Kurt Einar Armbruster is a historian and author in Seattle, Washington.[1]
He graduated from the University of Washington.[2] His book Before Seattle Rocked discusses Seattle's musical heritage.[3][4][5][6]
A review in The Oregonian said: "Armbruster's book is packed with information on everything from the earliest pianos through the gold rush and Tin Pan Alley eras up through big band sounds and folk music," and that "He did a great job tracking down musicians from bygone days and gathering photos, including the smashing one of Guitar Shorty and his band on the cover."[7]
His book Playing for Change is about the founders of the Seattle Repertory Playhouse, Burton and Florence James.[8]
The history of American railroading is a lifelong interest, and he is currently (2023) managing editor of the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association magazine, The Mainstreeter, for which he has written numerous articles. Armbruster is a musician and songwriter with two albums: Spookyjuice (2012) and One Good Ride(2019), under the name EINAR. He and his wife Cedar live in Seattle. He is a member of the Musicians' Union of Seattle Local 76-493.[1]
Bibliography
edit- Orphan Road; The Railroad Comes to Seattle, 1853 - 1911. Washington State University Press, 1999. [2]
- Before Seattle Rocked; A City and Its Music. University of Washington Press, 2011.
- Playing for Change : Burton and Florence James and the Seattle Repertory Playhouse. University Book Store Press, 2012.
- Pacific Coast, Seattle's Own Railroad. Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive, 2018.
- Cthulhu's Back In Town. AuthorHouse, 2022.
References
edit- ^ a b "University of Washington Press - Books - Before Seattle Rocked". washington.edu. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Orphan Road - WSU Press - Washington State University, 1999". wsupress.wsu.edu.
- ^ "Give the Gift of Grunge". Seattle Magazine. 21 November 2011.
- ^ Waltz, Alexandria (5 October 2018). "Book Review: Before Seattle Rocked. A City and Its Music". Pacnorwestq the Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 104 (1): 46–47. OCLC 7782036194 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ "'Before Seattle Rocked': music history as social history". Seattle Times. 28 October 2011.
- ^ "Before Seattle rocked - Our musical legacy explored". MyNorthwest. October 12, 2011.
- ^ "Northwest history for the holidays: 'Hidden History of Civil War Oregon,' 'Portland in Three Centuries' and more". The Oregonian. 4 December 2011.
- ^ Paul Dorpat. "Seattle's first rep theater drew crowds; Kurt E. Armbruster has a new book out, "Playing for Change: Burton and Florence James and the Seattle Repertory Playhouse"". Seattle Times.
External links
edit- A photomontage with Brewster narrating a discussion Before Seattle Rocked University of Washington Press