Doc Alumbaugh

Caller and founder of the Windsor Records (2) label in 1950. A true pioneer in the field of square dance recordings, Doc Alumbaugh was a part of the square dance "explosion" that hit America in the mid and late 1940s. Together with his wife, Winnie, he conducted some of the largest classes in the Southern California area when classes were still a novelty. Doc was one of the first callers to travel and call in States outside his own home area. He identified a need for learning material to provide students so they could practice at home and not forget the steps they learned in class every other week. After retiring from his "day" job in business management, he started Windsor Records in his garage, doing all the production, shipping and selling himself. His initial goal was to provide records to people enrolled in his dance classes, but when other dancers and callers expressed interest in the records he expanded his business. Within two years, Windsor Records had outgrown Alumbaugh's garage and had moved to a rather large building in Temple City that housed its own pressing, printing, processing, and warehousing facilities. Soon, his label became one of the foremost square dance record labels. In addition to hiring excellent session musicians, Windsor introduced the idea of releasing a record with calls on one side and just the instrumental version on the other side. He was a member of the original Southern California Callers Pow Wow and was largely responsible for the formation of the Southern California Callers Association. Doc's life was cut short on January 7, 1964 and Winnie followed him a short while later.