Wally World
I’m thinking I joined around November of 1969, Al Schmidt was doing the Airplane, with Pat Ieraci as second.
Studio “C” was the only one open, the rest were being completed. What a exciting time! The staff was me,
Russ Gary, George Herdandiz, Ginger Mews, Mel Tanner.
In: Firsthand Stories
Tenderloin History Museum
Hello. I am curating the development of new Tenderloin History Museum in San Francisco, which will eventually live in the lobby of the Cadillac Hotel in the Tenderloin. As part of this exhibit, we will highlight Wally Heider Recording in SF. I am trying to track down any objects/memorabilia from Wally’s recording period on Hyde St. Perhaps he has family members who would be interested in a museum such as this celebrating his extensive contribution to music in San Francisco and might be able to point me in some directions.
Read the rest of this post »
Biographical information about Wally from his nephew, George Heider
Stephen:
I’m his nephew. Otto W. Heider Sr. had two sons: Wally Heider and Otto W. Heider Jr. Otto Jr. is my father. I was born in 1951; I remember seeing Wally as a kid.
1. Wally was born May 20, 1922. His father, Otto W. Heider Sr, was the town lawyer in Sheridan, Oregon. Otto came from a poor first generation German family (his father was a shoemaker from Bavaria with about nine children from two marriages) and put himself through law school at the University of Oregon as a starving student. Otto worshiped financial success, and wanted Wally to join his Sheridan law practice. My father, Otto W. Heider Jr, was born in 1925. Wally and Otto Jr. did not like each other much, particularly in their later years.
2. Wally graduated from Sheridan High School just prior to World War II, probably 1940. He attended U of O for a couple of years prior to the War. I’ve seen pictures of Wally in an army uniform; I suspect he enlisted. I don’t think he saw combat.
3. Wally graduated from U of O in 1946 or 1947.
4. He passed the Oregon Bar in 1955, and joined Otto Sr. in the Sheridan law practice. Sheridan is a small town, probably 1400 people at the time, and Wally hated the practice of law, probably also working with his father, who was a bit of the teutonic German father.
5. In a huge family mess, Wally left the Sheridan law practice and moved to LA in late summer of 1959. Otto W. Heider Sr. owned the building that housed the law firm; last I checked, the windows were still painted “Otto W. Heider & Son”. Otto Sr. wouldn’t speak of Wally for years.
6. Once Wally was successful and written up in Esquire magazine, Otto Sr. was proud of him and happy to speak about him.
7. After Wally left the recording business, he started a “Hindsight Records” company, with, I believe, the goal of releasing previously unreleased recordings. He had huge rows of vinyl records stored at Otto Sr’s house in Sheridan. Wally had moved to Portland by then.
7. Wally died in March 1989 of brain cancer. He is buried in the Heider family plot in Sheridan, Oregon.
Hope that helps fill in the cracks!
Cheers, George
Stories of Wally Encouraged
Happy New Year,
In 2009 I resolve to continue to improve this site. I have upgraded the blog and will update the gallery software. I haven’t found a “skin” that looks good, shows author comments, and is easy to use yet – but there are hundreds of good Gallery themes out there; I’ll find it. I’ve also heard from a family member and hope to have more contact with her soon.
If you have a story about Wally or the studios, please post!
Please contact me if you need a user/password to post a story about Wally or a user/password to upload some photos and scans of WHR related items. I used to have an auto-enroll form here, but it became a spam magnet, with hundreds ‘signing up’ with automated passwords and no intention of posting anything but advertising.
anyway, thanks for stopping by!
stephen barncard
Wally’s 2:00 AM Phone Call
I knew who it was in seconds after I was awakened by Wally’s 2:00 AM phone call. Wally had heard that I had a rara avis series of recordings of the Stan Kenton orchestra, and wanted to come to Rhode Island with his equipment to make copies. He told me that he wanted to record them and make LPs of the material. I resisted. He persisted. We went back and forth. I told him that I did not want to run afoul of both the Kenton family and the copyright laws. He said that he did it all the time. Besides, it would be himself who would have to deal with the Estate and the law, not me. I told him that I did not think that it would be ethical to have him access what I had, given to me in the belief that I would not produce recordings of what I had. I don’t believe we parted friends — only once more after that, had I heard from another friend of Wally’s, that he spoke of the incident and thought that I was being naive, since so many others did not mind assailing the copyright laws. We never had a chance to talk about our differences again…he passed away. Some one, some day, should do more than these sort of recollections…a full blown biography. He forever changed that ways in which “live” and studio recordings were made.
Tony Agostinelli
In: Firsthand Stories