In Memoriam

Ella Jenkins earned the title The First Lady of Children's Folk Songs and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to bringing music to children.  She began collecting and writing folk songs as a summer camp counselor, which years later tied nicely with her college studies of child psychology, poetry and music.  During the mid-1950s she began performing at public school programs and assemblies throughout the United States.  Years later she was asked to record for Folkways Records and from those sessions came her best known song, "You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a So

Quincy Jones! How can you write a few sentences to describe Quincy Jones? His long and amazing career in music has produced the soundtrack to many of our own life experiences and his drive to create and innovate has benefited music lovers around the world! It is such an honor to have captured some of his thoughts about music and music-making for our collection and even more of an honor to work with him on educational and advocacy programs! We are grateful to all of those who helped us complete this incredible interview and to Quincy for the music and the inspiration!  

Stan Buswell had owned and operated several businesses when his teenage son, John, took an interest in the drums. Stan decided to open a small shop, which his son helped establish in Pittsburgh, and they called it Drum World. John took a few years to pursue his musical career after school and later returned to the store to partner with his father, forming a strong and lasting partnership. Stan was always in the background of the business but agreed to participate in a NAMM Oral History interview to share his unique perspective on the industry, which he had come to love.

Jerry Hauer grew up in a very musical home. His father was a big band leader with a noted radio show, Michael Hauer and His Band of the Hour! When Michael was off the road with his band, he provided music lessons in the Dayton, Ohio area, where he established Hauer Music in 1937. Jerry joined the store and worked alongside his father and brought his own sons into the business. Jerry also expanded the product line in the late 1950s and early 60s to include pro audio gear and hi-fi equipment. Jerry may very well be the very first rep for Sony in the United States and at one point co

Gabe Ireland joined the Coast Wholesale Company while in high school. After college he continued to work for the company as the rock and roll boom began and the entire industry began to change. He stayed with the company after it was purchased by Kaman Music and worked his way up the corporate ladder. He became the expert on marketing and took great pride in studying the concept, which in many respects, was new to many businesses as a strategy for product sales. Gabe later helped establish KHS America, serving as the company’s first president before his retirement. 

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jack Jones was the son of actors Allan Jones and Irene Hervey. The experience of growing up in Hollywood allowed Jack to explore a number of fields in entertainment. At a young age, he realized he loved to sing, so with the help of his father, Jack began recording demos and in 1959 landed a contract with Capitol Records.

R. Thomas Lockie’s grandfather started a small music store in downtown Los Angeles in the 1920s. The store was later owned and operated by Tom’s father who played “keep the store in business” during the Great Depression. Tom’s father was a movie studio musician who specialized in playing the piano. The relationships he cultivated with other studio musicians resulted in the business he needed to keep the Lockie Store open in those difficult economic times. Just before the war, he went into partnership with a cane grower in France and helped establish the Rico Reed Company, which fo

Graham Blyth began playing music at the age of 4 and studied electrical engineering in college, which led to his final paper on the topic of electronic organs. While writing the paper, Graham visited a local organ company and met friends who helped shape his ideas of having a career in the music industry. Graham built his own mixers, which were used by the Kinks and other bands. As the idea of a company grew from their product creations it was given the name Soundcraft Electronics and grew into a very successful and innovative company for the industry.  

Al Sturchio served the Texas Bandmasters Association for over 25 years as director and also as president. His passion and unbelievable energy has been a large part of the success of the association’s annual meeting and exhibit fair. The yearly program includes sessions and clinics as well as an award program. Al began his career in music as a band director and has taught nearly every educational level since that time. He has also worked for a music retail store and C. Bruno Wholesalers, which has provided him with great insight on matters concerning conference attendees and exhibi

James Goldberg grew up in Washington DC and was a journalism major in college, which led to jobs as a writer for newspapers. He later received his law degree at George Washington University with the hope of getting involved in government affairs. He began working as a lobbyist in the late 1960s for a retail trade association in understanding and explaining the new truth in lending laws. He later became the legislative advisor to NAMM and the music products industry as the founder of Goldberg & Associates with a focus on labor laws and government relations.  

