Jan Pitman is the wife of the late studio musician and member of the Wrecking Crew, Bill Pitman. Jan shed light on the man behind the thousands of records her husband performed on such as...
Summer Pittman began taking piano and voice lessons at Contemporary Music Center when she was seven years old. After studying with many teachers, Summer also started playing guitar. She h...
Ann Pizzoferrato practically grew up in her father's music store. She recalls being surrounded by creative music people such as her father Ralph (who established Center Music in Newingto...
Brittany Platz began her musical journey in Minnesota as a percussionist. One day while in the third grade, her class was treated to a performance by the school’s 6th grade band. The drum...
Joyce Porras was hired to work at Reynald’s Music Store for two weeks in 1946, to help with the Christmas holiday rush. She continued to work for the company until it was sold in the 1980...
Kristy Porter was inspired by her father to pick up the guitar, and this passion ultimately shaped her career. A trip to the Oxnard, California Guitar Center for guitar strings changed he...
Catherine Poruba and Barbara Gard are the only children of former NAMM CEO William Gard (1915-1987). Mr. Gard’s legacy is strongly remembered and archived by the people who worked with hi...
Peggy Powell is near and dear to the NAMM family having participated in many events, especially those with her husband, Specs Powell. Specs was a studio drummer who helped Marty Cohen lau...
Bridgett Powell saw a need in the Live Sound industry to create a list of professional freelancers she could assemble to fit the needs of special events both big and small. In 2019 she la...
Loretta Pritchard is a songwriter and composer who has had several of her works published, including those written for young students. She wrote her first piece when she was four years ol...
Laurie Prosser and her husband Duane worked together at a small piano store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to Washington state in 1955. There the couple opened the first Pros...
Marilyn Puccio and her husband run a true mom and pop music store in Corning, New York. The store was established as Kelly's Music and young Marilyn took piano lessons in the very store ...
Wanda Pugh always enjoyed singing. As a child she sang in church and later formed several vocal groups and ran different chapters of the Sweet Adalines. Her love of music led her to the N...
Cathy Pullin was hired by Ken-tron Mfg., Inc. in 1979 as a secretary. Her duties expanded to direct calls to the company’s customers for both the wire and metal stamping divisions. She be...
Suzi Quatro was six years old when she saw Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show and had what she calls her “lightbulb moment,” knowing that was what she was going to do with her ...
Cindy Quinlan was once introduced at a NAMM meeting as “the boss lady” and the nickname stuck. She met her future husband, George Quinlan Jr., at a NASMD meeting in 1983. She was there on...
Brittany Quiroz grew up surrounded by music, and by four years old, she was already on stage with her mother’s band. They performed locally in New England and at special events, such as a...
Letty Jo Randell formed her own music publishing company, Letting Go Music, after having worked for Screen Gems and a company she formed with her then husband, Denny Randell. She began us...
Karla Redding-Andrew’s father, Otis Redding, committed himself early on in his short career to philanthropy. The soul legend started a camp inviting 600 school students to learn about mus...
Chelsie Reed is the Marketing Coordinator for the store her parents, Cindy and Rand Cook, own and operate. Candyman Strings & Things was formed in 1969 by Matthew Schwartzman and late...
Lynn Reeder did not become actively involved in music until her mid-40’s after receiving a gift certificate for voice lessons from her husband George and son Alex, although an avid listen...
Del Rey lives and breathes musical passion! Since she was a child she had the skills and desire to communicate through music and soon realized her playing brought happiness to others. The...
Delores Rhoads began teaching music in 1939. Seventy years later when she was interviewed by NAMM, she was still teaching. After World War II Delores and her husband opened a small teachi...
Mary Faith Rhoads Lewis grew up on a farm outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, where her mother played the piano and encouraged her children to play an instrument. Mary Faith began playin...
Cindy Richardson-Walker sang backup on hundreds of recordings and sang in live shows with the likes of Garth Brooks, George Jones, Shania Twain, Alabama, and many others. Her understandin...
Tristann Rieck’s first instrument was the song flute, which was an introduction to the band program in grade school, which she joined the very next year. She later took up the alto horn ...
Kate Riessland was born in England in the years following World War II and soon found she had an interest in learning all she could about the German culture. While in Germany, in 1969, s...
Judy Rinehart began working for the Selmer Company in Elkhart, Indiana in the 1970s. Her work at the time was very precise hand work, which changed over the years with the advent of the ...
Marietta Robison was living next door to Sheryl and Tevis Laukat in 1996 when the couple approached her for help with their idea to start an instrument company. With a strong background i...
Kelsea Robson faced a devastating car accident temporarily putting her college education and career aspirations on hold, but her determination and passion for music never wavered. Kelsea ...
Liane Rockley gained a degree in flute performance in New York before moving to Denver, where she taught music at a local music store. The storeowner, Bob Rockley, who would become her fa...
