Michael Udow served as principal percussionist with the Santa Fe Opera from 1968 until his retirement in 2009. His work with Keiko Abe in Japan as part of Summit Brass, Equilibrium and th...
Sam Ulano was the drum teacher, performer, method book author and drum shop owner whose name became synonymous with the world of drumming. During his long and celebrated career, Sam play...
Dante Vater grew up in the family’s drumstick factory just south of Boston. Dante’s great-grandfather started making drumsticks for his music shop (Jack’s Drum Shop) just one year before ...
Ron Vaughn began his career in the music industry as a drummer who was always looking for new gizmos that could produce the sound he sought. After creating a long list of clever products ...
Tony Verderosa was inspired by Bill Bruford's use of electronic percussion units to write new music in real-time. After graduating from the Crane School of Music, Tony began working with ...
Johnny Vidacovich was born in New Orleans and raised by his mother and grandparents. He started playing drums when he was ten years old and would go to night clubs around New Orleans and ...
Rosa Villa is the Lead Supervisor within the drumhead shipping department at Remo Inc. headquarters in Valencia, California Like many of her co-workers, Rosa has been working for the co...
Harvey Vogel was having a difficult time finding and purchasing quality percussion instruments and accessories for his daughter Lauren while she was in high school. He decided to do somet...
Lauren Vogel Weiss was playing in the high school band but struggling to find the accessories she needed. This program gave her and her father, Harvey, an idea. Together they formed Lon...
Chuck Wackerman always enjoyed making music. As a child he took trumpet lessons and later fell in love with jazz. Chuck joined the United States Air National Guard after high school, and ...
Ted Wade was raised in a house full of music! His father played trumpet with several big bands such as Clyde McCoy during the swing era. When Ted was four years old he was playing drums...
This audio only interview was conducted by David Schwartz and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Narada Walden formed Tarpan Studios in San Rafael, California in 1985. Over the yea...
Rob Wallis began playing drums at the age of 10 when he took his Slingerland set (with a Kent silver snare drum) to the local Kiwanis Club for a battle of the bands with The Revised Editi...
Red Dog Weber first encountered a pogo cello at the NAMM Show in the early 1950s and was inspired to create a percussive version for his band. In 1958, he began designing the boom schtick...
Dave Weckl was proudly inducted into the Modern Drummer Magazine's Hall of Fame in 2000. The award was extra meaningful to Dave given the list of previous winner who inspired his playing ...
Steve Weiss loved playing the drums as a small child, but never imagined in a million years that he would have a career in music, let alone a pioneering and successful career in the music...
Paul Wertico grew up in Chicago with a passion for music making. At the age of 15 he landed his first professional gig as a drummer and never set the sticks down. As an award winning musi...
Bill White played drums since he was a child. So when his son approached him to make a snare drum for him after Bill’s retirement, he agreed. Since that time the snares his son played hav...
Chris Whittington is the product engineer at Remo Inc in Valencia, California, a place he has referred to as his home. After all, Chris is a musician who is passionate about playing, who...
Patrick Wilson grew up in a very musical family. His father played piano in his own tenor band that his mother sang in and his sisters also played and sang. Patrick recalls the first inst...
Brad Wittmer and his friend and co-worker Richard Schiemer were given an opportunity to purchase the store they were working in, and they took it! The two met while working for Brighton ...
Dr. Craig Woodson has had an incredible and impactful journey in music, a journey which continues. Earning his Ph.D. from UCLA in music with a specialization in ethnomusicology, music edu...
Roy Wooten fully understands the meaning and need for strong music educational programs in the schools. His passion for music and his successful career as a performer have given him the ...
Roy Wooten fully understands the meaning and need for strong music educational programs in the schools. His passion for music and his successful career as a performer have given him the ...
Lee Worsley and Paul Hagen represent the modern distribution era with their music wholesale business in the United Kingdom—a business formed after the advent of computer technology and th...
Chris Wright recalls hearing the drummer play in the famous British instrumental band, The Shadows. From that moment on all he wanted was a drum kit. His dear dad brought home a used drum...
Masani Yanagisawa’s father formed the Pearl Drum Company in Japan just after World War II. Masani applied his marketing knowledge to assist in the growth and development of the company. W...
Dolores Yeager was the CEO of the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California, which her late husband, Bob, opened in 1959. Bob teamed with Chuck Molinari to establish a store that w...
Tom Yeager’s father opened the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California in 1959, which not only became the location of many family memories but his first job sweeping up. After a ...
Jade Yu has always treated her employees at Tycoon Music like family. She has worked as Managing Director with the company her husband started since the beginning, and is often called the...
Stephen Yu pioneered conga making in Thailand before it was common and popular. He also created a long list of items, beginning with guitars, for a number of other companies. When it was ...
Quincy Yu is a Senior Vice President for Tycoon Music, which his father, Stephen, established in 1984. Quincy has played a vital part in the growth of the markets around the world with a...