Owen Clayton began playing the double bass while in school. At the time, he had to stand on a box to play, but he didn’t mind at all because he enjoyed the sound of the instrument and it’s role the band. In 1951, when Owen was just 14, he was playing for local dance halls in and around Liverpool, England. Owen began recording with local bands and can be heard on the popular (now historic) Skiffle classic, “The Last Train to San Fernando.” In 1962, he played on the same bill as a new group called the Silver Beatles. Owen was featured in the Syndicate, led by Steve Bennett and a pop

Takeshi Inomata was the noted jazz drummer who, among other things, helped design the first percussive instruments for Yamaha.  His work with Yamaha took place during the early 1960s when the company began providing drum and percussive instruments and accessories.  It was a contribution Takeshi was always proud to take part in and since then has often endorsed for several Yamaha products.  Although he has played and endorsed for many different products, he stayed loyal to the first snare drum he ever played, inspired by his hero Gene Krupa, the Slingerland snare.

Chuck Dadisman grew up on a farm and went to school to become a school music teacher, which he did for five years before moving to Omaha, NE, where he worked in piano and organ retail.  It was at that store that he met one of the mentors in his life, Dick Carlson.  Dick was the road rep for Wurlitzer at the time and took Chuck under his wing.  In fact, Dick helped Chuck land his next job within the industry, which was as Educational Director for Wurlitzer, where he sold piano labs.  He worked in wholesale with Wurlitzer before joining Yamaha in 1982 and stayed with that company un

Hisatake Shibuya took great pride in developing music education opportunities for students wishing to bring music into their lives. By forming music schools in Japan and later opening the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, Hisatake-san has created a model for extended musical education programs. The schools are funded largely by his ESP Guitar Company, which was formed in 1975, and provides instruments and gear around the world. 

John McLaren Sr. served as the president of BBE Sound, which develops pro audio gear. The company purchased G&L Guitars and has been dedicated to keeping the spirit of the founders and their ideas and traditions evident in each guitar. G&L was originally formed by George Fullerton and Leo Fender and has become a successful guitar line around the world. In the early part of his career, John worked for Yamaha, which resulted in strong friendships he continues to this day.

Chip Owen was the product specialist at Fox Bassoons who helped engineer a series of instruments for Fox over the years including the Fox Model 900 Contrabassoon, which was first introduced in 1971. Chip supervised the development of many of the Fox products since that time and has played a key role in the advancement of instrument repair technicians as a result of his long-time involvement with NAPBIRT. In fact, over the years Chip has presented countless sessions at the NAPBIRT annual meetings on a wide range of bassoon-related topics.

Jeff Lee was the president of Resurrection Drums in Hollywood, Florida, a mecca for percussionists for miles around.  Jeff was one of the most passionate members of the music industry you will ever be lucky enough to have met!  After years as a studio drummer, Jeff began teaching at Resurrection Drums beginning in 1989.  By 1998, Jeff took over the store and worked long and hard to bring the best products and care to each of his customers, which is also something he was deeply passionate about! 

Sam Mosley and his friend Bobby Johnson played music together as teenagers in and around their hometown in northern Mississippi.  Together the team formed a successful band and songwriting team that earned them a place in blues history.  They began recording for Sabo Records in the early 1970s and followed their releases with tours in Mississippi and Tennessee.  Among their early hits was “Never Let You Go.”  Other tunes including those Sam recorded on his own, hit the charts over the years such as “Keep the Funk Flowin’, “Rock Me,” “Wazuri” and “Is It Over.”

Gene Kornblum’s father formed the famed St. Louis Music Company, which played a legendary role in the music products industry during most of the 1900s. As President beginning in the 1960s, Gene expanded the company with several important product lines including Ampeg basses and amplifiers. Under his leadership, the territory covered by the company’s sales representatives also expanded. Gene sold the business before his retirement; both events were the end of a vital and important era in the history of the music products industry. 

Walter Hutcherson began repairing guitars in the 1950s and was one of the first repairmen to work on Fender Instruments. He opened Walters Music Exchange in Austin, Texas, and soon gained a reputation for reliable repair with special care and attention to detail (such as removing cat hair from the guitar case). Over the years, he made long-time friends with others in the industry, including Richard Janda and Dan Strait.

Jimmy Gilmer was born in Chicago, but spent his formative years in Amarillo, Texas. As a singer and guitar player, Jimmy gravitated across state line to Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico made famous by the fact that Buddy Holly recorded there. After a fill-in gig with the Fireballs, a band from Raton, New Mexico, Jimmy was asked to join the band. When they began to perform “Sugar Shack” at their live shows Jimmy sent word to Petty that they had a hit on their hands. The song reached #1 in October of 1963 and was called the #1 song of 1963 by Billboard.

