Elvis Presley

Mike Battle invented the Echoplex, the pioneering electric effects device, which played a vital role in the early development of the rock and roll sound. The Echoplex was famously used by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips who used the echo effect on several of Elvis Presley’s first recordings (“Blue Moon” and “Mystery Train” showcase this sound beautifully). Over the years Jimmy Page used the Echoplex to create counter rhythms and country icon Chet Atkins recorded a unique slapback using the device. In the 1990s, Mr. Battle developed an echo device based on digital sound and electric mapping called Tubeplex. 

Hal Blaine is perhaps the most recorded drummer from the California recording studios of the 1950s-'70s.  His influential style can be heard on more than 170 number one hit songs and 450 tunes that made the top 40 on the charts during those decades.  His beat can be heard on hundreds of albums by artists ranging from the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley to the Carpenters and Barbra Streisand.  As a creative performer, Hal became one of the early studio players to gain such notoriety that he was asked to endorse drum kits, heads and sticks.  Shorty after the opening of the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA, Hal attended a drum exhibit and spoke to the guests about his long career in music.

Allen Blasco began to smile during his NAMM Oral History interview when he spoke about how his mother and father met at Jenkins Music in Kansas City. His father was in charge of the music publishing department of Jenkins and his mother worked in the retail part of the company. Soon after they met Allen’s father noticed his future wife was a great writer and asked if she would write a song, he had a melody in mind and that song, in 1948, became the song of the year; “My Happiness.” The song has since been recorded by over 700 artists including Ella Fitzgerald and Connie Francis. The song also holds an important role in rock and roll history as it was the very first song Elvis Presley ever recorded to hear how he would sound on record.

Harold Bradley is one of the most recorded guitarists in the history of Nashville. Harold and his brother, the legendary producer, Owen Bradley, created a new feel in country music, a style known today as the “Nashville Sound.” Harold can be heard on classic recordings such as “Crazy” by Patsy Cline and “Little Sister” by Elvis Presley. Advocating music education and playing a strong role in preserving the history of music and its Nashville connection, Harold has been a popular and effective leader as President of the Musicians Union and an author of several important articles on music and music making.  

Herb Brochstein has a million stories about his long and successful career in the industry. One of these stories is about how he developed a new drumstick and formed ProMark, one of the leading innovators in the music industry. Another stories Herb can tell include his years as a drum retailers in the 1950s and how he sold Elvis Presley his own drum kit before anyone even heard of Rock and Roll. The best stories he tells are of those friends he has met along the way. 

James Burton is a legendary guitarist in the world of rock music! In the early days of his career, James played influential licks on such 50’s hits as “Hello Mary Lou” with Ricky Nelson. He later toured with Elvis Presley as well as recording with the King of Rock and Roll for nearly a decade. James can be heard on countless recordings and toured endlessly with the likes of John Denver in the 1980s. In recent years James formed a guitar festival in Louisiana where he has gathered hundreds of guitarists each year to break the record of the most guitar players in one place.
 

Del Casher has an impressive scrapbook full of photographs from his career as a professional guitarist and inventor of music products, such as the early guitar effects called the Echo-Phonic. Among those photos is one of Del testing the Roland mini guitar and even one of Del performing alongside Elvis Presley from the movie Roustabout. Del has played an important role in the early years of the guitar effects innovations including the wah wah and Echo-Phonic products.
 

Gene Chrisman was among the celebrated studio musicians from Tennessee who played on countless recordings and helped shape the Memphis Sound during the 1960s and 70s. Gene’s creative drumming style has been cited by percussionists around the world as an influence on their own careers. Chris was the drummer in the California Recording Studio in Memphis, which produced a string of hits for artists such as Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley. For Elvis, Gene played the drums on “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain” and “In the Ghetto.”  

Jack Costanzo, also known as Mr. Bongo, nearly single-handedly (sorry for the pun) brought the bongo to enormous popularity in the 1950s. Jack recorded top selling albums, appeared on TV and in the movies, and gained a fan following at the height of the “lounge sound,” as it has come to be known. In a few famous TV guest spots during the 1950s, Jack gave bongo lessons to actor Marlon Brando, who became quite good on the instrument. His passion for playing has not dwindled, nor have the calls for him to perform.  

Glenn Derringer is one of the icons of the music products industry. As a small child, Glenn gained national fame as a whiz on the piano and organ. In fact, Elvis Presley opened for Glenn when the soon-to-be crowned King of Rock made his TV debut on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show in 1955. With great vigor and dedication, Glenn went on to carve out a respected reputation, first at Wurlitzer and other companies before becoming the president of Hanser Holdings and BC Rich Guitars.