Yes, Michael, there was an Alfred

Thinking about the name Mel Bay got me thinking about the name Alfred, as in Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method, published by the Alfred Music Co. I’m one of the zillion or so people who learned to play by way of Alfred. I went through all six instruction books. After that it was a matter of listening to records and learning how to fingerpick to play what I was hearing. And after that, it was a matter of learning how to play what I wanted to hear.

For anyone who learned to play guitar by way of Alfred: yes, there was an Alfred. But it’s complicated. Here, courtesy of the Internet Archive, is the title page from Book One of the 1959 edition of Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method.

[Same as it ever was. The first three pieces of music: “More,” “Still More,” “No More.” Click for a larger view.]

Here’s where things get strange. Notice the names on the cover: Alfred d’Auberge and Morton Manus. As far as I can tell, there never was an Alfred d’Auberge. I suspect that “he” was just a suave-sounding name to go with the name Alfred Music Co. The real Alfred was Alfred Haase, who sold his music publishing company to Sam Manus in 1930, long before these instruction books were created. Morton Manus was Sam Manus’s son.

Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method lives on, with the first three books now credited to Morty (not Morton) Manus and his son Ron Manus. Books Four, Five, and Six are still credited to Morton Manus and Alfred d’Auberge. Here’s some company history.

[Mel Bay: the lost Spice Guy?]