Dennis Houlihan played many important roles within the music products industry, all of which have been driven by his passion and love of music and music making. After years as a demonstration artist for Lowrey Organs, Dennis worked with retailers and suppliers alike, building his knowledge of music products in several countries. When he joined Roland Corporation U.S. as CEO and President, it was a perfect fit. His vision led to steady growth and market expansions. Beginning in the 1990s, Dennis also served on the NAMM Board for a decade, culminating in NAMM's first commercial chai

Jack Long co-founded the Long & McQuade music stores in Canada beginning in 1956. At the time, there were few supplier/dealer relations between Canada and the United States. Establishing these relations was something Jack helped to pioneer. He also helped establish his country as a legitimate industry contender, especially as his own store increased in success and in number of store locations. In 2006, on the 50th anniversary of the company’s opening day, Long & McQuade opened their 26th location.  

 John Hornby Skewes was the founder and president of John Hornby Skewes Company Ltd, a noted music wholesaler located in England, which was established in the early 1960s. John was also one of the pioneers of the Music Industry Association in the UK and the British Music Fair.

Bill Hesterman has always been fascinated by the pipe organ. He studied piano and organ as a child, and with the good fortune that one of his teachers was an organist for the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, young Bill was exposed to extravagant organs at a young age. With his technical abilities, he became a serviceman for Rodgers Musical Instrument Company and worked for several local retailers including Daynes Music. When he freelanced as a repairmen, Bill established the Rocky Mountain Organ Company and became a dealer for the Austin Organ brand.

Lyndell Thompson was delighted when her two sons, Phil and James, came to her and her husband with a new idea for their Nashville-based leather company. The year was 1978. Until that point the company had made horse accessories, a market that was slowly decreasing. The boys suggested making leather guitar straps based on the strength of a request from the Martin Guitar Company. Lyndell enjoys working in the shop and handles most of the phone calls and orders.  

John Nady began experimenting with wireless guitar systems as early as 1968, driven by a desire to liberate musicians from the constraints of cables. By 1976, he introduced the Nasty Cordless, a product that, while not the first on the market, boasted groundbreaking features that quickly made it a go-to choice for performers. As artists like Steve Vai and Johnny Cash adopted John's products, his innovations became synonymous with quality and reliability. This success inspired him to expand his offerings beyond wireless guitar systems, venturing into microphones, lighting, and an a

Joe Chambers was inspired by his older brother George to play guitar and write songs. The brothers, Joe, George, Willie and Lester, formed The Chambers Brothers and began singing gospel music. They went on to perform in clubs, folk festivals and large concert venues after adding songs with rock, jazz and funk flavors. Joe and Willie wrote the groups biggest hit, “Time Has Come Today,” which has been featured on television programs and in several movies. Joe wrote several other songs, including “Call Me” and “Dinah” both of which were also recorded by the group in the 1960s.

Ron Rowe served as president of JW Pepper following the tenure of his dear friend Dean Burtch.  The two men were not only incredible business partners, they were close personal friends.  Using the same passion and ethics as Dean, Ron helped grow the business during very trying times including a recession, the early threat of the Internet and changing technology.  Both men also set the tempo for their business and the organizations they both have been active in, most notably the Music Publishers Association (MPA) serving as mentors to many of those they worked with over their caree

Peter Janis played in school orchestra and rock bands growing up as his mother played piano in the home and encouraged him to pursue music.  His first job in the industry was working at Steve's Music store in Canada and he was hooked.  Peter enjoyed the people in the industry and was fascinated by the developing technology and how it related to amplifying instruments for live performance and studio recording.  As the founder of Radial Engineering, Peter brought his fascination with technology together with his skills in marketing to create products that serve a need for musicians.

Jim Progris attended the Berklee College of Music back in 1956 and witnessed firsthand the development of the school’s courses and programs over the years. He returned to the school to teach in 1964 and became Associate Dean in charge of the entire curriculum, which he found very rewarding. Within his own area of study, Jim focused on the art of arranging music. While Dean for Berklee, Jim used the Schillinger System of Musical Composition to great success. In 1968, Jim moved to Miami and began teaching at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He stayed at the scho

Danlee Mitchell was destined to live a life of music. Raised by parents who were both accomplished musicians, he began his music studies at a very early age. His life took a strange and wonderful turn when he attended the University of Illinois in 1959 and met Harry Partch. That began a long and wonderful collaboration that lasted until Partch’s death in 1977. Danlee was caretaker of the famous Partch Instrument Collection and conductor for many of Partch’s works.