musical Supply" located at 7018 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, Illinois up the time of 1968, employing four men and three women.[4] They carried slides, metal thumb and finger picks (etched with his name), capos, flat picks and sheet music and books.

Death

Nick Manoloff died in Los Angeles, California in 1969.

Publications

Nick related

Bernice related

Miami Blues (for Hawaiian guitar) sheet music (1936)

References

  1. ↑ United States 1930 Census
  2. ↑ Library of Congress, U.S. Patent Office. Washington , D.C.
  3. ↑ "Dark Eyes". Indiana State Museum. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Chicago Cook Co. Industrial Directory, 1968.
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