My 70-year-old Rare & Primo “Super Olds” Trombone

My father, Milton Webb, bought my beautiful “Super Olds” Trombone #222360 when I was 10 or 11 years old (5th grade) in 1953 or 1954. I was born in Long Beach, California, during the middle of WWII. I’m now 80 years old. I grew up in East LA. When I think of home, I always think of East LA, even though I’ve lived most of my life in northern California.

My father was born in Chihuahua, Mexico in June 1903. His whole life he always said, “I’m a PROUD MEXICAN”. He died when he was 98 and is buried in East LA. He was a musician. He played the accordion, harmonica, and sang only Mexican songs. When he was a young man, he played in a small group with his musician compadres. They weren’t professionals; they were street musicians working for donations. My mother, “A PROUD CHEROKEE WOMAN”, Vera Nell Evans, is a Cherokee Nation Enrolled Citizen, as are my four siblings and I. My mother enrolled all of us into the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. My mother, Cherokee grandmother, and great grandmother, were all born in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.

Our family is considered Cherokee Old Settlers. Old Settlers relocated to the Indian territories (Webbers Falls, on the Arkansas River) 10 to 20 years before the infamous and tragic, forced removal on the “Trail Of Tears”. My mother had a beautiful singing voice and loved to sing. Music was, and has always been, an important part of my life. I’ve always enjoyed all types of music and musicians.

I was fortunate to have had accomplished and talented music teachers. When I went to elementary school, music was taught in all the grades including singing choirs, orchestra, and band. One of my classmates, Eddie Sauer, was a trombone prodigy. I never heard or saw a more talented trombone player all through my schooling. Eddie was amazing to hear, I knew I would never be that good at the trombone. Tragically, Eddie was killed in a boating accident. I think of him regularly in my life. What a tragedy, what could have been?

My parents divorced, my mother moved us to Bakersfield, then Oildale, where her sisters and brothers lived, and they were all born in Oklahoma. In Oildale, I attended Beardsley Elementary School through the eighth grade. My trombone and band teacher was Elton Miller. We had a marching band with uniforms and majorettes. We performed in concerts, parades, and choir. One year, we were bused to Pasadena where we marched in the New Year’s Rose Parade. We marched and played in all the local holiday parades as well as concerts.

In 1957, my mother moved us to Auburn, CA where I attended Placer High School. Our music director was Don Whitehead. We also had a uniformed marching band. I played in regular band, orchestra, pep bands, as well as dance bands where we performed at various schools. I was 1st trombone all through high school. I was pretty good and played many solos (never as good as I knew Eddie would have been). Our Placer High School Band played in Salt Lake City, as well as for the opening ceremonies the “Parade of Nations” and the lighting of the Olympic Flame for the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley, CA (now renamed “Palisades Tahoe”). After graduation, I moved back to East LA. While attending East LA Jr. College, I had thoughts of becoming a music teacher, until I gave two young students trombone lessons and decided teaching was not for me. I dropped out to go into the U. S. Navy. That was the end of my music career (I qualified for Navy Special Services, Navy band, and swim team). Unfortunately, to my dismay after two years, because of vision defects, I was given an honorable discharge and released.

Recently, I met Jorge Munoz, Music Director for C. K. McClatchy High School. I asked him if he would be interested in my trombone. When he heard it was a rare “SUPER OLDS”, he said he always wanted one and was interested. This trombone, and alligator case, is in excellent condition. This includes two mutes, a plunger mute, marching lyre attachment, and cleaning and maintenance materials along with a variety of old trombone sheet music and music song books. My hope is that my beloved trombone, that has served me well, can find a caring home and have a long and extended life and many more musical adventures.

When my friend Tony Lujan (born in East LA, now living in El Dorado Hills, and also a musician and talented flute player), heard that I was donating my trombone, he asked me to ask if he could donate his high-quality flute. Tony and his wife Pat were music teachers after college. Tony hopes it will go to an underprivileged kid.

— Mike Webb, Proud Mexican & Proud Cherokee Nation Honored Elder