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this edition of framework:afield, entitled the world is waiting for the sunrise, has been produced in the united states by john banister. for more of his work see https://johnbanister.me. producer’s notes:
The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
Several years ago I got my hands on a cassette tape collection from the 1980s that included spoken correspondence and interviews among my extended family members. As far as I know, these tapes hadn’t been played much over the years, and while reviewing them, my main interest was in a conversation that my cousin Dave recorded in the spring of 1987 during a visit with his uncle and my grandfather, Ellis Banister.
As it happens, I also came across an old acetate disc at around the same time that these tapes came into my possession. On it, Ellis and his younger sister, Junelle, played piano and sang together, with Ellis doing most of the singing and Junelle the piano and accompaniment. Unfortunately, the disc has no liner notes and there’s no information about the circumstances around its creation or when it was made; my guess would be the 1930s or 40s. Considering the medium—acetate is notoriously fragile compared to vinyl—and how long ago it was recorded, the quality of the recordings is pretty remarkable, something for which I’m very grateful.
As was the case with his siblings, Ellis was a talented musician. One of the more memorable themes that I recall from my own childhood with my grandfather was the enthusiasm with which he sit down at a piano and play and sing; he never passed up an opportunity perform for others, and his strong, tenor voice has stayed with me to this day.
Although a few of his brothers also served in the US military, Ellis spent more time in the service than they did, and in fact devoted most of his life to the Army, a career that began in 1939 when at the age of 20 he joined the National Guard as way to pay for college. Ellis was 22 when he and the rest of the newly minted 45th Infantry Division—nicknamed the Thunderbird Division—were called up for active duty in 1941. Beginning with their 1943 landing at Sicily, Ellis served with the 45th for the remainder of the European Theater and earned the rank of First Lieutenant by April 1945. By the time he retired from the Army in 1961 he had earned the rank of Major, a title that was used frequently and affectionately whenever members of his family and community addressed or spoke about him. After retiring, he taught elementary school for ten years, and passed away in 1988 at the age of 69, less than a year after this interview was conducted.
What Ellis saw and experienced during his time in Europe affected him deeply and profoundly, and it is worth highlighting that there are moments when, in this interview, this stands out strongly. Whether it’s in the form of a passing comment (“You know, you have little things that are tragic, like the burning of those buildings, which I have regretted to this day. But it had to be done.”) or just a brief pause between beats in his telling, it’s clear that even at this late point in Ellis’ life the experiences weighed just as heavily on him as ever; the memories were every bit as complex and present for him as they had been when he originally experienced them.
john banister, 2024.12
[artist / year / info / time]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / Mockingbird Hill
00:00.000-00:54.486 [00:54.486]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Here Comes the Order
00:34.076-00:57.224 [00:23.148]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / We Interrupt this Program
00:57.224-01:50.868 [00:53.644]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / Sweet Hour of Prayer
01:42.366-02:21.780 [00:39.414]
John Banister / 2024 / Narration: Introduction
01:50.868-02:14.727 [00:23.859]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Full Alert
02:47.008-03:31.445 [00:44.437]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Cold in February
03:31.445-05:21.769 [01:50.324]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / Let the Rest of the World Go By
05:08.384-06:31.944 [01:23.560]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Landing in a Storm
06:40.856-08:49.555 [02:08.699]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / That Lucky Old Sun
08:43.554-10:45.423 [02:01.869]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Private to Buck Sergeant
10:40.807-11:40.135 [00:59.328]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Decimation of the Regiment
11:40.135-12:10.446 [00:30.311]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Heavy Weapons Company
12:10.446-13:13.219 [01:02.773]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Calls for Help
13:13.219-14:19.761 [01:06.542]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / No Supply Lines
14:19.761-14:56.113 [00:36.352]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
14:45.190-16:39.064 [01:53.874]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Half a Shave and a Haircut
16:31.651-17:20.413 [00:48.762]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Preparation for Anzio
17:20.413-18:02.518 [00:42.105]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / End Run to Anzio
18:02.518-20:10.231 [02:07.713]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Mussolini Canals
19:23.006-20:10.231 [00:47.225]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Blasted Out of a Brick House
20:10.231-21:24.027 [01:13.796]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / In the Garden
21:08.488-23:18.598 [02:10.110]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Razor Blade Radio
23:12.411-25:27.748 [02:15.337]
Mildred Gillars / 1943 / Axis Sally (1943-05-18) Home Sweet Home Pt 2.1
25:25.202-25:38.588 [00:13.386]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Saved by Antifreeze
25:35.506-27:31.985 [01:56.479]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / No Appreciation for Craftsmanship
27:31.985-29:37.998 [02:06.013]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Tea Time
29:37.998-31:00.351 [01:22.353]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Call Me Sir
31:00.351-33:19.973 [02:19.622]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / New Platoon
33:19.973-36:22.412 [03:02.439]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / The Bulge
36:22.412-38:09.644 [01:47.232]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Crossing the Rhine, Part 2
38:09.644-39:59.763 [01:50.119]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Necessary Regrets
39:59.763-43:46.122 [03:46.359]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Disobedience
43:46.122-46:49.154 [03:03.032]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / But I'm a Major General
46:49.154-48:03.079 [01:13.925]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Liberation
48:03.079-50:17.296 [02:14.217]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
50:37.381-52:30.768 [01:53.387]
Ellis Banister / 1987 / Love in War
50:31.156-55:39.235 [05:08.079]
Ellis Banister / 1941 / Memory Lane
55:25.000-57:00.000 [01:35.000]