Frederick James Bacon

Musicianship Across his career, Fred J. Bacon played a variety of musical styles on the five-string banjo and snare drum. His performances included his own compositions such as The Fascinator and The Conqueror march, classical compositions such as Minuette a l'Antique by Paderewski, and arrangements of folk music or minstrel songs, including Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground. Known mainly as a banjo player, he also continued to bring his drum on stage throughout his career, doing drum solos, and in 1936 advertised as a teacher of banjo, guitar, drums and violin.

Growing up in Connecticut, he took banjo lessons from Alfred A. Farland when he was 12-years old. His earliest acts included roles with "Hornsby's Oats" (a stage show in Boston) and with Broncho John's Wild West Show as "Nebraska Fred."

In 1918 Bacon was advertised for a concert representing the banjo before the American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists, alongside musicians such as concert Mandolinists Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and William Foden (guitar). The trio performed together in concerts between 1904 and 1918.

Besides his banjo, Bacon also continued to play his snare drum in concert as late as 1933. He played two solos, Battle Scene and Coming and Going of the Empire Express.

Bacon Banjo Company Bacon's performances became an opportunity to sell banjos as he gained name recognition across the country. By 1907 he was having banjos made for him by Vega to sell as his own. They were sold as far way as Los Angeles and New Jersey.

While living in Hartford he started the "F. J. Bacon and Company" in 1902, with A. E. Squires and G. S. Masleu, selling musical instrument strings. Bacon banjo strings and Bacon violin strings, were sold in music stores in 1903. At the time, he also endorsed Fairbanks banjos in the music store advertisements. Johnson had been making the bridges for the "Bacon Banjo Bridge Company" and invented machinery to automatically make them. In 1905, while still living in Hartford, Bacon applied for a patent for a new type of resonator for open-backed banjos. He was awarded the patent in June 1906, after he sold his Hartford house in April.

Builders finished working on their house and barn in Forest Dale (part of Brandon), Vermont in 1907. He moved into the home with his wife by 1907, calling it Stonehurst.

In 1908 they bought a second, large place as an investment, that they intended to turn into a hotel. They began touring together as an act about 1910, having two Vermont homes for summer and winter.

Bacon advertised his banjos in the July 1909 issue of Cadenza magazine, as the "Bacon Mfg. and Pub. Co" of Forestdale, Vermont.

Although Bacon was contracting with Vega to make his early banjos, photos in a magazine article show that Bacon had a luthiery set up in Forest Dale, ca. 1910. By 1914, Frederick and Cassie Bacon had sold the Forestdale building used for their banjo factory and moved to New London, Connecticut, across the river from their company's future location. They incorporated their company in 1915 as the "Bacon Banjo Company" of Groton, Connecticut. The Merry Snowshoers 1910, Arcadia (polka brilliante) 1910, The Dragon Fly (dance characteristic) 1911 Dance — Magnetic 1911, The Turkey Gobbler Rag 1912, West Lawn Polka 1915, Dance Oriental 1915, The Dawn of Love 1915, Sleep little one sleep (cradle song) 1918, Nourmaleen, music for 1918, Peace, The New Dawn, music for 1919, In Spoonland It's Happy All The Time, music for 1921, The Canadian Mounted (march)

1921, The Coquette (schottische) 1921, Dance of the Fairies 1921, Dance of the Scarecrows 1921, Dancing Sunbeams 1921, The Debutante (schottische caprice) 1921, Loves Secret 1921, March of the Marines 1921, On the Trail, march 1921, Pretty Brown Eyes 1921, The Princess (polka di concert) 1921, Waltz Impromptu 1921, Tarantella 1921, The Winnipeg Rag c. 1922, Crazy Quilt Rag 1922, A Study in Black Rag

1925, Naval Cadets March c. 1927, Ghost Dance c. 1927, Spirit Dance, Indian lament c. 1928, Chinese Serenade c. 1928, Dancing Moonbeams

Arrangements and variations

Moskowski Valse (Moritz Moszkowski) (J. Ascher) c. 1901, Kaka Kaka Dance c. 1902, Chinese Picnic, (John St. George) descriptive c. 1902, Grand Operatic Potpourri selections from: Il Trovatore or To Arms (march) Carmen Poet and Peasant (Suppe) William Tell c. 1905 The Nightingale and the Frogs c. 1908, Grand Valse Brilliante c. 1909, Medley of Familiar Airs 1910, At a Husking Bee, reels and hornpipes 1911, Old Folks at Home (Stephen Foster, Berthold) c. 1911, The Round Up c. 1911, Selections from Famous Overtures (Gaetano Donizetti) c. 1933, Sounds from the Cotton Fields 1910, Compositions and Arrangements for Banjo with Piano accompaniment, by F. J. Bacon. Chicago: Siegel-Myers School of Music, (1910). c. 1928, Bacon melody folio : 5 choice solos contains Hopi Indian Snake Dance, Chinese Serenade, Dancing Moonbeams, Mia Rita (Mexican Serenade), The Dawn of Love (Waltz).

Methods 1911, New and revised method for the banjo, Bacon-Goggin Publishing Company, Schenectady, N.Y. This book teaches the banjo in A notation. 1915, Lesson (A) in Tremolo 1915, Tremolo Lesson Number 2 1921 Paramount Method for Banjo in C Notation, William J. Smith Music Company, New York 1924 The Improved paramount Method for the Banjo : in C notation, finger style, William J. Smith Music Company, New York

Recordings Victor 1912, March 22 The enchantress, Victor, B-11780, F. J. Bacon, Banjo solo, unaccompanied 1912, March 22 Massa's in de cold, cold ground, Victor, B-11782, F. J. Bacon, Banjo solo, unaccompanied 1912, March 22 Old folks at home, Victor, B-11783, F. J. Bacon, Banjo solo, unaccompanied 1912, April 15 The troopers march, Victor, B-11877, F. J. Bacon, banjo solo, accompanied by Fred Bachman (piano) 1912 April 15 West lawn polka, Victor, Victor 17129, Matrix/Take: B-11781/4, Fred J. Bacon, banjo solo, accompanied by Fred Bachman 1916, February 5, Old Black Joe, Edison matrix 4475, Edison 50351, Fred J. Bacon, banjo solo, unaccompanied 1917 Medley of Scotch airs, Edison Blue Amberol: 3109 / Edison Record: 5110, Fred J. Bacon, banjo solo, unaccompanied 1917Medley of southern airs, Edison Blue Amberol: 3122 /Edison Record: 5109, Fred J. Bacon, banjo solo, unaccompanied. Includes My old Kentucky home, Dixie, Old folks at home.

Bacon Banjo Company 1926 Massa's in the cold, cold ground, Bacon Banjo Company, promotional record, Fred J. Bacon, banjo solo, unaccompanied

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Jazz Age banjos