Norm Thompson began his career in the music products industry as a salesman for retailers in Memphis during the 1950s. He worked his way up to a position of buyer for the store O. K. Hauc...
Phil Thompson enjoyed working in the leather company his grandfather formed in Nashville. As a teenager Phil made himself a leather guitar strap in the shop, although the business at the ...
Lyndell Thompson was delighted when her two sons, Phil and James, came to her and her husband with a new idea for their Nashville-based leather company. The year was 1978. Until that poi...
Tom Thompson first heard an organ in a small church as a child and knew at that moment that somehow, someway, that instrument would be a part of his life. He was right! His first job in t...
Dale Thompson joined the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) at the remarkable age of 11, already showcasing his talent on the trumpet. Ironically, Dale would later serve as a dedicate...
Morley Thompson’s financial background was a key element in the expansion of the Baldwin Piano Company during the 1980s. Morley created a credit company and finance programs under the Bal...
Yves Tieche opened a small shop building guitars in 1976, later expanding into a store and becoming a Martin dealer. While attending the 1991 Frankfurt Music Fair, Yves met Armand Zildjia...
Fred Tinker and Rodgers Jenkins formed the Rodger Instrument Company in 1958. The partnership began when their church asked if they would join the team to help purchase an organ. Fred and...
Roberto Tirado began working in the music industry with William Lewis & Son, the famed violin company out of Chicago. After studying building and repairs he was given the opportunity...
Michael Tobias is well known as a gifted and knowledgeable guitar luthier. The Tobias bass, now made by Gibson, has often been praised for its playability and unique sound. Mike is also a...
Tommy Tompkins began working for CG Conn in Elkhart, Indiana right after high school. He worked in a variety of positions within the company before his training and certification on wast...
Zhi Cheng Tong served as the Chairman for Pearl River Pianos in China and was one of its longest-term employees. The company was established in 1956, and he joined the company just two y...
Emmanuel Tonnelier is the General Manager for Vandoren Paris, the world famous reed maker based in France. He works closely with Bernard Van Doren, who is the grandson of the founder. Emm...
Floyd Toole recalls that when he was a child his father purchased a large amount of World War II surplus supplies, which contained a generous assortment of electronic gadgets and componen...
Brad Townsend always had a love for music and remembers growing up with music all around him. He opened a retail music store/lesson studio and also had an extensive career at Fender Music...
Marcellus Trach recalls with a smile the many rules a wood worker had to follow in the C.F. Martin & Company when he was first hired after World War II. He also expressed the pride so...
Bill Tregoe drove over 1,300,000 miles over the 35 years that he was a sales rep for CG Conn and later King Musical Instruments. Along the way he made life long friends with many of the d...
CC Tsai’s father and uncle ran the family business, Marina Guitar Company, in Taiwan. Young CC worked in the factory but decided to form his own company. Team Intl was formed in 1990 and ...
Agness Tsao earned her college degree in banking and always had a love of music, singing in choirs from a young age. After college, she began working for KHS Musical Instruments, which ha...
Gerry Tschetter found his passion for music and technology when he was young. He began his career at the rock-n-roll music shop, Steam Music, in Topeka, Kansas. Later, Tschetter worked wi...
Leng Tshua has played an important role in the piano industry both in the United States and his home country, Singapore. His passion for music began when he was inspired by his aunt playi...
Chuck Turk has been active in the music industry in both manufacturing and in retailing. In fact his experiences have included working with small independent retailers as well as large ch...
Rob Turner’s first instrument was the drums; in fact it was the drums that brought him to establish one of the world’s best-known guitar pickup companies! While on tour in the early 1970s...
Rick Turner was well known for his innovative handcrafted guitars and for pioneering the resurgence of American luthiers in the 1960s and 70s. With an ear for quality sound and an eye for...
Tadashi (Sunny) Umekage is an executive within the Japan Music Industry who has been a strong supporter of NAMM and several of the organization’s programs including the NAMM Oral History ...
Mitsuru Umemura is the eleventh President of the Yamaha Corporation. During his NAMM Oral History interview he provided details about the development of Yamaha beginning in 1887. He likes...
Frank Untermyer studied woodworking and instrument building in Germany before returning to the United States to help form Hamer Guitars with college friends, Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig. T...
Charles Urban knows horns! As the former president of American Plating, he has worked with the top brass instrument makers to perfect the art of plating instruments. Chuck is also very pr...
Mark Ureda was a young engineering student when he dreamed of working for JBL. He had that chance in 1976 for one day (that is a good story), but when that did not work out he joined the...
Joe Ussery was the supply manager for the Baldwin Piano factory in Greenwood, Mississippi when he first joined the company in 1973. He later helped manage the raw materials for Greenwood ...
Arturo Valdez is known around the world as the “guitar repairman to the stars.” With his shop located on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California, Arturo has worked on thousands of guitars, ...
Pete Valentino noticed that band instrument repairmen often had a difficult task in replacing worn pads on flutes and saxophones. He had burned his hands on many occasions and thought tha...
