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 has 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.

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.

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.

Al Kowalenko has overseen one of the largest growths in the music products industry during the 1980s and 1990s –the Canadian market. As president of MIAC, beginning in 1979, Al fostered the development of the Canadian annual music fair and the relationships between retailers and suppliers. Al has also worked closely with NAMM, the MIA in England and other organizations to create a stronger unified global industry.

Jean Larrivee fell in love with the guitar as a young boy growing up in Canada during the folk craze of the 1960s. He imagined a unique sound for an acoustic guitar and set out to create a handcrafted instrument that would produce that sound. The more guitars Jean created, the more demand he seemed to have to build more guitars. He soon discovered that creating that special sound or even recreating that sound was not as challenging as keeping up with the back log of requests. Jean built a new manufacturing plant in California and worked to tool the machines in a way that production would maintain the quality and craftsmanship his customers came to appreciate.
 

Harvey Levy is the bow-tie wearing spokesman and brother of the founder of Levy – the world’s leading maker of guitar straps. Harvey has become synonymous with creating and designing products, and he has also been a long time supporter of music and music advocacy. Mr. Levy noted, “Making music should be a part of everyone’s lives” during his 2005 interview and has worked hard to support music programs for decades.