Mike Overlin always wanted to work for Yamaha ever since being introduced to the company’s philosophy and commitment to providing excellent products and services. As an employee for over...
Alan Macpherson began his career working for the retailer, The Music Shoppe II in Toronto Canada. As a musician, Alan fell in love with the music industry, getting to talk gear with fell...
Garth Gilman finished his MBA and through a mutual friend met Tom Sumner who provided a tour of the Yamaha offices in Buena Park. Tom, who at the time was the General Manager of the Pro ...
Roger Eaton recalled with a smile the day he joined the school band as a child. His first impression and the feeling of joy has never left him, which is why he has dedicated his life to ...
Ken Dapron grew up in a very musical family. His parents were members of the pop singing group called The Merry Macs. Music was all around him as a child. Ken played saxophone and drum...
Chuck Berghofer is the answer to such trivia questions as Who played bass on Nancy Sinatra's big hit "These Boots Where Made For Walking" and Who is playing the bass lick for the TV theme...
Steve Gadd has a long and strong friendship with the music products industry going back to his first visit to a music store as a kid and his long career as a product endorser and NAMM gue...
Greg Golden was in the vintage guitar business back in the days when such instruments were referred to as simply “used.” Along with a handful of key dealers across the United States, Greg...
Dave Wintz has always enjoyed designing musical gear, whether it be guitars or pickups. His passion lies with creating a product that will provide any musician with the opportunity to ad...
Grady Gaines jumped onto the piano during a gig with Little Richard and wailed on his saxophone back in the early 1950s. The photograph of that event has become iconic as it represents th...
Rusty Brutsche and two friends formed the famous pro audio rental company Showco with the simple mission to produce good sounding concerts. The goal required the building and maintenance...
Sherry Bird teamed with her future husband, Steve Bird, to open a Steinway dealership in Austin, Texas. Together they also opened a second location in San Antonio. With a strong busines...
Deena Bird began teaching piano while she was still a teenager. She later established her own music school, which for a while was located in the Steinway Gallery of her hometown of San A...
Walter Hutcherson began repairing guitars in the 1950s and was one of the first repairmen to work on Fender Instruments. He opened Walters Music Exchange in Austin, Texas, and soon gained...
Steve Bird joined the piano industry right out of school and established a life-long career that he has thoroughly enjoyed. While working for Sherman Clay, Steve was asked to open up sev...
Herb Remington was the steel guitarist for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboy who built his own line of guitars called Remington Steel. Among his fascinating history: being long time person...
Bluegrass Music blends Irish Folk Music with Appalachia Mountain Music, resulting in a unique American roots style sound. Most historians point to 1948 and the Bill Monroe band as the beg...
Jack Kanstul and his brother, Mark, joined forces with their father Ziggy in 1981 when Kanstul Musical Instruments was established in Anaheim, California. Like his father, Jack had worke...
Gloria Stone was the book-keeper and the office manager for the Record Plant. Her husband, Chris, and Gary Kellgren opened the recording studio in 1968 in New York City. The company exp...
Les McCann began his musical career playing the Sousaphone in school. He later played drums before discovering the piano, which became the vehicle that launched him into the jazz world. H...
Women’s role in the music industry has progressively grown and developed over the years. When the NAMM Oral History program began, many of the women interviewed kept the books of their r...
William Gard (1915-1987) served as the NAMM Executive President for over 35 years, beginning right after World War II. In fact it was Mr. Gard who helped re-open NAMM’s offices, which ha...
Having a very long history, the trumpet dates all the way back to at least 1500 BC. Trumpets were used in the early days as a way to signal battle or hunting. Today they are used in seve...
Danny White is the owner of the famed Sound Techniques Recording Studio, located in the United Kingdom, which began in 1964. The studio had its own sound (based largely on the custom mad...
Charles Mallett is the audio engineer for Jim Gamble and Associates in Lake Tahoe. Since working with Jim, Charles has worked on the DCX products and mixes Front Of House on a Gamble boa...
Sandy DeVito began teaching himself guitar when he was 11 years old. He developed and learned how to play by gigging in the New Jersey and New York metropolitan area. Sandy performed and ...
Peter Kowalczyk found an old Silver Tone Guitar in his attic as a kid that belonged to his father, who encouraged Peter to play. He surrounded himself with music and found a position yea...
Doug LaLonde was a professional musician before being drafted to serve in the US Army during the Korean War. He played percussion in the army and while stationed in San Francisco began h...
Orrin Foslien grew up around music. He started out playing the ukulele, then moved to the banjo and guitar. In high school he began singing in the choir and playing the trombone. Around 1...
