William P. Tryber is first listed as selling pianos and organs in Chicago in 1874.  In 1882 William P. Tryber went into partnership with Frank R. Sweetland forming “Tryber & Sweetland”.  The firm was located at Lake and Peoria Streets, Chicago.  The firm was a successful retailer of several well-known piano brands while manufacturing their successful line of organs under the “Lakeside” brand name.  In 1893 Tryber & Sweetland started building their own pianos under the Lakeside, Tryber and Tryber & Sweetland brand names.

In 1898 the firm was reorganized as “The Lakeside Piano Company” and was incorporated by Frank R. Sweetland, William P. Tryber and J. A. Woodbury.  This same group also incorporated “The Lakeside Organ Company” as a separate entity that same year.   In 1901 “The Sweetland Piano Company” was incorporated by E. Sweetland, F. R. Sweetland, and J. D. Pfieffer.

In 1903, brothers Fayette S. Cable and Hobart M. Cable purchased the Lakeside and Sweetland piano companies.  Both firms were combined and reorganized as “The Fayette S. Cable Piano Company”.  at which time Mr. Tryber went back to building pianos under his own name.  In 1905, Mr. Nelson joined Fayette S. Cable and the firm was reorganized as the now famous Cable-Nelson Piano Company.  The Cable-Nelson Piano Company built pianos under the Lakeside brand name until about 1950.

In 1907, The Tryber Piano Company consolidated with The Lakeside Organ Company and officially incorporated as “Tryber Piano Company” in Chicago.  W. F. Tryber, son of W. P. Tryber, was listed as President.   The firm built pianos under the “Tryber” brand name and player pianos under the “Tryberola” brand name.  The firm also built a line of pianos under the “Buttrell” brand name.

In 1914 Tryber Piano Company relocated all offices and factories to South Bend, Indiana.  That year the firm introduced their first line of baby grand pianos to their product line.  Sadly, the firm continued to be riddled with financial difficulty and The Tryber Piano Company went out of business in 1915.