Wurlitzer

 Scott Anderson was among the renowned sales representatives at Wurlitzer during the iconic company’s heyday.  When Wurlitzer “meant music to millions” (to use their famous slogan) Scott had established long-lasting relationships with many of the top selling dealers for the company.  1954 was the first of 34 years with the company and since that time Scott remains one of the most respected and known reps in the industry.  In 2003, Scott teamed with several other former Wurlitzer employees

Richard Bennett served many roles during his long career in music, perhaps most notably as the sales rep for Wurlitzer towards the end of the 1960s. His involvement in retail and his philosophy on customer service have had a lasting effect on his success and the success of the dealers he would call on. This point has been proven time and time again as we have interviewed others in the industry who have remarked on Dick’s care for the retailer. His first job after serving in the Navy during World War II was as a band director.

Dick Carlson spoke in a soft and sincere tone when he described the family feeling working at Wurlitzer in DeKalb, Illinois. Dick joined the company that proclaimed “Wurlitzer Means Music to Millions” as a sales representative in 1955. He traveled to music retail stores to fulfill their products needs. “Where ever I went, I always felt I had the backing of the people in the office. Those employees were just like my brothers and sisters, just like my children. I cared for them and they cared for me. It was easy selling a product when you had this way of thinking.” Dick currently works for the Schmitt Music Store in Omaha, Nebraska.
 

Larry Fresch has worked by day as a sales manager for piano and organ companies and by night as an accomplished saxophone player and singer in Southern California. He grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, where his father had a music retail store. Young Larry began playing the accordion before switching to the saxophone at the age of ten. He enlisted in the United States Navy and attended the Navy Music School in Washington, DC. Larry performed on many Goodwill Tours including those for wounded soldiers returning home from Vietnam.

Gene Gray was a sales rep for the mighty Wurlitzer Company from 1965 until 1988. During his NAMM interview, Gene spoke first hand of the great family feelings many had while working for the DeKalb,IL, based manufacturer. Gene played in his high school marching band and had music a part of his life in college where he studied economics and began working in sales. After several years in a music retail store and in other industries Gene started his long association with Wurlitzer.  

Gary Grimes played a very vital role in the early part of his career, working in the music education department at Wurlitzer. Gary wrote many of the training programs for Wurlitzer as well as music education materials that were provided to customers. He served as Vice President of Marketing with Wurlitzer, Executive Vice President for the Baldwin Piano Company, President of Lowrey Organs and President of the National Piano Manufacturers Association. Gary enjoyed the piano industry so much that he set off to establish his own retail store.

Frank Huffman was the quintessential traveling music salesman! With charm and always a few good jokes, Frank has made his way across the United States, first for Wurlitzer and then for Baldwin. Standing next to Frank in a smoke-filled bar, one could meet all the other travelers who knew him by name and who shared, as Frank did, their many road stories. With Frank, the decades of hard work, dealer relations, perseverance, and his keen product knowledge, were only second to providing what the customers wanted and needed.

Dan Kobida was first interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program back in 2004 during the Wurlitzer company reunion in Oak Brook, Illinois. Dan was not only a respected former employee of the now defunct company but also a key player in the organization of the reunion, which was as much of a family get-together as ever there was. We were able to sit down with Dan again in 2006 on the 20th anniversary of his own company, Ancott, which publishes sales, trends and changes in the piano business.

Ago (Alan) Koerv joined the Wurlitzer Company in 1960 as Chief Financial Officer after working as a consultant for the instrument maker’s annual reports. Located in the DeKalb headquarters, he oversaw the factory expansion project in the 1970s and took part in the selling of the company’s organ plant a decade later. Alan wrote the annual reports for Wurlitzer from the mid 1950s until his retirement in 1981. He saved an entire collection of the annual reports and donated the archives to the NAMM Resource Center in 2004.  

John Ledwon is a theater organist with a love for the instruments he plays. Since the age of 11 John has been enamored with the sound and design of pipe organs and has become an expert on the workings of both concert and theater organs. Along the way John has also collected a number of instruments to better understand their unique innovations first hand. In recent years he has played the large Wurlitzer organ in the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood following its restoration paid for by the Disney Company.