Julian Markson

Julian Markson can tell the history of the piano industry in England because he and his family lived it. His grandfather was a piano tuner who expanded the business in south-east London with a small shop where two of his sons, including Julian’s father, began to work. After World War II, his father, Keith, opened another shop in Camden Town located in the northeast borough of London called Camden, which soon became the piano hub of the country. The business enjoyed great success in the early 1970s with the piano rental program, which at one point included over 1,000 homes in the program. Today, Julian and his cousin Simon run the business. Julian’s NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 2, 2006 at the British Music Fair in Birmingham, England.