Carl Thacker was a teenager when he began repairing band instruments. In fact he was a Charter Member of NAPBIRT and attended the first annual convention before he was 20 years old. Aft...
Craig Schertz worked for Byerly Music in Peoria, Illinois and saw an opportunity to purchased two of the company’s ten locations when his boss and the current owner, Loren Zimmerman, was ...
Andrew Schertz runs Schertz MusiCenteR in Bloomington, Illinois, with this father Randy. Andrew's uncle, Craig, once owned Byerly Music, which had locations throughout Centeral Illinois....
Julie Jurgenson is among the pioneering women in the band instrument repair side of the music industry. She was trained at Red Wing and worked for a couple of shops before opening her ow...
Joe Butkevicius became a flute specialist as an instrument repairman. Over the years Joe worked in music retail, for Pearl Flutes and now is employed by KHS. Joe has also been very activ...
Deacon John Moore has been a noted studio musician in New Orleans for decades. His performance and recordings have not only represented the New Orleans Sound over the years, he has helpe...
Dale Krevens has been involved with Tech 21 since before its inception. In fact, Dale was instrumental in urging Andrew Barta to start his own business (when he was originally only lookin...
Tony Levin is one of the most prolific bassists in history having recorded as a session player with numerous groups including Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Yes, regular gigs with groups in...
Peter Stroud is probably best known for his work as guitarist with Sheryl Crow. While that gig may have helped Peter come to greater recognition, he first developed his love of gear while...
Nancy Vernon and her husband, Gene Monnig, own and operate Cadenza Music in St. Paul, Minnesota. Nancy is very active with the music teachers in and around the area and works hard to bui...
Gene Monnig is the owner of Cadenza Music in St. Paul, Minnesota. The store is an important place for music teachers in and around the Twin Cities as Cadenza keeps close tabs on the meth...
Francois Kloc earned a degree in oboe and bassoon performance at the Beauvais Music Conservatory, which became a foundation for his deep and passionate exploration of these musical instru...
Philip Leader is a freelance content programmer for electronic musical instruments, with a background in piano, organ and keyboard sales, following in the footsteps of his dad Alec Leader...
Bruce Johnson began his career in the music industry working in the accounting department for Wurlitzer in DeKalb, Illinois. While on the job he began outlining a computer program that c...
Sue Collier-Lewis played piano as a young girl and loved singing, a passion that has continued with her all throughout her career as a music teacher and music advocate. After earning her...
Yoko Leader learned to play as a student of the Yamaha Electone school but later graduated from university with a major in Mathematics. When Yoko was picked up from graduation by Matsushi...
Jerome Perrod was appointed the CEO of the Buffet Group in 2014, an opportunity he was both honored and excited about. Given his background and interest in management and developing proce...
Giorgio Giannini proudly recalled the beginning of his family’s involvement in the music industry as part of his interview for the NAMM Oral History collection. Mr. Tranquillo Giannini w...
Joe Carducci remembers with a smile sitting in front of his parents black and white television set on a Sunday evening in February when he watched the Beatles storm America on the Ed Sull...
Walter “Wolfman” Washington was a staple on the New Orleans music scene since first picking up a guitar in the 1950s. After some minor corrections on technique and tuning, Wolfman hit the...
Allen Toussaint represented one of the quintessential New Orleans sounds. Toussaint’s compositions and songs seamlessly blend blues, jazz, ragtime, R&B, and funk to create an amalgam ...
Ted Kornblum has a long legacy in the music industry. His grandfather started St. Louis Street Music and his father started Crate amplifiers and Alvarez guitars. Not content to rest on hi...
George Porter Jr. has proven himself to be one of the bedrocks that make up the foundation of the New Orleans music scene. While starting out briefly on guitar, George quickly transitione...
Jaime Valle started out playing top 40 hits, but before long grew tired and was looking for something new when he happened upon jazz. It was a match made in heaven. After studying with Ho...
Duncan Moore moved to San Diego from Iowa in 1977 and quickly established himself as the go to drummer for gigs and sessions. Playing with all the top names in San Diego, including Peter ...
Ernie Vincent played a key role in expanding the role New Orleans played in music on a national and international level. As a songwriter he wrote the funk based songs "Dap Walk" as well a...
Branford Marsalis has a deep passion for music that reflects not only in his playing but his music education as well. Branford attributes his skills as a musician through dedicated practi...
Herb Holt has thoroughly enjoyed his life in music, both as a musician and as a sales rep! In 1968 he formed the Music Marketing Company to represent the Ovation Guitar line in Minnesota...
Tess Taylor is the president of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), which is one of the largest music business networks in the world. Tess formed the assoc...
John Wright Jr. grew up in the piano business. His father and his uncle, Dan Hall, formed the Hall Piano Company in 1958. The store is currently located right on David Drive in Metairie...
