Mat Donaldson set out to create an encouraging and exciting lesson program when he opened his own shop, Drum World, in 1990. He opened the store, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the idea...
Mike Dorfman was introduced to the industry with his design of a special polish for drums. In 1990, he opened Trick Drums, getting the name from his love of cars and how a super enhanced ...
Jimi (Chopmaster J) Dright was surrounded by music growing up in Berkely, California. Sly Stone lived in his same fourplex, Tower of Power practiced in their garage and music promoter Her...
Rick Drumm inherited his father’s love of music. His father established Ronnie Drumm's House of Music and Rick spent must of his childhood in the store and playing drums with his father’s...
Dusti Dryer was just one year old when she was dubbed the world’s youngest musician. A photograph of her playing the harmonica, or rather holding it, was featured in a magazine and launch...
Karl Dustman, the founder of Dustman and Associates, is one of the country’s foremost experts on drums. Having worked for Ludwig and Gretsch along with others, Karl put his love for drums...
Sheila E sat down for her NAMM Oral History interview to discuss the importance of music and music education, as well as her early musical experiences. She has always believed her earlie...
Eric Ebel is a Senior Project Manager for the Public Affairs and Government Relations department at NAMM. Working throughout the industry before taking a job at NAMM prepared Eric for a m...
Clifton “Fou Fou” Eddie began his career as a big band and jazz drummer but soon discovered he has the skills for the blues and pop music. He has played with the likes of The Dells, Patt...
Gil Ellman grew up in the big band era, loving the sounds of large orchestras. He was motivated to create as many opportunities for students to make music as possible. He studied band ins...
Joan Ellman and her husband, Gil, established Ellman’s Music Center in 1958. Five years later the store moved to Naperville, Illinois, where it is located today. Joan kept the books and i...
Howard Emmons is the owner of The Drum Circuit right on Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo, California. The drum shop is co-owned by his wife and together they have created a great vibe b...
Peter Erskine has played a very visible role within the music industry as a noted drummer, author of method books and in designing several percussive products. He is also a welcomed sight...
Tony Escapa was inspired to play music from his father, fittingly who he was named after. Younger Tony began beating on furniture at an early age and was given drums when he was nine year...
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...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Nick Fatool was a popular drummer during the Big Band Era w...
Wes Faulconer is the founder of Explorers Percussion in Kansas City, Missouri. He formed the store in 1984 with the goal of bringing quality drumming products to students and educators w...
Chico Fernandez was born in Toronto and began playing drums at the age of three. He studied piano at eight and later reconnected with the drums, playing in local bands both on stage and i...
Elliot Fine is best known to percussion students for the method book he wrote with Marvin Dahlgren called 4-Way Coordination, which was first published in 1963. Over the years, he has pub...
Paul Finke played drums since he was just a kid and gravitated towards the music business in 1985 when he was hired at Willis Music. At the time the company had eight locations and workin...
Vic Firth was a classically trained timpanist, playing with a number of highly regarded symphonies around the world. Over the years he developed a few ideas that improved on the way malle...
John Fitzgerald focused on making creative music ever since his education at Cal Arts in the late 1970s. As his career developed, all of his experiences brought John directly to Remo Bel...
Music journalist Robyn Flans has been an effective and passionate promoter of drummers ever since she heard the Beatles (and Ringo in particular) growing up. She took her skills to Modern...
Jesse Flores was the founder of Flores Music stores located in Peoria and Pekin, Illinois. He had the idea of surrounding himself with music when he was a young boy and when the chance ca...
Marcial “Robert” Flores knows world percussion! Starting as an entry-level employee as a young man, Robert has worked his way through nearly every process at Remo Inc.
Jules Follett is the published photographer who established The Sessions as a way of teaching musicians the business side of the Music Business. As a result, she has brought experts toget...
DJ Fontana drove down to Houston in a pink Cadillac with Elvis Presley after being hired as the then unknown singer’s first drummer. They pulled up to Herbie Brodstein’s Drum Shop (Herb w...
Gary Forkum had the idea of setting up a small percussion display in the back closet of Corner Music where he was working. The drum department grew so much that Corner Music owner Larry G...
Claudio Formisano grew up in Naples in a musical family where at a young age his three brothers convinced Claudio to play drums to complete their Beatle-like band! When he was 12 years o...
Ray Fransen was born in New Orleans and began playing drums at an early age. He played professionally full-time for years and taught drum lessons until the birth of his first child. At th...
George Gaber was the noted percussionist with symphonic orchestras who parlayed his performing into an historic role as professor of music at the University of Indiana at Bloomington begi...
Steve Gadd has a long and strong friendship with the music products industry going back to his first visit to a music store as a kid and his long career as a product endorser and NAMM gue...
