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Preserving the history of the music industry.

Chris Tso

Chris Tso is a perfect example of the benefits the music products industry receives when a musician enters it's world. Chris grew up blocks away from the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club in New York, and absorbed the rich history and diverse cultures that were blended into the music around him. He began playing guitar in junior high school and went on to perform in bands, including his own, over the years. He also pursued a career in professional lighting and sound and at an early age established his own production company. Chris lives by the motto “give the people more than the...

Recently Completed

Joan Fox

Joan Fox was just 15 years old when she met her future husband, Maurice. His parents started a music store in South Carolina, Fox Muisc House, in which Joan would work for many years. She...

Ken Donnell

Ken Donnell is often regarded as the foremost authority on close-mic applications for stringed instruments. While he has an extensive background across the music products industry, first ...

Peggy Powell

Peggy Powell is near and dear to the NAMM family having participated in many events, especially those with her husband, Specs Powell. Specs was a studio drummer who helped Marty Cohen lau...

Recent Podcasts

EP.123

EP. 123 - R&B Pioneers Part 2

Continuing on from our last episode, which looked at the early development of Rhythm and Blues, part two focuses on t...
Ep. 122

EP. 122 - R&B Pioneers Part 1

Rhythm and Blues, also known as R&B, is a term applied to several styles of postwar African-American music that b...
EP.121

EP. 121 - Gospel Singers Part 2

Join the Music History Project team as we dive a little deeper into gospel music as told by those interviewed for the...
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EP. 120 - Gospel Singers Part 1

Gospel and Contemporary church music have changed greatly over the last 50 years. One of the key elements of this dev...
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EP. 119 - TM Stevens

Join Suzanne, Alex and Dan as we play and discuss the full NAMM interview with bassist and beloved studio musician TM...
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EP. 118 - Sylvia Massy

While listening to our favorite music, we often overlook the unseen force, creativity and vast knowledge of the recor...

Vignettes

Derek Brown

Derek Brown is best known for playing the style of music known as Beatbox Sax. This way of playing the saxophone incorporates percussive playing techniques that were developed by Derek. H...

Colin Schofield

Colin Schofield recalls the day when he was eleven years old and received the Alice Cooper album “School’s Out.” The record changed his life by providing him with a passion for music, esp...

Steve Wilkerson

Steve Wilkerson was just a young saxophonist when legendary bandleader, Stan Kenton, hired him to join his orchestra in 1975. It was a great experience for Steve, who went on to play in s...

The NAMM Oral History Collection is unique, unlike any other collection in the world. The heart of the Collection is the depth of its narratives that cover innovative creations, the evolution of musical instruments, the ever-changing world of music retail, as well as our collective quest to improve music education around the globe. Oral History participants have come from over 80 different countries, 49 U.S. states and were born between 1896 and 1997. This collection is our journal, our own way of chronicling ourselves and our community—the community we so eagerly embrace at the NAMM shows and so proudly celebrate throughout the year. This library of video interviews, now over 5,000 strong and always growing, contains the story of our industry told by those who helped to shape it and have watched it expand and develop through the years. We hope you find what you're looking for right here, but if you have any questions, please contact us at 760.438.8001 or via e-mail