Clinton "Santy" Runyon (July 4, 1907 – April 4, 2003) was an American saxophonist and flautist as well as a designer and manufacturer of mouthpieces for woodwind instruments. Runyon's career included, among other things, playing at

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

's speakeasy club, The Coliseum, and giving lessons to many musicians, including the likes of

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

. Runyon went on to become a significant force in the mouthpiece manufacturing industry.

Early career

Runyon began as a "trap" drummer in the pit of his father's movie house. He would play percussion and supply sound effects for the silent films. He also learned to play the marimba and the vibes and eventually found the instruments that would be the passion of his life: the woodwinds. Runyon studied music at Oklahoma A&M and the University of MissouriRunyon Products web site
/ref> before hitting the road as a traveling musician. He played saxophone with the Benny Maroff,

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earli ...

and

Henry Busse Henry Busse Sr. (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was a German-born jazz trumpeter. A 1948 review in ''Billboard'' magazine said that Busse had "a keen sense of musical commercialism". Early life Born May 19, 1894, in Magdeburg, Germany, t ...

bands. As a member of the Busse group, at age 25, Runyon created the jazz shuffle beat showcased in Busse's hit recording "

Hot Lips "Hot Lips" ("When He Plays Jazz He's Got - Hot Lips") or "He's Got Hot Lips When He Plays Jazz" is a popular song written by jazz trumpeter Henry Busse, Henry Lange, and Lou Davis. The song was a number one hit for Paul Whiteman and His Orches ...

". In 1933, Runyon began an 11-year stint as lead flute player with the Chicago Theater Orchestra. and on Saturday nights, he played The Coliseum, a speakeasy owned by the infamous gangland legend, "Scarface" Al Capone. At the Chicago Theater, he worked with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Edgar Bergen, Betty Grable and other show business notables. He even did a running comedy bit with Jack Benny. Between radio, clubs, and the theater, Runyon weathered the Great Depression pretty well, earning $150 a week while many men were taking home $8 or $9 a week.

Teaching

Santy Runyon and Frank Anglund, lead trumpet with the Chicago Theater Orchestra, opened the Runyon Studio. It became an important institution in propagating recent advances in

saxophone technique Saxophone technique refers to the physical means of playing the saxophone. It includes how to hold the instrument, how the embouchure is formed and the airstream produced, tone production, hands and fingering positions, and a number of other aspec ...

and served as something of a "finishing school" for professional musicians. Through its doors passed such jazz legends as Charlie "Bird" Parker,

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " ...

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the baritone saxopho ...

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

, and

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...

. Runyon had students in most of the big bands of the era, including those of Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington. When

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

began his long-running television show, five of his saxophone players were Runyon alumni.

Mouthpiece and instrument designer and builder

In 1941 Runyon sold his first mouthpiece, a variation of a 1918 curved device he had fabricated with chewing gum. He made a metal saxophone mouthpiece for an Army band member, which resulted in an order for thousands of mouthpieces. A manufacturer refused the order and he began manufacturing mouthpieces in Chicago. Runyon's metal mouthpiece was sought for its exceptional dynamic range and projection, suitable for playing in big show bands. In the 1940s he was a consultant for the C G Conn company as they sought to build a more modern alto saxophone, released as the 28M "Connstellation" in 1948. Concurrently, he developed and produced the ''Conn Comet'' plastic mouthpiece to go with the 28M, and later produced the design under his own name as the ''Model 88''. He was an early collaborator wit
Arnold Brilhart
a pioneer in manufacture of molded plastic mouthpieces. Not content with the

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

and ABS plastics and hard rubber stock commonly in use for non-metallic pieces, he optimized an acrylic/synthetic rubber blend for resilience, shape stability, and durability. After 1966 Runyon produced the ''Brilhart'' line of mouthpieces under contract to the H&A Selmer Company, who had acquired rights to the brand. He also continued to develop and produce mouthpieces for saxophone players who wanted something suitable for playing alongside loud, amplified instruments. From this period came the Runyon ''Custom'' model mouthpiece, available with a removable "spoiler," or baffle, that altered tonal and dynamic characteristics, the ''Quantum'', and the ''Bionix'', engineered for ease of playing in the altissimo register. During this period he pioneered the use of

Delrin Polyoxymethylene (POM), also known as acetal, polyacetal, and polyformaldehyde, is an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and excellent dimensional stability. As with many other synthetic pol ...

which, due to its high rigidity and machinability, is suitable for dimensional copies of metal mouthpieces (XL and Quantum). Runyon moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1960 and to Lafayette, Louisiana in 1970, opening a manufacturing facility on Lewisburg Road in Opelousas. Starting in 1999, Jody Espina collaborated with Runyon and his production staff to develop the mouthpiece designs and prototypes that would launch the ''Jody Jazz'' line of high-end mouthpieces. After Santy's death in 2003, the Runyon Products Company continued to operate as a family-owned business until it shut down in the late 2010s (around 2019).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runyon, Santy 1907 births 2003 deaths American male saxophonists Musicians from Louisiana American music educators Writers from Louisiana 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American male musicians