Santa Davis began playing drums as a child in Kingston, where he witnessed the growth and development of Reggae in Jamaica playing alongside Bob Marley. His playing career began when Ska ...
Mike Daws moved to Melbourne from England in 1974 where his brother-in-law, a drummer, introduced him to Billy Hyde. Billy was a well-known drummer who helped his son, Garry, run a succes...
Valerie Day became a pop star in the 1980s when she and her husband formed the band Nu Shooz. Their first big hit, "I Can't Wait" helped define the synth-heavy sound of the era, as well ...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Barrett Deems was the energetic drummer of the big band era...
Sam Denov retired as the percussionist and timpanist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after playing with the group in concerts, on the road and in recordings beginning in 1954. Sam hel...
Lennie DiMuzio was told for years that he ought to write a book about his career and his many stories, so he did! Lennie was the artist relations director for Zildjian Cymbal Company for ...
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...
Jerry Donegan began his career in the music industry in October, 1966, when his brother arranged for him to get a job in the shipping department of the Zildjian Cymbal Company. He found t...
Sorriso dos Santos grew up in Brazil and began playing the drums when he was 16 years old. He has been playing ever since! His nickname in Portuguese is Sorriso, which means smile-- a g...
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...
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...
Val Eddy was a legendary vibraphonist and composer who played a large part in the early acceptance of the vibraphone in classical music and popular recordings. With his trusty 1922 Leedy ...
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...
Preston Epps was the percussionist who had a top 20 hit recording in 1959 entitled "Bongo Rock." The success of the song led to additional recordings and concert tours that forever tied ...
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...
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...
Sandy Feldstein played an important role in the publishing of music and method books on percussion. With a sharp understanding of the publishing business and music education, Sandy has be...
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...
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.
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...
Antoinette Follett is an experienced communications professional in the music industry and founder of Method Marketing, Inc. With her expertise in communications, public relations, and m...
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...
Paul Francis, Quality Manager, fondly recalled the early days of his career at Zildjian and spoke with pride of the history of the company as he has come to learn it. His understanding of...
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...
