Kamau Kenyatta grew up surrounded by a family that had a deep running passion for music, and as a result Kamau was able to get his first clarinet when his grandfather, an electrician by t...
Keith Brawley heads up the global sales for Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, California. The role is a perfect fit for Keith who knows and understands the importance of a quality instrument, h...
Wayne Seppala was playing organ for shoppers at the Montgomery Wards in San Diego before he was a teenager. When the store stopped selling organs, he landed a job at Ozzie’s Music where h...
Cheryl Seppala has given the gift of music to countless students in her organ store over her career. She has never lost that spark in her eye that has encouraged her students to stay with...
Jeff Hamilton is right at home at the drum kit of a big band. While he has had great success and enjoys trios, Jeff considers himself a big band drummer. One key approach to his drumming ...
Jerry Jacobs was born Jerome H. Jacobs in San Jose, California. His father owned a clothing store called The White House, and Jerry, after his service during World War II, followed in his...
Gunnar Nelson and his twin brother, Matthew, formed a rock band in the 1980s that followed the musical traditions of their father, Ricky Nelson, and their grandparents, Ozzie and Harriet....
Matthew Nelson always knew he wanted to be a musician and follow in the footsteps of his famous father and grandparents. Ozzie and Harriet were a famous television couple; however, they f...
Brent Mason can often be found at the NAMM show as he has developed some long-lasting relationships with musical instrument companies during his long career as a studio musician. He grew ...
Brian Berk was hired as the editor for the Music & Sound Retailer trade magazine back in 2005. The magazine, founded by Vinny Testa, was the first in the industry to offer a video e-n...
Don Cusic recalls that in 1964 he was greatly influenced by three musical discoveries: Roger Miller, Hank Williams, and The Beatles! After forming his own band and playing Bluegrass music...
Orval Engling has become an expert on the Ibanez guitar brand, so much so that he helped write a book on the company’s history. Orval began collecting Ibanez guitars in the 1990s and has ...
Richard McDonald has always been driven and inspired by music. Both his father and brother played upright bass and for as long as he can remember, Richard has always been drawn to making ...
Beverly Maxwell and her husband, Marvin, established Mom’s Music in Louisville, Kentucky in the early 1980s. Beverly took care of the books and the business end of the store while her hus...
Marvin Maxwell opened Mom’s Music in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Beverly in 1981. He also designed and developed a line of music themed toilet seats called “Jammin’ Johns,” which w...
Leigh Maples played her ukulele as her sister sang when the two were small and remains an important memory for Leigh. She later played guitar in high school and went on to study music bu...
Pamela Cole played trombone in school and learned firsthand the importance of supportive people in the formative years of a young musician. After graduating from Belmont College in Nashvi...
Vygintas Gasparavičius has passionately worked in the field of arts management for more than twenty years. During his career, he founded and led several companies and organizations, the b...
Orinta Budnikaitė is a Lithuanian musicologist and current general manager of Natų knygynas, the only one sheet music store in Lithuania. Working together with the Lithuanian Government, ...
Mark Maxwell’s love for music retailing goes back as far as he can remember. His parents started Mom’s Music in "Kentuckiana" with stores in Jeffersonville, IN and Louisville, KY. Mark li...
Jeremy McQueary proudly carries on the tradition of Paige’s Music in Indianapolis, Indiana, not only in serving their customers but by serving the industry! The store was opened in 1871 a...
John Conlee was not even a teenager when he joined a barbershop quartet in Versailles, Kentucky where his father ran a tobacco farm. He was often heard singing and playing his guitar and ...
Paul Majeski grew up in the music industry and relates many of the milestones of his own life to what was going on in the music business at the same time. His attention to details has mad...
Harry Bickel has been passionate about the folk songs and bluegrass music of Kentucky since he was a kid. While in college, he took banjo lessons from J.D. Crowe and learned how to repair...
Harry Sparks is the founder of the Famous Old Time Music Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Harry grew up in the folk and bluegrass era of the 1960s and joined a band at a young age. Over the y...
Jeff Radke followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a saxophonist in the big bands. Jeff played sax in school and studied music and business in college. He attended his first NAMM...
Johnny Grabowski was just four years old when he began playing his father’s piano by ear. He took lessons a few years later and in middle school joined the choir. Music has always been a ...
Bob Bailey has a big gig to oversee each year, the annual Sweetwater Sound Gearfest! This is no small task as anyone of his friends on the NAMM staff can tell you, but Bob heads a strong ...
Nick Bowcott is a founding member of the British heavy metal band, Grim Reaper. Nick put the band together in 1979 and by 1985 had gained commercial success namely due to Nick’s guitar sk...
