Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2015/Fall/Section 018/Fred Trammell

Fred Trammell
Fred Trammell (unknown - unknown) was a traveling salesman in southern and western states. He later became a pianist. As of 1939, he worked in Athens, Georgia to build and sell pianos for Flanigan and Flangian, a local music shop.

Youth Years
As a child, Trammell lived on his father’s farm amongst his cousins. The specific location of this farm is unknown. African-American laborers ran daily activities on the farm such as cattle-ranching, watermelon picking, and sugar harvesting. During childhood, Trammell enjoyed swimming in rivers with homemade swim trunks and playing pranks on his friends in graveyards.

In his teenage years, Trammell moved to Gilmer, Texas to live with his aunt and uncle on Danger Field ranch. He then traveled 50 miles northeast to Sulphur Springs to settle with his mother’s niece, Mrs. Cranford. During the train ride to Sulphur Springs, he experienced a significant hand injury, which affected his ability to play the piano later in life.

Adulthood
Trammell returned to his father’s home as an adult, where his father gave him a mule and sixty acres of land. After successful harvests of cotton and corn, Trammell moved on to work at Sol Ward’s cotton mill order to earn money to travel out west. While working at Ward’s Mill, Trammell enjoyed hunting ducks upon the pond and dancing. He left Ward’s Mill on December 1, 1904.

Career and Later Life
Trammell and his cousin Marcus then moved to Coleman, Texas. He was hired as a canvasser by Will Griffin to sell church organs door-to-door. However, he was met with little success. Trammell and his cousin often played the piano and the Estey organ in Coleman at musical entertainment sessions. In June of the same year, the Trammell cousins moved west to New Mexico and witnessed how the drought affected cattle farmers. Trammell worked, saved money, and dreamed of going to cities such as St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago.

After a short time spent in Missouri, Trammell was called to Athens, Georgia by the Flanigan and Flanigan company to sell pianos. He also worked to build instruments and was frequently hired as a one-man orchestra. While in Athens, he married a woman from Auburn, Alabama. As of 1939 in Athens, Trammell boarded with Mr. Foster, his fellow employee, with whom he grew very close to. The remaining events of Fred Trammell’s life are unknown.

Life of a local Salesman
As the American economy wilted in the early 1930’s, citizens were left to feel the heavy pressures of unemployment as caused by the Great Depression. Some of this population began to sell items to generate a living Salesmen at the time would attempt to sell any object with value, from simple items like pots and pans to intricate lamps. Salesman at the time had to face a slow market, and thus used persuasion to earn commission. Some of their methods included listing materials, discussing benefits of products, and having live demonstrations. Trammell humorously reports one of his memories selling:

“I went to a house and knocked at the door. A very old lady…came creeping to the door. I asked her if they had an    organ in the house. Instead of talking to me she began calling, ‘Sallie! Oh Sallie!’ I thought she was calling one of the family who would be interested in buying an organ. I was very elated – but I soon felt different when she said, ‘Sallie let that bull dog out.’ I hurriedly told her that wasn’t necessary – I would go.”

Recovery Efforts to Employment
The National Industrial Recovery Act, as initiated by Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York, and Roosevelt, encouraged businesses to work collectively in self-interest. It was instituted to encourage both economic recovery efforts and to protect individual employees. Many business employees, including individual salesman working for commission, were guaranteed rights to organize, bargain, and represent themselves. Through the act, millions of workers earned enough wages in the winter season of 1933 to support themselves and their families.

2. The piano and its evolving southern presence
Since the early 1800’s, a piano was largely viewed as the hearth of a home. It transitioned from a Victorian instrument targeted at developing grace into a widely accepted, middle-class instrument used for leisure and social music. Due to the stresses caused by the Great Depression, the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music and the National Federation of Music Clubs worked to spread musical programs. As a result, American music participation increased nationwide in 1931. Piano classes for adults, held at local YMCA’s and libraries, become more popular as music propagated on radio channels.

Though the Great Depression severely impacted professional musicians’ employment at the time, the Federal Music Project (1936 – 1941) employed more people than any other Works Progress Administration cultural initiative. The Federal Music Project was established in 1935 as a part of the New Deal, to hire musicians off of relief roll and to put many “instrumentalists, singers, concert performers, and music teachers” back to work. The Federal Music Project is often referred to as a key element in this era of musical awakening. This awakening inspired many adults to pick up piano-playing, and to enjoy the art for pleasure rather than for work.