Russell Palmer’s father was the first employee for Capital Records, working as a record salesman. As a result Russell grew up in a home full of the latest hit songs. Russell followed in h...
Richard O’Donnell was vice president of Yamaha Corporation of America at a very historic time in the company’s growth and development, the 1970s. Richard worked on several projects includ...
Bernhard Mueller has been the manager of International sales for Schott’s Music since 2004, after more than 20 years as the company’s distribution manager. His knowledge and love for musi...
Dominic Milano played an important role in the history of the music products industry as editor of Keyboard magazine beginning in the 1970s and into the 1980s. It was Dominic’s article of...
Frank Mazurco spent 33 years working in the Steinway & Sons piano business, the last stretch as executive vice president. Frank helped lead the company during a time of growth within ...
Bill Mays can balance composing, arranging and piano performance with the best of them. As a young musician in San Diego, he cut his teeth on jazz and went on to become a pioneer in the ...
Bob Malone is one of the leading experts in band and orchestra instruments in the United States. He works as Director of the Ateliers in Los Angeles for Yamaha Corporation of America. Bob...
Becky Lightfoot was one of the first people to earn a degree in music business from the University of Illinois, which she put to good use immediately. Becky began working in the sheet mus...
Gladys Krenek was married to the world-renowned composer Ernst Krenek from 1950 until his passing in 1991. Like many women married to noted artists of that era, Gladys’ own remarkable lif...
Henry Heller recalled with detail his father’s idea of moving the Aeolian Piano Company’s manufacturing plant from New York to Memphis. During the months of the move in the early 1950s, h...
Cynthia Hoover has devoted her career to the history of musical instrument making in America as curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Her love of the subject has resul...
Don Minaglia was working as school music administer in Chicago in the early 1970s when budget cuts threatened the music programs. Heading the team, Don enlisted the help of several music ...
Yasuharu Mano’s grandfather opened a toy business in 1902 in Japan and by 1917 expanded to include a small line of harmonicas. Soon, the harmonica became in high demand and the company ch...
Tsutomu Katoh had many ideas for using electronics to improve the way people make music in their homes. As the founder of KORG, he was able to see his ideas turn into successful musical p...
Kazuo Kashio was president of the Casio Musical Instrument Company during the heyday of electronic keyboard sales. The company produced some innovative products during that time and conti...
Toby Capalbo formed La Habra Music in Southern California back in 1960. Over the years he built up strong relations with local band directors and created a popular lesson program. When ...
Leona Yousling was married to one of the most beloved members of the Wurlitzer Company team of the 1960s and 70s, John Yousling. John created many of the sales training classes, which he ...
Steve West took over his father’s store and went on to become an industry leader who served as president of the NAMM Board. Steve recalls the days as a boy running around West Music as hi...
Rose Wernes Drake traveled with her husband, Ivor, when he became the second salesperson hired for the Winter Piano Company following World War II. He often said the company got two for t...
Dee Vinton was known as Dancin’ Dee around the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music where she was a noted docent since the early 2000’s. Dee was fond of telling her tour groups that h...
Billy Vera spent 40 years waiting for overnight success, which came in the form of his 1985 hit song “At This Moment.” His road to overnight success is a very fascinating story that began...
Russ Turner opened his own organ repair company in the early 1960s in the early days of the home organ boom. He worked with all of the organ dealers in and around the San Francisco Bay Ar...
Larry Taylor joined the rock/blues band Canned Heat in 1967 just before the band’s string of hit recordings. The gig came after nearly 6 years as a recording artist playing both guitar an...
Jay Schreiber is the General Manager for the Band & Orchestral Division of Yamaha Corporation of America. It is a fitting position as the horn player worked for some 12 years as a tra...
Rosemary Rodd is the president of Leo’s Pro Audio in Oakland, California, and a strong supporter of several key music industry advocacy programs designed to encourage music and music maki...
George Roberts is known in the jazz world for his recording of “Stella By Starlight” with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which featured George on bass trombone. He is known among music instru...
Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland Corporation, created more than a successful business with a host of important innovations in electronic musical instruments; he has also paid trib...
Charlotte Jansky and her husband Joe set off to fulfill his long time dream, owning a music store. They opened Allegro Music in Fremont, California, in 1960 much to the delight of Joe who...
Jerry Jackman is proud of the strong ties he has developed by providing choral and orchestral music to the LDS church in his native Utah. As a music publisher, Jerry has focused his effo...
Stuart Isacoff, a pianist and composer, is founding editor of the magazine, Piano Today, Executive Editor of Sheet Music Magazine and the author of the 2000 book Temperament: How Music Be...
