Utah

Ruby Beeston was a piano teacher when she suggested that a local piano store carry sheet music. The store offered her space to sell the materials, which led to her opening a small chain of retail shops in the Salt Lake City, UT area. In searching for a store name she and her husband thought about using their own name, Beeston Music, but soon realized there would be spelling and pronunciation problems, so they changed it slightly to Best In Music. Ruby sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 20 years, taking part in their historic weekly radio broadcasts, recordings and special events.
 

Arlette Day and her husband, John, formed Day Murray Music in 1946. The name comes from the young couple’s last name and their hometown of Murray, Utah. They worked closely together and struggled in the years following World War II but persevered based on their commitment to each other, their church and their customers. The shop’s large choral music selection became widely known and used for many Mormon celebrations and community programs throughout the state. Arlette was also the first female on the Murray city council as well as many other community groups and charities. Throughout her long career in music she was very proud of the fact that her son Klint and his wife took over running the music store.
 

Klint Day followed in the footsteps of his mother and father who formed Day Murray Music back in 1946. The store was named for the couple’s last name and the store location, Murray, Utah. Klint grew up in the business and has taken great pride in expanding the company to three stores in the greater Salt Lake City area. The print music dealer has become known for its great selection of choir and organ music. Aside from running the store, Klint has studied organ for over 30 years with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, an important and passionate element of his life in music.
 

Rosanne Day has enjoyed working side by side her husband, Klint, as owners of Day Murray Music, a mostly print music retail store in Utah. Her husband’s parents established the first of their three stores in the years following World War II. Since her involvement years later, Rosanne has been in charge of the bookkeeping and daily operations while also focusing on raising her children. The couple has been strong supporters of the Mormon Church and music programs in the greater Salt Lake City area for over 40 years. 

Skip Daynes is proud of his heritage and the fact that he operates the oldest family- owned music store in the United States. Daynes Music in Salt Lake was also one of the first Steinway Piano dealers west of the Mississippi River. The store remains a vital part of the industry with pioneering music lesson programs and their early development of their Internet web site. 

Maxine Eastman-Jackson met her future husband, Bud, in school when they were 14 years old. The year the married, 1953, they moved to Provo, UT, where Bud worked at Modern Music by day and gave guitar lessons that Maxine would schedule, each night. In 1966 they moved to San Jose to operate the Guitar Showcase and worked very closely with each other. It was at this time that Bud had the idea to form a guitar organization that would include a newsletter. By 1974 that newsletter evolved into the monthly Guitar Player Magazine. Maxine is also the mother of Musician’s Friend founder Robert Eastman. 

Bill Harris is a Utah music retailer so passionate about the business that he often is heard saying, “I hate Sundays because the store is closed.” He began working in music retail when he was in high school and soon after teamed up with two local band directors to open a store in 1953. Within the decade Bill had built up the business enough to buy out his partners. In the meantime his wife and long time partner, Joy, joined the business to work side by side with Bill. For over 50 years their partnership has continued to grow, supporting not only the store and their family but also the community of which they are very proud to be a part. 

Briant Summerhays has been a part of the music industry his entire life. His mother and father opened a music store in Utah in the days following World War II. Earlier, his father, Hy, had been a bandleader and violin player. Briant went to college to study accounting and soon was involved with several businesses. He later opened his own music store some 30 miles south of his parent’s store, but would manage both stores when his father suddenly passed away in 1977. Since that time Briant has been active in creating his own brand of products, serving on the NAMM Board and upgrading his business into the computer age. His love for selling and the business is still as strong as ever.
 

Colleen Summerhays recalled the day in 1940 when she walked into a local music store to inquire about a clerical position. She met the owner, her future husband, Hy Summerhays, who had opened the retail shop just four years earlier. The young couple got married and worked together during the difficult years after World War II when instruments such as piano were very difficult to obtain. Mrs. Summerhays reminisced about her husband traveling to nearby states to buy used pianos, bringing them back to Utah, where the market was beginning to flourish as solders returned home to marry and start their families.
 

Lynn Wheelwright has always been fascinated with the guitar, especially the craft of building the instrument. After performing as a teenager, he developed many of his luthier skills from repairing guitars in his own shop. After befriending Alvino Rey in the 1980s and repairing several of Mr. Rey’s instruments, Lynn began studying the history of vintage guitars. In recent years he has provided lectures and written articles about vintage guitars all the while researching all he can about the history of the guitar.