Beth Smith was in her school’s band room when she overheard her director mention getting paid for a job involving music. She inquired and learned there was an opening at the local music s...
Pete Brown is a Principal Software Engineer in Windows at Microsoft and oversees the company’s MIDI 2.0 implementation. He grew up in Massachusetts and was introduced to synthesizers whil...
Matt Axton’s music lineage is undeniable. His father, Hoyt Axton, was a legendary singer-songwriter whose hits include Three Dog Night’s Joy to the World and Never Been to Spain, Steppenw...
Michael Ward is a co-owner and General Manager for San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios, which was opened in 1969 by Wally Heider. It became the home studio for legendary bands that went o...
Chris Marquez working as a sound engineer at San Francisco’s legendary Hyde St. Studios is more than being just a tech-head. Chris is a jack-of-all-trades who must know the many flavors a...
Chris McGrew is the personification of today’s hybrid producer/engineer/artist/businessman. The legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district has several studios a...
Spencer Murray was rewiring his parents' home stereo to make mix tapes as a kid while taking piano and guitar lessons, and later settling on bass in his high school jazz band in the Seatt...
Scott McDowell has always enjoyed the social element of making music. As a student, he played trumpet and sang in the choir. He also fell into computer design at an early age and was des...
Jimi (Chopmaster J) Dright was surrounded by music growing up in Berkely, California. Sly Stone lived in his same fourplex, Tower of Power practiced in their garage and music promoter Her...
Trent Berry and his twin brother have always been musical. They formed bands together starting in junior high school. While in college at Kent State University, Trent played guitar for pu...
Shaunna Hall is the producer of the Dogghouse Studio located in the Hyde Street Studios complex in San Francisco. She loves the space and feels both she and her clients pick up the vibe, ...
Benjamin Wright is the renowned musical arranger and composer whose talents can be heard on landmark recordings by the likes of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and OutKast...
Yvonne Fimbres recalls with a smile the lullabies her mother sang to her as a baby. Music has always played an important role in her life. As she developed her own vocal skills, Yvonne wa...
Benjamin Dudley is the executive director of the non-profit organization Free Guitars 4 Kids. Growing up with a passion for music and the guitar, Benjamin sang and played in his church an...
Christoph Bull is the organ professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His deep passion for music stems from his grandmother’s piano and his early days playing organ i...
Tracy Newman Tracy Newman jumped into the Folk music scene in the early 1960s just as the genre was making its sweep across the country. She was among the early members of the New Christy...
Bryan Galloup somehow convinced his parents to set up a guitar repair shop in their basement back in 1975. Their support encouraged young Bryan to learn all he could about the art of guit...
John Mello is the Manager for Wollmer’s Music and took part in the company’s 100th anniversary during the NAMM Show in 2023. John provided a historic look back at the store, which was est...
Music journalist Robyn Flans has been an effective and passionate promoter of drummers ever since she heard the Beatles (and Ringo in particular) growing up. She took her skills to Modern...
Roy Lamb has witnessed first-hand the many developments in Live Sound during his career. He began as an electrician for the Rolling Stones 1970 European tour and later became the Pro Ligh...
Jason Paul was in middle school when his parents decided to open a music store. Jason recalls painting the walls and the grand opening of the store, Piano Trends in Crystal Lake, Illinois...
George Bunnell was the original bass player for the band Strawberry Alarm Clock. If you were listening to Top 40 radio in 1967, you were certainly hearing #1 hits from The Beatles, The Su...
Raul del Trejo often reflects back on the many lessons his father taught him about music and business. His father was a roadie for many local and traveling bands in Brazil. His motto was ...
Sheldon Dingwall wasn’t yet a teenager when he began machining his own guitar bridges. The process of guitar building has been in his blood ever since, as has his interest in all things m...
Teddy Gordon owns the guitar-focused make’n music stores in the Chicago area. His own journey in music has been an interesting one, beginning with his mother who was a singing clown. Musi...
Mike Smith, the jazz saxophonist who toured with Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, and Frank Sinatra, is also closely associated with the music products industry. Mike plays an important role...
Jim Mack has had a long and successful career in the music and sound industry, which all began while in high school playing guitar and taking a keen interest in the business side of music...
Carle Vickers’ grandmother was a noted soprano and pianist who gave him a great appreciation for classical music as well as piano lessons. He began playing trumpet and saxophone in grade ...
Reggie McBride picked up the phone in 1973 only to hear the voice of Stevie Wonder inviting the young musician to join him at the Record Plant recording studio in New York City. The proje...
Joshua Curlett was enlisted as a stage hand for his church when he was a kid. That experience led him to pay close attention to the inner workings of stages and live performances. While i...
