Asturian Piano Player

[Manuell Alvarez]

Hello Everyone,

Dad told me that sometime during the depression, he was working in a Chicago bar. It was the only job he could find. One night, just before closing, as Dad was busy cleaning and sweeping, three men walked into the bar with their girl friends. They ordered the bar owner to pull the shades, lock the doors, and hang the closed sign in the window.

After ordering drinks,they then called Dad over and told him to play the piano and when he protested, one of the men pulled out a pistol from a shoulder holster and laid it on the table and told Dad that tonight he was going to learn.

While talking, they did not want to be over heard so they had my father bang on the piano keys until they left.

Manny