A couple years ago, I randomly stumbled across a newspaper article from 1958 describing a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hillbilly performer named Joe Cihla and his new invention: the Speakatar. Now, I deal in the wide world of hillbilly guitar mythology on a daily basis, but this Speakatar thing was something I had never seen before. It looked WILD!
Joe built a homemade instrument that had a battery-powered amplifier and built-in speaker (it also had a built in microphone!). The instrument was made out of fiberglass, which was a pretty revolutionary material at the time; they began making Corvette cars with fiberglass bodies in 1953, and soon everything from lampshades to patio furniture to luggage was being made out of the new, moldable and durable material). Best of all, the Speakatar was shaped like your best Jetsons fantasy—boomerangs galore. This thing looked amazing!
A while back, while passing through Cedar Rapids, I made it a point to search out information on Joe and the Speakatar. I found his son listed in the phone book and called and left three or four messages—no response. Finally, I drove to his house and knocked on the door and told him I was researching his dad and the Speakatar. I told him I’d left a few messages but hadn’t gotten get a response, and the son said, “Ain’t nobody been calling me except some weird unknown caller from California.” Sometimes you have to go to the house and knock on the door!
Joe’s son revealed that after his dad died, he was tasked with the job of cleaning out his estate. He recalled that the Speakatar was in pieces, all busted up, and he didn’t remember anybody saving it, so it probably wound up in the trash. A sad end to a pretty revolutionary instrument.
Somewhere on the road this last year, a guy gave me a couple photos he had dug up of Joe playing the Speakatar. It was at the merch table at one of my shows, so I stuck the photos in my CD box and promptly forgot about them, until I found them the other day. And of course now I can’t remember who brought these photos to me—so I apologize for not giving credit! Comment here if it was you!
Feast your eyes on Joe Cihla and his remarkable 1950s innovation: the Speakatar!! I want to see one of you motivated nutjobs out there build a replica. It deserves to be done!
