Steiner was heavily influenced early on by Chicago music, partially because of its proximity to Milwaukee it was more difficult for New York music to make its way to the Midwest. He went to music stores as well as theatres including the Oriental, McVicker’s, Chicago, and State-Lake. Louis Blues.” He started going to clubs and concerts in Chicago around 1924, traveling by train or hitchhiking as well as sleeping outdoors in parks and alleys to save money for clubs and albums. Steiner started going to music performances at venues around Milwaukee, such as Humboldt Park, where he heard military and brass bands and songs such as “Tiger Rag” and “St. One record that made an early impression was the Dixieland Jazz Band. The interest expanded when his aunt Julianna, who worked at a music store, would bring home chipped phonographs for him to listen to, during the era when not everyone owned a phonograph player. As a teenager, Steiner fixed his friends' radios and would hear a variety of music, which prompted him to spend many hours listening to music broadcasts. He also attended Axel Christianson's music school. He also took piano lessons and while a student at the University of Wisconsin - Madison he took lessons from Jessie Cohen. When he was twelve, he became the hat check person at his father's music lodge in Milwaukee. Steiner's interest in music began as a young child. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1929 and a Doctorate in Chemistry in 1933, both from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. John Franklin Steiner was born on Jin Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Collection,, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library Biographical Note This collection, the preferred citation is: Steiner, John. The remainder of the collection is open for research. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material from this series. Series XI, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for part or all of the material in this series. The collection spans 140 years and documents Chicago jazz and blues, musicians, clubs, printed music, recording companies, and recording technology. The John Steiner Collection contains sheet music, articles, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, interviews, ephemera, and publications. John Steiner, jazz collector, record producer, chemist. Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center The John Steiner Collection was processed and preserved as part of the 'Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project,' funded with support from the Andrew W. © 2009 University of Chicago Library Acknowledgments University of Chicago Library Guide to the John Steiner Collection 1860-2001 Subseries 3: Slides, Negatives, and Oversize Prints.Subseries 2: Chicago Defender and Chicago Whip.Subseries 1: Paramount Records Musicians and People.Subseries 5:Ělbum Covers and Record Books.Subseries 3: Recording Equipment and Technology.Subseries 2: Record Companies and Catalogs.Series III: Record Industry and Collecting.Guide to the John Steiner Collection 1860-2001

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