Club 71, from a DX gas station in Pumpkin Center, had to be one of the most exciting and eclectic music roadhouses anywhere. It could be hosting square dances and fox hunt dances, and, seemingly most out of place, the black music scene in this very white rural setting.
Nat Towles and his orchestra played there multiple times and would stop there as the first gig after performances at Chicago’s famous Savoy Hall in a very stylish truck trailer.
Below is the Forum article about the visit, followed by references for the photos, then a discussion of the truck trailer, and a few jokes.
COLORED BAND at “71” CLUB
The Maryville Daily Forum, March 17, 1939, Page 3. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-maryville-daily-forum-towles-at-71-c/196076994/
Playing a return engagement Sunday night at the “71” club will be Nat Towles and his 15-piece colored band that made their first appearance several weeks ago. Nattingly attired in evening costumes, the band has made a favorable impression wherever er they have played. They come directly to the “71”* club from an eight-week engagement at the Savoy Hotel in Chicago. The entire band travels deluxe-style in a modern, streamlined truck-trailer specifically designed for a traveling orchestra.
NAT TOWLES SOLVES TRANSPORTATION WORRIES WITH SLEEPER BUS
New Pittsburgh Courier, December 19, 1942, Page 21. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-pittsburgh-courier-nat-towles-bus/196066851
Nat Towles and his band are one of the most fortunate other bands, worrying culties, the Towles aggregation town in their own modern, They are currently on a problem that is most acute, and orchestras are undoubtedly bands in the country. When it comes to transportation, the difference jumps from town to a streamlined sleeper bus. Southern tour, where they will begin an Eastern tour
FAVORITES OUT WEST
New Pittsburgh Courier, November 20, 1937, Page 21. via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-pittsburgh-courier-nat-towles-orches/196066724/
NAT TOWLES and his Orchestra Nat Towles and his orchestra, who are going “great guns” out in Nebraska, are attracting the attention of Eastern bookers. The band has only been organized a year, but has added several outstanding features, including a glee club section and a trio.
Streamlined Sleeper Bus
When I ran this through google image search this is the closest I could find but this bus did not have the flying bridge.
The 1938 Schult Continental Clipper was a custom-built, luxury fifth-wheel trailer designed for publisher Myron Zobel. It was over 50 feet long, featured a “flying bridge” for observation and a stainless-steel kitchen, and was towed by a chauffeur-driven vehicle. It was famously owned by notable figures, including King Farouk of Egypt.
Key Features and History:
- Unique Design: The Clipper was one of the earliest, most opulent fifth-wheel trailers, built specifically to provide high-end living quarters on the road
- Amenities: It was equipped with high-end features for its time, including a radio-telephone and a fully equipped stainless steel kitchen.
- “Flying Bridge”: A unique design feature allowed passengers to ride on the roof of the trailer in a “flying bridge” area,
- Notable Owners: The 1938 model was commissioned for Myron Zobel and was later acquired by King Farouk of Egypt, who subsequently sold it to a Maharaja in India.
- Manufacturer: The trailer was produced by Schult Trailers, a prominent manufacturer in the trailer industry.
- Nat Towles rolled into Pumpkin Center in a truck that looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine — and the town thought the circus had come early.
- The trailer was so streamlined that the hens in the yard started doing the Charleston.
- They brought Savoy Ballroom style, and the locals brought lawn chairs and lifelong questions.
- The truck looked like modern art; the parking lot looked like it needed directions.
- Nat Towles’ trailer was polished enough to reflect the whole town’s surprise.
- It was the only rig on Highway 71 with more chrome than a sheriff’s badge.
- The band unloaded swing and sophistication; the DX pump unloaded curiosity.
- Arriving in that trailer, the orchestra turned Pumpkin Center into a sudden metropolitan suburb — for one night.
- The trailer had art deco curves; the road had gravel, and the contrast was the show’s opening act.
- When that rig pulled up, the fox hunters mistook it for a parade float and joined in.
- Nat Towles brought the Savoy sound; the parking lot provided the added percussion — slamming car doors and gossip.
- The orchestra’s trailer looked like a streamlined traincar; locals asked if it came with a dining car for pie.
- City swing meets country dirt road — bravo for the band, encore for the spectacle.
- The town’s idea of modern was a new fence post; the band’s idea was a mirrored trailer.
- That trailer didn’t just carry instruments — it carried an invitation to dance someone out of their skepticism.
- The rig parked beside the DX pump and somehow both looked upgraded.
- Nat Towles arrived like a headline; the parking lot provided the footnotes.
- They drove all the way from the Savoy in a streamlined dream — and Pumpkin Center still tried to charge admission for the shock.