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Q David Bowers contributed greatly to the archiving of the music products industry. As an author, he researched and published several books on the early era of mechanical instruments. His 1972 publication, The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments, has become the definitive reference source on the topic. Along the way he also saved an enormous and invaluable collection of vintage trade magazines dating back to the 1880s from being lost. Those materials have since been scanned by the NAMM Resource Center, thanks to Mr.

Rob Cook’s name is very familiar to those interested in vintage drums and the companies who produced them. As an author and publisher Rob has penned a series including “The Slingerland Book,” “The Rogers Drum Book,” and “The Ludwig Book.” Rob also established Rebeat Vintage Drums and the magazine Not So Modern Drummer along with authoring hundreds of articles that have appeared in many of the leading drum publications. Once more, Rob has been a historian at heart and has been a great supporter of this archival project.

George Gruhn is without question one of the top experts of vintage guitars on the planet! George collected guitars before opening the world renowned Gruhn Guitar Shop in Nashville, TN in the early 1970s. Since that time he has authored several historical reference guides and thousands of articles on his vast collection and knowledge including “Acoustic Guitars & Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History” published in 1993.  

Paul Johnson formed one of the early surf bands in Southern California during the golden era of instrumental music. As a guitarist and songwriter, Paul performed and recorded in the days before the Beach Boys, when it was common for an instrumental recording to be on the Top Ten lists. Over the years Paul has written about the surf bands and the many hits that came from that era. He has performed over the years as much to play the music he loves as he does to bring the music to younger generations.
 

Franz Mohr has been the chief concert technician for Steinway and Sons for many decades. During his long and colorful career, Franz has worked on the piano of many of the great pianists of his time, including Horowitz, Cliburn, Serkin and Rubinstein. He has created many techniques for turning and setting up pianos in various concert halls around the world and has even written a book about his long career in music.
 

Vinny Testa has provided the music products industry with more fervent communication, helping to unite and expand the industry. As founder of Music and Sound Retailer, Vinny introduced many of the magazine’s notable features and expanded the venture to include Testa Television and Testa Communications. Vinny is also a record producer who has worked for decades with noted engineer Don Casale.  

Dan Vedda grew up playing music. As an arranger and trumpeter he gained a respected reputation in the Westlake area of Ohio. After working for a music retailer in town he was encouraged by a music teacher friend to open his own store –so he did. Skyline Music--the name comes from his rock band the Skyliners--brought Dan’s great knowledge of music and business together. He focused on the often-forgotten customer of music stores, the music teacher. In 1996 he became a regular columnist for the Music and Sound Retailer.

BR Wexler is the president of Wexler Music Company, the leading manufacturer of symphonic batons. The company also produces a wide range of accessory products. Established by his father, David Wexler, the company pioneered the music store counter catalog and gained great respect for its fair business practices. David Wexler was also a noted educator who wrote often about the business and issues facing the industry. His articles have appeared in Music Merchandise Review, The Music Trades, and the NAMM newsletter.