Grinnell Brothers Music House 1879-1981: By the 1950s it was the largest music company in the world. Paperback – September 13, 2025

In 1866, Ira Grinnell moved to Adrian, Michigan at age 18, following a young lady who he met while she was visiting family in his hometown, Barre, New York. He worked as a farmer’s helper to make and save some money with no goal in mind. He stumbled across a new household item: the sewing machine. He sold these successfully and added some household items to his inventory. In 1876 he moved his two younger brothers from New York to Michigan where they started a music business due to success in selling more musical instruments than all other merchandise. In 1879 they founded Grinnell Brothers Music House in Ann Arbor and moved closer to Detroit in 1882 by setting up a music store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They opened more than 30 branch stores beginning in 1893. Little did they imagine that their business would grow to become the largest music retail company in the world in the mid-1950s. They sold more Steinway pianos than any other company in the world, and they sold more of their “Own Make” pianos than Steinway pianos. Read more