Ralph Johnson joined Earth, Wind and Fire in 1972. That was an important year for the band as founder Maurice White changed the line-up to include singers Jessica Cleaves and Philip Baile...
Larry "Moogstar" Clemon gained his nickname playing synthesizers for several funk and R&B bands such as the Zapp Band and Cameo. While working with Roger Troutman with the Zapp Band,...
Elvin Bishop was inspired to play the guitar because as an early teen he noticed that the girls at the dance seemed to always hang out with the guitarist! When he discovered the blues, h...
Lenise Bent, as an assistant or chief recording engineer, has been associated with some of the most successful and creative albums in rock history. Her passion for music and her incredib...
John McCarthy has been running a music studio and teaching guitar lessons since the 1990s. After a conversation with his sister, he realized if he recorded and distributed his lessons on ...
Lane Zastrow was playing professionally and even teaching music as a teenager. His main instrument was the accordion! After years on the road, Lane made his way into the print world. I...
Tim Laskey founded the Wyman Piano Company. After a long and successful career with some of the top names in the music industry, such as Wurlitzer and Baldwin, Tim wanted to introduce a ...
David Hall is the sales and marketing Vice President for Pro Active Websites, a company founded by Bill Walzak. David’s passion for his job is evident in the smile and handshake you rece...
Robert Cray walked into his local music store as a kid and dreamed of owning his own Fender Stratocaster. After years of playing the blues, his career took off to the point that Fender ap...
Sheila E sat down for her NAMM Oral History interview to discuss the importance of music and music education, as well as her early musical experiences. She has always believed her earlie...
Bob Knight came into the music industry right after World War II and watched instruments slowly make their way back into the music stores. He was hired by CG Conn and enrolled in their b...
Anthony J. Cirone, the percussionist, author, composer and educator, stresses the importance of creating a strong work ethic to his students in hopes that it will prove an invaluable trai...
Bill Hollingshead enjoyed a long and successful career as a concert and live events booking agent as well as a director and producer for many years. He worked for Knott's Berry Farm in S...
Ray Edenton played guitar on hundreds of recordings as part of the famed Nashville studio band known as the A Team. He grew up in a musical family with his grandfather playing fiddle an...
Dave Coontz is a regular sight at NAMM Shows each year behind the counter within the Shubb booth and as it turns out, he played a big part in that company’s success. Rick Shubb was passi...
Lalo Schifrin composed "Mission Impossible" for television and "Dirty Harry" for the movies (among others) and yet what seems to have brought him the most personal joy was his work and fr...
Patricia Maultra was the first employee hired by Learning Unlimited by its three founders, which included Keith Mardak. Keith went on to become Chairman of Hal Leonard Publishing and all...
Troy Zeigler has a long association with McCabe's Guitar Shop even though he is a professional drummer. His passion for musical instruments is not limited to the drums and as a result, T...
John D. Loudermilk wrote several songs that became the biggest hit recording for the artist who performed the songs. This includes artists Sue Thompson (Sad Movies Make Me Cry) and Geor...
Ledward Kaapana grew up in Hawaii with his twin brother, surrounded by musical passion. His parents, grandparents and several aunts and uncles played and sang, and Ledward can recall his...
Nancy Felixson remembers attending concerts at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica in the early 1970s. The store has a wonderful reputation for selling great instruments and gear as well...
Jeff Greenberg is the owner and CEO of The Village, a World famous recording studio located in West Los Angeles. Hundreds of bestselling albums have been recorded in the studio, many of w...
Ray Stevens loves to tell the stories about how some of his hit records came about such as "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak." Equally interesting are the stories of how he came ...
Kevin Hedley proudly recalled the inspiration behind the name of his store, Uncle Ike's Music, which he opened with his brother, Art, in Iowa. Both were encouraged in music and in busines...
Art Hedley and his brother, Kevin, caught the music bug at the time of the British Invasion of the 1960s. They both played in bands and enjoyed witnessing the role music made in bringing...
Connie Smith is the Vice President of Ward-Brodt Music in Madison, Wisconsin. She grew up in music and enjoyed playing music as a young girl, going on to study music in college. While in...
Albert Lee recalls the dreams he had while visiting a local music store as a young boy in England. The day he owned a guitar was the first step in making those dreams come true! His imp...
J. Aaron Brown headed up Word Publishing in Nashville between 1970 and 1980. Before that time he had worked with several musicals acts, including the Oak Ridge Boys. As a songwriter hims...
Michael Houser is the Chief Executive Officer for Cascio Interstate Music, which serves both as a brick and mortar store in New Berlin, Wisconsin as well as an internet store.
Patricia Maultra was the first employee hired by Learning Unlimited by its three founders, which included Keith Mardak. Keith went on to become Chairman of Hal Leonard Publishing and all...
