Gladys Hayes taught choir in school for more than 25 years and was very active in vocal programs throughout her career and after her retirement. Gladys and her husband Morris retired to C...
Hirotaka Kawai was the president of the Kawai Music Corporation in Japan following in the footsteps of his grandfather, the company's founder and his father, who expanded the company afte...
Bob Boss was encouraged to pick up an instrument at a young age by his parents and quickly gravitated toward the guitar when he received his first electric guitar: a Sears Silvertone for ...
Bill Higgins enjoyed the country and hillbilly music he heard growing up. He surrounded himself with music his entire life. In 1965, Bill and his wife Nancy, opened Bill Higgins Music jus...
Don Eubanks made a lot of friends in the music business! His honesty and humor endeared him to many over the years, but perhaps what set Don apart from others was his willingness to try s...
Jimmy (J.M.) Van Eaton was the house drummer for a little recording company in Memphis that began one of the centers of the birth of rock’n’ roll. Sun Records was formed by Sam Philips in...
Rocky Giglio was a pivotal leader in the development and marketing of the jj Babbitt mouthpieces product line. For years, he diligently listened to feedback from customers and professiona...
Alberto Kniepkamp engineered many of the electronic organs produced by the Lowrey Organ Company in the 1970s and 80s. Alberto took an active role in the development of the MX1 Lowrey Orga...
Noel Moore was hired by the B&J wholesale company in Canada in 1951, and served the company for 53 years before his retirement. Noel came to represent the integrity and dedication to ...
Helena Armandula was a shining example of a dedicated volunteer serving at NAMM’s Museum of Making Music. In fact, in 2023, at the time of her interview, Helena was presented the Voluntee...
Martyn How is the Commercial Director or the British string company Rotosound. Martyn and his brother Jason carry on the traditions of their pioneering father who started the guitar and ...
Les McCann began his musical career playing the Sousaphone in school. He later played drums before discovering the piano, which became the vehicle that launched him into the jazz world. H...
Jim Botti always had a passion for music education and in fact taught most of his life. In 1958, after he met Jim Kaplan, the two opened a teaching studio that would grow into a music st...
Tilman Herberger was born in Leipzig to a family of music educators. At an early age, he was interested in electronics as well as music. While attending high school in socialist East Germ...
Frank Ford was beginning to build guitars and mandolins when he met Richard Johnston. The two guitar lovers decided to open a repair shop in Palo Alto, California called Gryphon Stringed...
Rocky Peoples was the saxophonist heard on hit recordings such as “Will We Go Round In Circles” and “Nothing From Nothing” by Billy Preston, as well as his own composition “Driver’s Licen...
Essra Mohawk enjoyed writing songs since she was a little girl! She learned the ability to express the feelings so many of us have about love and happiness using music. Her songs have bee...
Dave Lopez grew up in East Los Angeles and witnessed the explosive evolution of the mobile DJ, beginning in the late 1970s. During high school, Dave was asked to provide the music for a d...
John Cavanaugh and his father bought the Super-Sensitive Musical String Company in 1967 and worked long and hard to bring the products into new and international markets. John created the...
Jim Trimper, Sr. was the president of Denton, Cottier & Daniels, a chain of piano and organ stores in the upstate New York area. The company was formed in 1827 and thus has a long his...
Alan Fox’s father Hugo Fox played in the symphony orchestra in Fort Wayne, Indiana, before being drafted for service in World War I. After the war, he began making reeds and in 1923 joine...
Larry Ramirez had a fascinating career in music! As a trumpet player he landed his dream job designing instruments for many of his childhood heroes! While working for Leblanc, Larry was a...
Laurie Prosser and her husband Duane worked together at a small piano store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to Washington state in 1955. There the couple opened the first Pros...
Willie Hayes was a Chicago blues drummer renowned for his versatile style, making him an ideal fit for a wide range of performers and media. Over the years, he became a prominent figure i...
Stan Morgan became the president of St. Louis Music after Mark Ragin purchased the company from LOUD Technologies in 2008. The new St. Louis Music retained its strong combo products for i...
Lee Berk’s father had a unique approach to teaching music, bringing the passion and fun of music making into the classroom. The Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, was founded with th...
Chris Brooks was proud of the publications he and his partner, Chris Crockarell, created as part of their percussion-focused music publishing company. Since forming Row-Loff in the early ...
Letty Jo Randell formed her own music publishing company, Letting Go Music, after having worked for Screen Gems and a company she formed with her then husband, Denny Randell. She began us...
Carol Buschmann grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where she joined the all female singing group the Chordettes just a year after it was formed in 1947. She stayed with the group until they ...
Dom Famularo was a regular attendee at NAMM Shows and was often found demonstrating products he endorsed or talking about his latest method book or educational DVD. Dom’s passion for musi...
