Canadian Music Industry

Ray Ayotte was born in Millardville Canada where as a youngster he began playing drums for rock bands he formed with schoolmates. Throughout his early playing days Ray made little adjustments to his kit and learned that other players enjoyed the changes and sounds he could make. He dreamed of one day making his own drum set. After working in the music retail business Ray finally had his chance when he created the Ayotte Drum Company. After selling the company he began creating new models for Taye Drums to great success.

Terry Bingley was a leader in the Canadian Music Products Industry for several decades. He began his career when he formed a music retail store before working with Yamaha and, later, serving as the Managing Director of Kawai.  He helped to establish Kawai Canada. In 1984, Terry formed a music wholesaler company, Bingley Distributors, which became a key contributor to the growth of the North America music market.   

George Bishop had the idea of bringing the Canadian music industry together in 1971. With the help of some friends, the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) was established not only to provide an annual trade show but to provide music advocacy throughout the country. George served as the first president of MIAC and ensured that music education was a strong element of MIAC’s focus. George also was a founder of the Canadian Conical for Music Education, which developed meaningful programs and advocacy materials for teacher throughout the country. His working gig was as President of Turner Music, the Canadian branch of Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI).

Roy Fawcett has been very successful thinking outside of the box. Unlike most retailers, Roy has not advertised his products and services in the yellow pages or in the newspaper. In fact, Roy doesn’t even have a sign outside of his store. Roy built his entire business on the recommendation of other customers. The Fawcett Piano and Organ Company located in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, has served churches and schools as well as private homes since the late 1940s. His dedication to customer service may not only be the reason why he is still in business all these years, but also may explain why so many of his customers have become close friends. 

Sol Fleising worked for Erikson’s Musical after earning his business degree and even worked in a small music retail store for a while, but he had a vision to own his own company. During the boom of pro audio and electronic instruments of the 1970s, Sol focused on bringing products to the Canadian market that otherwise may not have been covered by the larger wholesalers at the time. SF Marketing built a strong reputation for service and innovative products, which Sol took great pride in developing and expanding into new or different markets.

Robert Godin grew up in love with woods and handcraftsmanship. He worked along side a luthier long enough to understand he had found his passion. Robert designed and perfected a style of building that produced a unique sounding guitar, special in many ways. He took extra care in selecting the woods for each part of the guitar and in searching for the right bonding agents and binding materials. The trick, he thought, would be to find a way to make the instrument he had created in larger volume. This process resulted in the Godin Guitar, which is revered around the world for innovative designs and quality of sound.
 

Marty Golden is the founder of the Canadian music distribution company JAM Industries. Marty began his career in retail, first working for his father in a pawnshop and later a music store. He began making his own line of guitar amplifiers he named JAM (which is comprised of the first letter of his three children’s names). He soon began distributing his amps and was asked to include a new line of products from a company in Japan called KORG. The rest is history. As the company grew, Marty kept close to his roots, putting the retailer first and focusing on the care of his product line and employees. 

Hugh Goldsmith was hired by the Mason-Risch Piano Company of Canada when he was still a teenager in 1937. Times were difficult during the depression era and into the war years when Hugh enlisted into the Canadian Air Force. After the war he returned to the industry and worked as a traveling sales rep for nearly 30 years as well as a retailer and piano manufacture.

Greg Hornberger served as the president of the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) in the early days of the organization and worked to expand the membership and scope of the annual trade shows. As president of B & J Music he played a vital role in the growth of the Canadian market and the introduction of several key products (too numerous to list in this short bio) from countries such as Japan and China.

Fred Kalisky became enamored with the maracas on his very first trip to Mexico City and realized it was an instrument that could be successful in the Canadian market (his home since relocating from his native Poland after World War II). The same year, 1957, he formed his wholesale business and called it the Efkay Music Group. The company soon expanded following the Beatles boom of the early 1960s with Fred’s sharp idea to import electric guitars from Japan.