Most people interested in kazooshave heard the story of how the kazoo was invented by Alabama Vest and made with the help of a German Clockmaker Thaddeus Von Clegg, and introduced at the 1852 Georgia State Fair. 

It is the most often repeated kazoo story, but I have not been able to find any substantiating evidence for it.   Has anyone ever seen an article in a newspaper of that time on it?    Are there are pictures showing what their instrument looked like?  Are there any documents to show that either of these men existed, and if so, that they were involved with the kazoo?  If they were instrumental  in the invention, development, and/or introduction of the kazoo, why did neither of them have a patent on it? 

I have found no patents of any type under either of these names.

 

For the earliest verifiable  history of the kazoo see

http://kazoologist.org/historyPartI_1stkazoo.html

Vest's instrument was supposedly introduced under the name of "The Down South Submarine".  

The first submarine shaped kazoo was patented by George D. Smith in 1902  1902__US700986
If you read the text of the patent, you can see the explanation of the innovations Smith made to the previous kazoos.  They were based on careful thought and experimentation, yet most people, even kazoo enthusiasts have never heard of him.

A list of all known US patents on kazoos and kazoids (kazoo + oid --similar but not the same as) can be found here.
http://kazoologist.org/patents.html

I am writing to you concerning the story
"Kazoo factory keeps on humming--
New York metal company makes musical instruments using original machinery"
By Carolyn Thompson
Associated Press

Published: May 29, 2008 - 12:16 AM

This story includes the statement:
" It began making kazoos in 1916 after its owner was approached about creating a metal version of the wooden instrument that had been around since the 1840s."

I had never heard about "creating a metal version of the wooden instrument that had been around since the 1840s." It it not even on the Original American Kazoo Company website, which has some questionable information of its own.

I am searching for any verifiable facts on kazoos.  I have not previously found any information about wooden (or any other)kazoos in evidence in the 1840s. The first kazoo like instrument patented was patent #194119 issued to Carlo Arpisella on August 14, 1877.
The next, was patent #214010 issued to Simon Seller on April 8, 1879.  This was the first with a separate diaphragm attached to the body somewhat similar to the first instrument called kazoo, which was patent #270543 issued to Warren Herbert Frost on January 9, 1883.

The first submarine style kazoo was patent #700986 issued to its inventor, George D. Smith, on May 27, 1902. This was a metal kazoo of the style currently made by the "Original Kazoo Co." This type of kazoo was manufactured at least 14 years before the 1916 date. http://musicaviva.com/instruments/gallery/display.html?serienr=27583

So, you see, the information in the article does not correspond to the facts I have been able to obtain. I would appreciate any help in finding the source of, and/or verifying, the information published in your article.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Phyllis G. Crecelius
--
AKA motleyjustmotleynothingbutmotley
Association of American Kazoologists
Kazoologist.org

 JP Kalaam?

A while back Wikipedia stated:
 "The kazoo was first brought into the public by a magician named J.P. 
Kalaam. He was "fascinated" by strange instruments and encountered the 
kazoo while in Africa. His kazoos were all made of wood."

I questioned that, saying:

"The only information I can find on J.P. Kalaam is that exact statement. 
It is used over and over. I suspect someone used it, and everyone else 
copied it from that source or one of the parroted statements.
It says "The kazoo was first brought into the public" but it doesn't say when. 
If it doesn't say when that happened, how can you tell it was the first?"

That story has been removed from Wikipedia.