1961-1963: Richards Music and the RMC

1961: The F.A. Reynolds Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the newly formed Richards Music Corporation (aka Richards Musical Instruments, Inc.), which was led by Paul E. Richards, financed by Wurlitzer and based in Elkhart, Indiana. Heinrich Roth remained head of the Reynolds division of Richards Music. (The Scherl & Roth stringed instrument business would be later sold to Conn in 1964.)

As a division of Richards Music, Reynolds became part of the "Roundtable of Musical Craftsmen" (RMC) along with the Martin Band Instrument Co., E.K. Blessing and Flat/Jacks Drums (all owned by Richards Music Corporation). Instruments produced by these companies during the Richards era all bear a RMC shield logo.

Under Richards Music, Reynolds introduced the Medalist trumpet, cornet and trombone, replacing the existing Roth models, in an attempt to take advantage of the sales opportunities created by expanding school band progams (and funding) in the 1960s. In order to produce the anticipated volume of needed student instruments, Richards contracted manufacturing of the Medalist lines to a variety of locations. The presence of "Elkhart, Ind" markings on many models indicates horns that were made at the Blessing factory in Elkhart, Indiana (confirmed by Merle Johnson, former President of Blessing). Other Medalist instruments are marked "Made in USA" and are of unknown origin (if not also made by Blessing).

Paul Rawlins notes that the early student horns produced by RMC/Reynolds were made with low-quality, inexpensive sheet brass. The concept was to put a cheap horn in a durable Samsonite case and sell the package to the student rental market. The approach worked until it was discovered that the low-quality brass used to make the horns could not be repaired without permanent damage to the metal.

1962: RMC/Reynolds was a principal sponsor of the 1962 "The Music Man" Marching Band Competition Festival in Mason City, Iowa, held in conjunction with the premiere of the Warner Bros. motion picture, Meredith Willson's "The Music Man", in which Reynolds brass and Martin woodswinds were used. The first place award, won by the Lockport, Illinois High School Band, included over $5,000 in Reynolds Contempora brass instruments.

Richards Music also sponsored "The Music Man Contest" for individual musicians between ages 8-18, with national, regional and local award winners. "Music Man"-branded Emperor trumpets, cornets and trombones were produced in conjunction with the contest.

1963: On April 1, 1963, Paul Richards resigned as President of Richards Musical Instruments. In a letter to THE SCHOOL MUSICIAN magazine, he writes "I have resigned ... and am no longer directly associated with the company. I sincerely hope that the company will continue to serve properly the many music dealers and music educators that have honored the company with their business and their loyalties, and will continue to support music educators in every way possible." Despite Richards' good intentions, Richards Music and the RMC divisions dissolved later that year (early 1964?) and the various company assets were placed on the auction block.

Merle Johnson (married to Virginia Blessing) acquired the assets to E.K. Blessing, restoring it as a family-owned and -run company. Wurlitzer (who had financed Richards Music) retained the assets to the Martin Band Instrument Co., but eventually sold Martin in 1971 to Leblanc, now part of the Conn-Selmer conglomerate. Flat/Jacks Drums was purchased by former owner[?] Ralph Kester.