Library

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Past Presidents

Past Presidents

A gallery of the men who served in the position of NAMM President from NAMM’s creation in 1901 to the present. Note:The title of the position of President was changed to Chairman in 1993.
Comic Book Issues

Comic Book Issues

In 1950 and 1951, AMC, the American Music Conference, founded only 3 years earlier, commissioned the comic book “Daredevil featuring The Little Wise Guys” to publish 2 issues with storylines relating to instruments and music making. The resulting issues were June 1950’s “The Wise Guys and ‘The Busted Guitar’” and June 1951’s“Weazy Does It”. Enjoy a nostalgic trip down vintage comic book lane with AMC and the Music Products Industry’s entertaining endeavor to entice more music makers.


About the Library & Resource Center

Established in 1946 when NAMM was only 45 years old, the NAMM Resource Center provides its Members, the media, academic researchers and the general public with access to historical data about this great industry.

Drawing on more than a century of NAMM research, records and archives, the Resource Center has access to everything from statistical records on retail music products sales to videotaped interviews with more than 1,000 of the people who have shaped this industry's history. The broader scope of the collections is the history of the music products industry. Within that broader scope, materials are categorized into five main subject categories: NAMM History, Manufacturer History, Retail History, Music History (especially as it pertains to instrument and product innovations) and Legacy Collections.

We hope you find what you're looking for right here, but if you have any questions, please contact us at 760.438.8001 or via e-mail at library@namm.org.


Publications

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2012 NAMM Global Report

NAMM's mission is to unify, lead and strengthen the global music products industry and to increase active participation in music making.

You must be signed in AND an ACTIVE NAMM Member to view the NAMM Global Report.

 
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PLAYback Magazine

Previous issues of PLAYback can be viewed in the ARCHIVES section of nxtbook. PLAYback is NAMM's quarterly publication providing Members...

Arne Berg

Arne Berg always thought of himself more as an inventor than an engineer, but nevertheless, his...

Betsy Bullis

Betsy Bullis began singing in church at an early age and fell in love with music and music making....

Preston Epps

Preston Epps is the percussionist who had a top 20 hit recording in 1959 entitled "Bongo Rock...

Paul Graves

Paul Graves began delivering pianos in 1957 up in Minnesota before moving to Alabama where he...

Dave Luce

Dave Luce grew up in a musical home and in fact wrote his doctoral thesis on the analysis of...

Bob Lynch

Bob Lynch is a pioneering independent representative in the era when many manufacturers were slowly...

Barbara Meeks

Barbara Meeks fell in love with music at an early age and played flute all though school and into...

Remembering oral history interviewees who passed away in 2013.

Margie Coyle

Margie Coyle joined several big bands as a singer in the golden age of the swing era. Bandleader Ziggy Coyle...

Johnny Smith

Johnny Smith! What can you say about meeting not only your personal hero but also a hero to...

Ed Shaughnessy

Ed Shaughnessey is best known as the drummer in Doc Severinsen’s band on the “Tonight...

Ray Manzarek

Ray Manzarek founded the iconic rock band The Doors on the beach in Venice in 1965 with his friend...

George Quinlan Sr

George Quinlan is proud of his store outside of Chicago, for...

Wolfe Taninbaum

Wolfe Taninbaum was a leader in the development of synthetic reeds, although he is best known for his...

Vivian Artley

 Vivian Artley’s brother formed the Artley Flute Company in Elkhart,...

2013 RPMDA: Making the Most of Industry Meetings

Industry meetings throughout the year prove to be a wonderful opportunity to not only...

A Generous Donation Enriches NAMM Resource Center's Collection

Arnold Tubis donates rich personal collection of the scientific study of music encompassing more than a century of...

24 More Important Stories Added to the Collection

A road trip that covered five states in the eastern United States provided a wonderful opportunity to gather some...

Talking with Interviewee 2,000!

During the 2013 NAMM Show, we sat down for the 2,000th Oral History Program interview with Tom Schmitt, President/...

Taking a Moment to Remember 10 Years of the Annual Industry Tribute

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the annual NAMM Tribute, a video compilation of friends, co-workers and...

Thank You, You Are the Reason Our Collection Grows

'Tis the season of giving thanks and appreciation! It¹s December and time for our annual e-newsletter in...

The Search to Preserve Industry History

In the case of documenting some of our important industry companies, the process of identifying who to speak...

©2008-2012 NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants