Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

Prior to opening his own business in Chicago, Frank Holton was in partnership with York in a music publishing business in Allegan, Mi..

He was with Sousa in 1893-94. Holton achieved initial success with his revolutionary slide-oil formula, Electric Oil, which is still popular today. Although, a professional musician, Frank Holton was unable to make enough income to support his family, so at 40 years of age, he started his company selling slide oil. But, sales of slide oil did not provide sufficient income, so he began to sell used instruments. He would get an order and then, if needed, he would get the instrument repaired, he would clean it himself, make a shipping box, and then ship it.

Soon Holton began experiments to improve brasswind instrument designs. Holton hired his first instrument maker about 1898 and created his first trombone - a Special.

In 1900, Frank Holton moved to Clark and Madison Streets in Chicago and remained there for about 4 years. He then moved to 107 Madison St. The Frank Holton Company was producing several models of trombones, cornets, trumpets and euphoniums, as well as percussion instruments.

In 1904, he incorporated. By 1906, he had approximately 100 employees, making slide and valve trombones, cornets and mellophones. In 1909, he introduced the Holtonphone, his variation on the raincatcher sousaphone.

In 1907, he built a new factor on the Chicago West Side, the manufacturing business renamed Frank Holton & Co. (Wm Frank was VP) In 1911 he expanded the factory.¹

In 1917 Holton started to move his company to Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Holton completed tooling for a complete line of saxophones.

The emergence of the student instrument market was a problem for Holton as his product line was higher-priced professional instruments. His first response was to stencil some lower-priced instruments, named Pertin and Beaufort.

In the 1929, Holton began producing a moderately priced, precision-built line of instruments. Student editions of the Holton originals called Collegiate.

As movies and radio replaced live performance in vaudeville and theatre, the market for professional level instruments - Holtons primary market - declined.

While Holton was convalescing from illness, the sales force altered its approach and tried to sell directly to school administrators and bypass the local dealers and band directors. The result was a backlash that caused sales to drop over 85% in five years. The company never really recovered during his lifetime. For the balance of the 1930s, the company was in survival mode. Mr. Holton retired at age 82 and died on April 16, 1942.

In 1956, work with Philip Farcus started on the development of the Holton Farkas model French horn was introduced to great acclaim. in 1958.

In 1962, the Holton Company was sold to Leblanc which merged Leblancs woodwinds with Holton brass.

In 2004 Conn-Selmer acquired the Leblanc Company. making Holton a part of Steinways Conn-Selmer, Inc. Their brasswind production ended in 2007, moving production of their Holton brand to Elkhart, Indiana. It has since outsourced manufacturing to various Asian makers.