Bob Erickson: Marion’s Music Man
Bob Erickson, October 1962
For many years, Erickson's music store was the hub of Marion's music community. It offered a place to share musical ideas, get help, and teach others to play. This article first appeared in a June 1978 edition of the Marion Commentator, the predecessor to Marion News/Life. The article is published here with a few edits.
For Bob Erickson, six months go a long, long way. The owner of Erickson’s music Store, 653 East Center St., moved to Marion to open a musical instrument repair shop and decided to give it a half-year’s time to succeed. Twenty-five years later, he’s still here.
An accomplished saxophonist, Erickson’s love of music and instrument didn’t come from his family. Instead, the St. Paul, Minnesota native picked up his early musical experience playing in a neighborhood drum and bugle corps. Later, he played in a ‘Salvation Army-style’ church band and in the Air Force Band playing in Washington D.C., and various military bases in Texas.
The family had moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where Erickson, or “Eric”, as he’s known now, attended a technical school. “I decided that I wanted to stay in music but I didn’t want to go through all the traveling that most musicians do,” Erickson said, “I always wanted to establish roots. Instrument repair was my answer.”
Erickson scouted various locales to start his business, but most were on one coast or the other, “entirely too far away.” By luck, he hit upon Marion. “I’d never heard of the city before. but I thought I’d give it a try.”
Erickson’s first shop was at Harden’s Music but was run independently of that store. Nine years passed and Eric decided he would go it on his now and moved into a small shop, almost directly across the street from where Erickson’s is presently located.
“I intended to work only repairs, but we kept getting requests for instruments so, in a short time, we sold instruments as well.” At first, the retail part was to be a “very modest” affair, but soon it grew into a strong part of the business.
Bob was forced to move his store in 1962 because of the store’s growth and because of new parking regulations. “Center Street was used for parking but when it was decided to restrict it, I was left with no customer parking spots. I had to find a new place.” So he crossed the street when his present building became available.
He believes that he entered the retail end at a fortunate time. Guitars were starting to catch on. “It was a whole new era in music.”
When he first came to Marion, the musical cycle was “at the end of the be-bop era. Kids couldn’t emulate that.” Rock music helped open the way for active participation in music and, through rock, “jazz has infiltrated and we have a really mixed bag of pop, rock and jazz now. Music is much more open.”
HIs own preference tends toward jazz of the Maynard Ferguson-Stan Kenton-Woody Herman variety. “The Palace jazz concerts are just super productions.”
Erickson’s Music put together a 12-band jazz package of its own last week at Tri-Rivers Joint Vocational School. There was no charge to attend, Bob said, “it was one way to thank the people we do business with.” In every aspect, it was a success: “The facilities at the school were outstanding and everything worked smoothly. Most of all, everyone enjoyed it, especially the kids.”
Eric still plays with various musical groups, but not as extensively as he once did. He led the Al Wayne Band (now the Gary Brammell Band) for seven years. His occasional stints are fun. “I don’t have the responsibility of being the leader. I just play now and can go home and not worry about the next date, or the charts or finding substitutes.”
Music is but one of many interests for Bob. Others include photography and movie making.
Skiing is a popular diversion for the entire Erickson family. Bob and Rita’s sons, Dick and Dan, are both accomplished musicians: Dick on the saxophone and Dan on stand-up and electric bass. An Ohio State University student, Dick is in his fourth hear of engineering study. Dan has decided on medical photography as a career and is a freshman at Ohio University.
Rita and their daughter, Dawn, have extended their creativity toward design rather than music. Dawn is attending the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. Rita has always been interested in creative design in art, particularly pottery. Her other hobbies including mending broken dolls and playing tennis.
Erickson is a member of the Marion Arts Council, the First Presbyterian Church, and is on the Marion Concert Association Board and the Palace Theater board of directors. He was also a member of the Marion Airport publicity committee.
Still, music remains Bob's main interest. He feels that music has changed most over the year in amplification. “It’s the guitar and amplified keyboard influence. We’re installing pickups on quite a few horns. They have to be louder to compete with the guitars.” The public address systems have been completely revamped. “Not so long ago, the PA system was just one small box, now it’s several large speaker boxes and 900 miles of wire.”
Although the rebirth of rock music led to more interest in guitar, he still considers Erickson’s Music “primarily a band instrument store.” The staff sells and repairs instruments for all area schools and includes schools in a radius from Kenton to the west, Bucyrus and North Washington to the north, Mt. Gilead and Cardington to the east, and Delaware to the south. Repair remains a strong link for this “full-service music store”.
Musical instruction began soon after Erickson’s began retailing. There are currently 15 instructors in piano, guitar, drums, and band instruments. The instructors operate independently of the store. Bob explains, “we get the call, check the schedule, and find an opening. Each teacher charges his own fee. I’m extremely proud of all of them. They’re a professional group.” Guitarist Dan Cochran is the veteran of the group with 10 years in teaching.
When you enter the corridor to the repair shop, you can’t help but notice a flattened trumpet on the wall. “Dick Hazen, an advertising agency art director, rushed in one day and asked if we had any old instruments that he could use and, the next thing I knew, he had created a new ‘art form’, laughs Erickson. “Since then, we’ve had orders for 30 or 40 squashed instruments of every variety. We’ve sent them all over the country.”
“However, we don’t repair them.”
Story by Tom Photos
