In the late 1950s, the Chicago-based Slingerland Drum Company, under the leadership of President Henry H. “Bud” Slingerland, Jr., turned to Shelbyville for a technological upgrade. Bud Slingerland approached William Connor, a local machinist, to develop an automatic foil-stamping machine for drumsticks. Until then, the company had relied on hand-operated machinery. Given Connor’s experience building similar equipment for Shelbyville’s pencil industry, he was the perfect candidate for the job. After successfully delivering the project, Connor went on to build several other machines for Slingerland in the years that followed. Bud even tried to persuade Connor to relocate to Chicago to supervise a new drum factory, but Connor, originally from Flint, Michigan, had had his fill of harsh northern winters and declined.
Founded in 1912 by Henry Heason Slingerland, Sr. in Chicago, the company originally started as the Slingerland Banjo Company. It expanded into drum manufacturing in 1926 in response to Ludwig Drum Company entering the banjo market. By the mid-20th century, Slingerland drums had gained global popularity. Their reputation was bolstered by endorsements from legendary jazz and big band drummers like Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Louie Bellson. In later years, rock musicians such as Carmine Appice, Levon Helm of The Band, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, and Danny Seraphine of Chicago also favored Slingerland drums.
In the early 1960s, Connor again collaborated with Slingerland—this time designing a new operation to mold Mylar (plastic) drumheads, replacing the traditional calfskin heads. Around this time, Connor was also considering selling his machine shop. Seeing a strategic opportunity, Bud Slingerland purchased the business in October 1962. The new entity, named Solar Musical Instrument Company, was entirely owned by the Slingerland family. William Connor remained as president and took charge of operations. Notably, Solar’s sole customer was the Slingerland Drum Company.
As demand grew beyond the capacity of Slingerland’s Niles, Illinois, facility, Solar Musical Instrument Company took on drum production as well. Metal components were shipped from Illinois, while the wooden shells were manufactured and assembled in Shelbyville. According to Connor, the Shelbyville facility produced approximately 5,000 shells between 1965 and 1966.
Drums made in Shelbyville featured three-ply shells crafted from mahogany-poplar-mahogany, consistent with Slingerland’s standards. However, they differed in using oak reinforcement rings—sourced locally from Middle Tennessee—instead of the maple rings used in the Chicago and Niles factories. Most Shelbyville drums bore the distinctive oval Slingerland badge with a dark red background and the inscription “Assembled in Shelbyville, Tenn. USA.” Larger drums like tom-toms and bass drums occasionally lacked badges, but the oak reinforcement rings serve as a clear identifier. In contrast, Illinois-manufactured Slingerland drums carried black-background badges.
Another chapter in Shelbyville’s musical history unfolded in the 1960s when local furniture and cabinet maker J.W. Gallagher began crafting acoustic guitars under the Slingerland banner. Operating from a corner of the Solar plant, these guitars were sold under the “Shelby” brand. This venture laid the foundation for Gallagher Guitar, which later relocated to Wartrace and now continues operations in Murfreesboro under new ownership—a story that stands on its own.
Though the Solar Musical Instrument Company shut its doors in the late 1960s, its legacy endures. The building that once buzzed with musical innovation still stands at 100 Plastics Avenue in Shelbyville’s northeast industrial district—a quiet monument to a vibrant period in American music manufacturing.
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