Mary Ellen Sorci

Mary Ellen Sorci was destined for a life filled with music, growing up in a household where her parents’ love for the craft set the tone. Her mother, a skilled violinist, and her father, a woodwind player and bandleader, instilled in Mary Ellen a deep appreciation for music. By her teenage years, she owned her own Martin guitar and found joy creating her own music. This passion eventually led to the founding of Foggy Mountain Music in 1975, housed in a building her mother owned in Grass Valley, California. Over the years, the store became the heart of the local music scene, a place where aspiring musicians could gather and grow. Mary Ellen worked tirelessly to support the community, advocating for local music school programs and creating a program to train troubled youth, offering them job opportunities within the store. Her connection to the larger music industry, particularly with NAMM, began in the 1980s, and she has many fond memories, including a memorable night spent in a janitor’s closet at the Disneyland Hotel due to a room reservation mix-up. Through it all, Mary Ellen’s passion for music and community has remained her guiding force.