MERRITT MALVERN

Merritt Malvern of Buffalo, New York, was a prominent business man in the music community and an avid Edison Record Collector.

In 1976, he was personally invited to the Edison National Historical Site in West Orange, New Jersey to transfer their library of un-issued recordings to archival tape. He was not prepared for what he saw when he entered the old music room for the first time.

According to his journal, this is what he had to say: "What Leah [Stenzel-Burt] and I found upon entering the room on the third floor was a disaster...Records were piled haphazardly into badly decaying boxes in this poorly insulated room..."

Mr. Malvern, along with the site's archivist, Leah Stenzel-Burt began the monumental task of organizing, cleaning, and trying to preserve badly damaged masters and test-pressings that were almost unplayable and on the brink of being lost forever!

Mr. Malvern's labor of love lasted for six months as he worked arduously at re-recording these forgotten works of art. He asked for nothing in return except that he could keep a copy of the tapes for himself.

Unfortunately, Merritt Malvern passed away in 1999 without being able to see these un-issued recordings made public. Our project is to fulfill Merritt Malvern's original vision: To see these recordings preserved, digitally re-mastered, and issued for all to experience and enjoy.

Merritt Malvern in 1976 at work in the
Edison Music Room