AFM

Spencer Aloisio began working for the Slingerland Drum Company in 1969 and stayed with the company until 1980. During that time he worked on the selling, promoting and marketing of the popular percussion products. Spencer worked his way up from factory employee into the office as sales manager and then as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. The company’s owners changed a few times during that time and Spencer worked hard to keep consistent customer care and dealer relations during that time. Spencer later worked within the band and orchestral segment of the industry before becoming the secretary and treasurer of the Chicago Chapter of the Musicians Union.

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.  

Buddy Collette changed music in more than one way. As a noted reed man, he played jazz along some of the greatest players in history including his boyhood friend, Charlie Mingus. Buddy was instrumental in the birth of the Los Angeles jazz scene. Beginning in the late 1940s, Buddy set out to break the color line within the American musicians’ union, which at the time separated the black performers from the whites within their directories. Thanks to Buddy’s efforts the Los Angeles chapter of the union was among the first to classify all members as equal.

Marv Drucker spent his early career in New York playing for countless gigs as a musical journeyman. He witnessed first hand the changing of musical life in New York as the big bands folded and bebop became the most popular form of jazz. Marv was there to see how these changes affected the working musician, later moving to San Diego where he decided to be a part of the solution. In the late 1960s, Marv decided to help the working musician by being a board member of the union. Over the years Marv worked to provided benefits for union musicians and to encourage venues in the city to hire union members. And he played a ton of great music along the way.
 

Walter Fuller played trumpet for Earl “Fatha” Hines when Earl, a pianist, formed his first big band in 1936. Walter gained fame as trumpet player and singer on several of the band’s hit recordings. During our interview, Walter spoke of working in clubs owned by mobsters, bringing the Chicago style of jazz to San Diego as early as 1947, and his career in the Southern California jazz scene. He was very humble about his significant role in racially integrating the San Diego chapter of the musicians union, stating that he would only join the board if they no longer separated black musicians in the back of their directory, but alphabetized all of their members in one list.  

Max Herman played his first professional music job at the age of 13. He has since enjoyed a stellar music career as the first trumpeter for many of the top name bands of the Swing Era. Most notably, Max was the first trumpet in the Bob Crosby Orchestra. His second career was that of music publisher, forming Fiesta Music and Herman Music. His third career was that of President of the Musicians Union, for which he is credited for many advances of that organization.