Mick Abrahams was given his first music lessons by his mother who was a piano teacher. When he transitioned to guitar he formed a band with some schoolmates and began writing songs. When ...
David Lindley grew up close to the Folk Music Center in Claremont, California, where he was exposed to stringed instruments from around the world. He also worked for Berry Grassmuek Music...
Greg Mathieson spoke passionately about his career in music during his NAMM Oral History interview. He brought up some very interesting points, such as his views on working on the road vs...
Frederick Swann was one of the most famous organists of the last 50 years due to his many publications, recitals, church performances and his long run on the television program The Hour o...
David Garretson is a special representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents motion picture technicians, artists and allied crafts of the Uni...
Neal Pogue has a special touch when it comes to being a recording engineer. Perhaps his talents and skills can be traced back to childhood when he began playing the drums. He was trained ...
Charles Owens has always believed in the importance of music education; after all, his own career began while attending the University of San Diego. As a result, Charles kept returning to...
Val McCallum has had a long association with Jackson Browne, collaborating on several projects together. They wrote the song “My Cleveland Heart” and toured together. During his NAMM Oral...
Danny Kortchmar formed his first band in the 1960s called The King Bees. The year was 1964 and Danny was already hooked on a career in music. He went on to become one of the most sought a...
Warren Roché met Michael Thomas in the sixth grade where they were studying the trumpet. Both went on to studio careers and together they formed a valve oil company (Roché-Thomas) to make...
Waddy Wachtel is the noted studio musician and songwriter who can be heard on hit records with the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, among others. ...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Louise Tobin was a popular singer during the golden years o...
Joyce Glantz is the proud torch carrier of her brother’s musical legacy! Ronnie Singer (1928-1953) was a pioneer of the electric guitar in jazz combos and big band orchestras during the 1...
Vanessa Mering took a summer job at Alesis while studying at UCLA. That position was her introduction to the music industry for which she has been a vital part of ever since. With a focus...
Augustin Patino is well known within the Harman headquarters in Northridge California as Auggie. The Patino family has roots within the Harman company (and its brands such as JBL) going b...
Floyd Toole recalls that when he was a child his father purchased a large amount of World War II surplus supplies, which contained a generous assortment of electronic gadgets and componen...
Mike McCarthy has a very interesting perspective on the NAMM Show. As the designer and engineer for the Harman booth at the show, Mike knows first-hand the best way to create a booth that...
Becki Barabas has a real heart for helping others, so it should come as no surprise that each of her professional job descriptions throughout her career have always been expanded as soon ...
Sean Olive received a Bachelors in Music from the University of Toronto, and his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Sound Recording from McGill University in Montreal. He was hired as a researc...
Alex Voishvillo is the mastermind behind many of the innovative products at Harman, mostly based on his passion and knowledge for all things related to transducers. Born and educated in R...
Damien Curry had been working for Guitar Center as the Product Marketing Manager for a few years when he began a night and weekend gig composing and recording music for television. Since ...
Bill Klein began his career at Harman on September 17, 1987 and has played a key role in the creation and logistics of the company’s distribution centers around the world. Bill started of...
David Brock is a gifted violin and banjo teacher who provides private lessons at the Folk Music Center in Claremont, California. His long association with the musical instrument store goe...
Ellen Harper Verdries grew up in a music store! Her parents, Dorothy and Charles Chase, formed their first store in Massachusetts before moving to Southern California in 1958. The Folk Mu...
David Millard was a teenager when he first walked into Folk Music Center, his local musical instrument store in Claremont, California. The now iconic retailer was a true mom-and-pop opera...
Henry Barnes is a wonderful example of the type of luthier and repair technician you want working on your musical instruments. With a background in building guitars for Charvel, Grover Ja...
Philip Springer utilized his classical piano training to pen hit songs during a long and celebrated career making music. As a result his tunes often incorporated elements of sophisticatio...
Sylvia Tyson wrote songs that a generation sang, and she also recorded songs by other songwriters which helped define the Folk Music revival of the 1960s. In 1962 she wrote “You Were On M...
T. Bruce Wittet is the widely read drum journalist who began his musical passion playing harmonica. His love for all things music led him to an exciting career playing in the school’s jaz...
Denny Coiro spent over 40 years of his career in the piano industry. As a salesman, Denny worked for several stores over the years and had some wonderful experiences bringing a new instru...
