CMI

Harry Benson became the president of William Lewis & Sons when the company was under the ownership of Chicago Musical Instrument (CMI). Harry’s guiding principles resulted in the expansion of the violin line and the respect of fellow violin makers such as Kurt Glaesel. Harry was also the one-time boss of another industry veteran and strong supporter of this archive collection, Robert S.

Arnold Berlin was a one-time president of Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) and co-founder of Norlin Music Corp. He is also Mr. M.H. Berlin’s son, one of the true icons of the industry. Arnie spoke of how his father got started in the industry as well as how he was able to grow the company into one of the major players within the music products industry. Arnie also spoke of his own career, which began in the late 1950s.

George Bishop has the idea of bringing the Canadian music industry together in 1971. With the help of some friends, the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) was established not only to provide an annual trade show but to provide music advocacy throughout the country. George served as the first president of MIAC and ensured that music education was a strong element of MIAC’s focus. George also was a founder of the Canadian Conical for Music Education, which developed meaningful programs and advocacy materials for teacher throughout the country.

Bruce Bolen has had a long and colorful career in the music industry spanning nearly 50 years and with two of the best-known guitar makers in the world. Mr. M.H. Berlin, the president of Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), first hired Bruce into the industry. At the time, CMI owned Gibson Guitars and Bruce worked in marketing their products. In the 1980s, after Fender was bought from CBS, Bruce was hired to run the artist relations department, which he had also done for a while at Gibson.

Dick Contino had a series of hit recordings and popular television appearances in the 1950s playing his trusty accordion. By the end of that decade, he was hired by M. H. Berlin at Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) to introduce a string of innovative products. It was Dick who first introduced the Cordovox in the mid-60s, thanks to his friendship with Mr. Berlin. Dick appeared at a number of NAMM shows as an endorser and recalled a number of warm memories of the friendships he developed in the industry.

Roger Cox was a pioneering product engineer with Fender Musical Instruments in the 1990s when he brought the Passport system to the market. The project caped a long career with Fender that included working on several landmark projects with many of the icons in the industry. Rodger enjoyed success at a number of companies during his career including CMI (staying on during the Norlin days) and CBS Musical Instruments.

Norm Erickson was hired by the Lowrey Company in 1947. At that time, the company was still producing cement powder mixture. However, Lowrey’s owner had an interest in the electronic organ that was being developed by Laurinz Hammond, so he sought Norm as an engineer.Norm’s designs, in addition to those of his teammates, led to a line of organs just right for the average home.When Chicago Music Instruments (CMI) purchased the Lowrey Company in the late 1950s, Norm was promoted to executive positions in the company.

Robert Johnson served as a sales manager for Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) when the company first acquired the noted violinmakers William Lewis & Sons. As a salesman, he worked closely with Harry Benson, who was also interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program thanks to Robert. William Lewis established a small shop and later expanded it in 1898 to include his son in the business. The company was sold to CMI in the 1960s and was purchased by Selmer in the 1980s. Today the Conn-Selmer Company continues to produce the violins.  

Walt Johnston is best known throughout the industry for his role in introducing the Pearl Drum Company to the United States. After a gig selling band instruments, Walt was hired by CMI to bring the Pearl kits to the American market. His success was based on several elements, not the least of which is Walt’s dedication to his customers. In 1998, he and his wife formed Worldmax USA, a company that provides drum hardware to a number of American companies.
 

Alberto Kniepkamp engineered many of the electronic organs produced by the Lowrey Organ Company in the 1970s and 80s. Alberto took an active role in the development of the MX1 Lowrey Organ, which was introduced at the NAMM Show in 1979. The product was one of many engineered by Alberto, who began work at Chicago Musical Instruments, which owned Lowrey Organs in the 1960s and 70s. The company changed names to Norlin, which continued to fund research and development for the organ products until the company sold its assets in the 1980s.