Piano Tuning  -  St. Louis Metro - Burd and Sons
Piano Tuning  -  St. Louis Metro - Burd and Sons
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    • HOME
    • SERVICES
    • PLAYER PIANOS
      • Player Piano Home
      • Player Piano FAQ's
      • Upgrade
      • Add System
    • ABOUT
    • FAQ
    • BLOG
  • HOME
  • SERVICES
  • PLAYER PIANOS
    • Player Piano Home
    • Player Piano FAQ's
    • Upgrade
    • Add System
  • ABOUT
  • FAQ
  • BLOG

ALL ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BURD AND SONS PIANO SERVICE

We have a rich history that started over a century ago! Here are some highlights of our journey. 

oUR STORY

Northeast Missouri State Teacher's College, now Truman State University.

August Biggerstaff

Our story begins when Mr. Biggerstaff left the Chickering piano factory to start the Piano Tuning Program at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri in 1922. Among his students was a talented musician and eager entrepreneur, Stanley Shaw.  

Shaw and Sons Music advertisement from the 1940's.

Stanley Shaw

Stanley graduated from Mr. Biggerstaff's technology program in 1932. Later, he would open Shaw Music in Jefferson City which eventually expanded to 3 stores throughout Missouri. Mr. Shaw went on to train 2 piano technicians; his son-in-law Gus Schwartz, and Smokey Burd. 

Piano tuner Smokey Burd.

Smokey Burd

Allen  "Smokey" Burd, a studio musician and guitar teacher at Shaw Music, was offered a piano tuner apprenticeship under Mr. Shaw. Smokey went into the piano tuning and repair business in 1964 and would go on to train his son Ronnie Burd, Terry Keeney, and his grandson Joe Kemple. In addition he taught piano tuning courses in South Korea, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Liberia. 


Ron, a 2nd generation piano tuner, assisted Smokey in piano repairs part-time for many years.


Terry became Smokey's competitor and remained a life-long friend. 


Joe worked alongside his grandfather Smokey for over a decade, absorbing as much knowledge as he could.

Photo of piano tuner Joe Kemple.

Joe Kemple

Joe began working with his grandfather Smokey Burd at age 18, and is now enjoying his 37th year as a piano tuner. A certified Master Piano Technician, he has a wide range of experience, including having been on staff at Truman State University (where this story began 102 years ago), a tech for two different Steinway dealers, and who is the tech for the largest music store in Norway. Joe is a lifelong musician and has performed in numerous groups -including as a trumpet player with the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps, as a bass player in a hard rock band, and on keys in an experimental group.   


At Truman, I supervised Dustin Hamilton, who has since become a well-respected technician in his own right, and who is the current piano technician at T.S.U. 

A team member tuning a grand piano in St. Peters, MO

Ike

Ike, our youngest and 4th generation technician, has a background in mechanics, electronics, music composition and sound engineering. He is allergic to the internet, so you'll just have to guess his last name. Ike is an absolute natural when it comes to piano actions and all things mechanical.  

Contact

Burd and Sons Piano Service

Serving the St. Louis Metropolitan Area

314-236-7841 joe@burdandsons.com

Hours

Open today

10:00 am – 10:00 pm

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Joe Kemple tuning a Yamaha upright piano.

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