deceased

A tribute to our members who passed away in 2011.

 David L. Abell formed his piano retail store in Beverly Hills back in the late 1950s.  Since that time he has established one of the finest reputations in our industry.  Noted musicians, industry leaders and movie stars alike have boasted of his quality of service and the fact that most of his deals have been based on a handshake.  David, however, is equally proud of the regular customers who may not be famous but are treated as if they were.  Back in the early 1960s, David L.

Hawley Ades was hired by Irving Berlin in 1932 to assist the legendary American songwriter with musical arrangements.  Hawley stayed with Berlin for five years before being hired by choir master and bandleader Fred Waring.  He joined Mr. Waring at the time the bandleader hoped to launch his own music publishing company, which became Shawnee Press.  Hawley wrote a noted method book on choral conducting and thousands of published arrangements for Shawnee.  In Fact, he worked for Shawnee Press until Mr.

Henry Adler helped define the percussion industry with his music publishing company, drum shop and method books.  His amazing life in music began as a drummer during the big band era.  His many gigs and one nighters gained the attention of a friend who encouraged Henry to open a drum studio and music studio in the heart of New York City.  The Henry Adler Music Store near Time Square was an important resource for drummers, both those playing in town and those traveling.  He established the Henry Adler Publishing Company and released a method book he co-wrote with Buddy Rich on the rudiments of percussion, along with the Latin drummer’s guide and method book he wrote w

 Howard Bailey was the executive account representative for the Freeman Companies, which serviced the NAMM show. Howard became a beloved part of the NAMM family and helped develop many benefits for the trade show attendee as well as the exhibitor. Beginning in 1964, Howard provided detail dimensions and locations of the exhibit space (first in hotel sleeping rooms and later in the great ballroom and convention settings), which provided great benefit to the exhibitor, allowing them to be more precise about the inventory they brought to the show.

AV (Bam) Bamford was a colorful country music producer originally from Cuba. During the mid-1930s, he owned and operated a string of radio stations, mostly in the southern United States. As a promoter of these stations, he often befriended performers who would perform live on the radio or at remote locations such as state fairs. Over the years he was asked to manage a number of musicians, including Hank Williams. In fact, during our interview with Bam, he recounted the final days of the country legend and the last time they saw each other, which was just hours before Williams died.  

Chuck Barnhouse is the third generation to own and operate the C. L. Barnhouse Publishing Company. His grandfather established the firm in 1886 and over the years the company has commissioned a rather impressive list of composers to create band and orchestral music. Among their most noted composers, James Swearingen, Alfred Reed and Frank Mantooth. After outgrowing their facilities in 1987, Chuck oversaw the building of the new headquarters and improved production of all areas of the publishing process.

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. 

Dale Beacock grew up with a love of band music. After college he was hired as a band director and he felt as if his dreams had come true. He worked hard to design methods of teaching that brought out the best in his students, and he always sought ways of improving his bands. Over the years he felt a need for stronger service from his local music stores and thought that other band directors would also benefit from such support. Along with his wife, he opened Beacock Music, which sold musical products, but focused on providing service to their customers. Today, the store is run by his children, who have kept the spirit of his mission as a foundation of their business. 

Robert Beals was just a young man when he first met Chick Evans. The two worked to perfect and promote Mr. Evan’s idea of a synthetic drumhead in the 1950s. Up until that time, drumheads were made from cow skin, which presented several problems. With the skin drumheads, any change in temperature could greatly affect the sound and they would often fade out of tune. Robert became president of the Evan’s Company and oversaw its purchase by the D’Addario Company, which continues to produce the products Bob helped create. Mr. Beals passed away on August 7, 2010.