Salani, whose African name is Wamkanganise Nagaadza, feels very strongly about the role musical instruments play in honoring our ancestors. The Mbira, which he builds and plays speaks to...
Muriel Anderson sure puts her heart and soul into her music as both a performer and songwriter. Over the years the music products industry has been lucky to be closely associated with Mur...
Cowboy Joe Babcock is a singer and songwriter whose career in country music spans over sixty years. As a vocalist he and Hurshel Wiginton formed a backup studio singing group called The N...
Tim Bales is a hard-swinging brass player and long-time member of the band the Ides of March. His playing career began in the first grade when he was just six years old playing the cornet...
Bobby Bare Sr. began writing songs as a teenager and landed a hit record with the talking blues song "All American Boy" in 1958 when Bobby was just 18 years old. He followed that recordin...
Kyle Barker's journey in the piano retail industry began in 1969, when the esteemed Sherman & Clay Piano Company in Northern California welcomed him aboard. Steeped in a rich musical ...
Carma Lou Beck was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. She opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967, after working for a few ot...
Liz Beloff and her husband, Jim, formed Flea Market Music to promote all things ukulele, and together they have played a big part in the resurgence of the instrument. The company is widel...
John Benedeck sat down at the keyboard during his NAMM interview to demonstrate the riffs and clever tunes he plays as an organist for the Chicago Cubs baseball team! He is proud to have ...
Stephen Bennett provided music lessons in two music stores in the late 1970s while gigging at night. It was the first time he quit his day job, at a department store, to focus on music fu...
Bobby Guitar Bennett was among the pioneering musicians who proved that Fender Stratocaster was the perfect instrument for the blues. Mr. Fender designed his electric guitar for country ...
Cindy Lee Berryhill is the creative singer/songwriter whose twist on Folk Music (with a bit of a Punk Rock edge) has led to several albums and performances around the world. In 1987 Rhino...
Harry Bickel has been passionate about the folk songs and bluegrass music of Kentucky since he was a kid. While in college, he took banjo lessons from J.D. Crowe and learned how to repair...
Lyle Bird grew up in a musical family with his mother playing the piano daily. As a teenager he played trumpet in several swing bands during the big band era including with such leaders a...
Doc Bochenek provided some interesting background on a number of important companies and instruments during his 2020 NAMM Oral History interview. Having worked with Moog Music, Doc was th...
Will Braham’s father gave him a guitar when he was in eighth grade. It is then, as Will puts it, that his career began. He played all throughout school developing his skills and his drive...
Big George Brock knew all about laying his burden down. The blues musician was running his nightclub in 1970 when someone shot up the place to try and hit George. One of the bullets went ...
Ray Brooks grew up playing the blues in juke joints and small clubs all across the United States even before he was of age to drink. He toured with Freddie King and Gene Alison (among ot...
Junior Brown is a performer/inventor who dreamed of a sound to offset his rockabilly and blues styles. He designed a slide guitar and an electric guitar into one unit that did not require...
Derek Brown is best known for playing the style of music known as Beatbox Sax. This way of playing the saxophone incorporates percussive playing techniques that were developed by Derek. H...
Misty Browning loved to watch the smiles on the faces of those in her church as a child when they began to sing. She noticed their mannerisms and expressions completely changed once the m...
Eli Broxham is a versatile, classically trained double bassist whose extensive repertoire spans various genres, playing with bands such as Dallas Ugly and The Arcadian Wild. His father, a...
Jimmy Bruno has had a long and influential career as a jazz guitarist and played with many top performers including Buddy Rich and Joe Beck. Jimmy also wrote several method books for Mel ...
Ben Cauley can be heard on hundreds of Stax Record hits including those with Otis Redding. Ben was a member of Otis's backup band called the Bar-Kays, which originated as the horn sectio...
Kenny Chilton was deeply passionate about the electric organ. While working at a piano and organ retail store in the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s, Kenny was approached by a research...
Thomas Claxton has had some meaningful vocal coaches over the years who have inspired him and taught him important tips, such as how to protect his voice. Lauren Ringwald was his vocal te...
Dwight Clements was working at Sears while playing music at night and on the weekends. While visiting a local store in New Orleans, Mitchell’s Music, Dwight asked the owner if there were...
Wallace Coleman played blues harmonica with the legendary Robert Lockwood Jr. as well as forming his own groups during his long career. His creative style can be heard on live and studio...
Jim Collins was given a Silvertone Guitar by his dad following the Beatle’s appearance on the Ed Sullivan television program, an event he still recounts with enthusiasm. Jim took a day jo...
Charles Connor was a pioneer in the early beat of rock and roll. As a drummer in New Orleans in the early 1950s, he played with Professor Longhair and became the original drummer for Litt...
Roger Cook was born in Bristol, England, and was involved with making music at an early age. He sang in a local Doo Wop group while a teenager, which is when he met his longtime friend an...
Michael Cooney taught music in the public schools in Massachusetts for over 25 years. During the time of his teaching he also established a high-end flute company in the early 1970s calle...
