Bob Kohl was hired by Music & Arts in Maryland just before turning sixteen years old and has been in the industry ever since that time. The store was located in the local mall and he...
Mark Kortschot is a Professor of Engineering at the University of Toronto who was approached by Guy Légère with an interesting idea in 1997. Guy wanted to make a synthetic reed for the cl...
Al Kowalenko oversaw one of the largest growths in the music products industry during the 1980s and 1990s –the Canadian market. As president of MIAC, beginning in 1979, Al fostered the de...
Dale Kroke has been a passionate music maker since he was a kid. He studied music in college and earned a teaching degree before pursuing an advance degree in composition. His first job...
Gerry Labelle’s first musical instrument was the alto saxophone; later the tenor and soprano saxophone remained his main instruments, and he later played C Flute, piccolo & Alto flute...
Lenny Lanteigne has been a passionate musician as long as he can remember. When he had a chance to work in the music industry, he was thrilled. Beginning in the early 1980s, Lenny worke...
Ron Larcombe formed a rock band with his friends while in high school and fell in love with music. He toured the United States and Canada with several tribute bands before deciding he wa...
Jean Larrivee fell in love with the guitar as a young boy growing up in Canada during the folk craze of the 1960s. He imagined a unique sound for an acoustic guitar and set out to create ...
Henry Lee is the youngest son of Tom, the founder of the successful stores in Hong Kong and Canada. Henry interned the business after college and took over the Canadian operation while hi...
John Lee is the eldest son of Tom and Betty Lee, the founders of a chain of music retail stores in Hong Kong and Canada. During John’s first NAMM interview, he spoke of the company’s expa...
Harvey Levy is the bow-tie wearing spokesman and brother of the founder of Levy – the world’s leading maker of guitar straps. Harvey has become synonymous with creating and designing prod...
Les Lillo grew up in the music industry; his parents founded Lillo's Music in 1963. Les recalls growing up and working in the family business, playing drums in the family band and perfor...
Doreen Lillo and her future husband, Vic, were high school sweethearts. They were both very talented musicians and decided to start a music school and store after they were married. Lillo...
Corinne Lillo and her siblings Vic Dean, Les and Danielle grew up in the family music business which was founded in 1963 by their parents Doreen and Vic Lillo. Corinne has many fond memor...
Victor Lillo Jr. grew up in the music industry attending his first NAMM when he was 12 years old at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA. Vic reflects on his exposure to music and how a go...
Vic Lillo Sr. and his wife Doreen started a business in 1963, opening Lillo’s School Of Modern Music Ltd, a music school and retail music store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Lillo’s Music...
William Locke worked for the Canadian division of the C.F. Martin & Company going back to the early 1970s. During that same time period, several suppliers came together to form the Mu...
Jack Long co-founded the Long & McQuade music stores in Canada beginning in 1956. At the time, there were few supplier/dealer relations between Canada and the United States. Establish...
Alan Macpherson began his career working for the retailer, The Music Shoppe II in Toronto Canada. As a musician, Alan fell in love with the music industry, getting to talk gear with fell...
Glenn MacRae had an exciting musical career as the saxophonist and singer in a Canadian formed rock band that lived and recorded in England for two years in the mid 1960s. That exciting ...
Jacques Masson was just 15 years old when he began giving drum lessons at a local music store. He has been involved with teaching music ever since. As a player, Jacques was approached by ...
David McAllister grew up in Eastern Canada as a child of the 60s and 70s and a big fan of the music of the era. He studied sales and marketing, getting a job in one of the country’s larg...
Alan Merriam grew up in a home filled with music. His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a fan of the big bands. Alan took piano lessons and studied music in college before b...
Lee Miltimore is the founder of Lee’s Music, a music retail store and repair shop established in 1974 in British Columbia, Canada. After years of offering repairs on instruments and audio...
Mike Miltimore's upbringing in his father's musical instrument repair shop, which evolved into Lee's Music in British Columbia, Canada, laid the foundation for his journey. Mike worked in...
Yvan Miron is from a long line of craftsman, a family trade that he traces back to the mid-1600s. Born in Quebec, Yvan started playing guitar when he headed off to college and after he fi...
Bruce Mitchell is a veteran of the Canadian piano and organ industry dating back to 1966 when he was hired as the Hammond Organ sales rep for Canada. Bruce has since been deeply involved ...
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 ...
Dave Morrison is a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and was able to see the legendary guitarist in Toronto in the late 1960s. Dave’s passion for music was equaled only by his love of audio. When h...
Jim Norris grew up in music. He played a trumpet in grade school and continued playing throughout high school. He later formed a rock and roll band named Sea Dog that gained a good foll...
Dick Papalia witnessed a need for organ and piano owners in his neighborhood to have their instruments serviced in the early years of the home organ boom of the 1960s. As a result, in 196...
Rick Peate recalled the story of how his family’s multi-generational music business began and developed. During his NAMM Oral History interview, Rick talked about his innovative grandfath...
