Oral History - all
Ed Corvo feels that his experiences playing for many weddings and in bars helped him develop several skill sets he uses every day as National Account Manager at The Music People, including his communication and collaboration skills. His background with gear has also been key to his success,... more
Tom Tedesco likes to point out that the music industry and the sports industry have many similarities. Having worked in both, Tom has noticed music and sports people share a special drive and passion that pushes them. He also has noticed each rely on skills such as leadership and team building as... more
Jeremy Hill earned his electrical engineering degree and initially worked on missile guidance and radar tracking systems for the government. With a background and passion for recording equipment and electronics, Jeremy jumped at the opportunity to design synthesizers when he learned of a job... more
Josh Berger has found it very rewarding creating new products with his teammates at The Music People. As Director of Product Development and Marketing, Josh leads the efforts to identify unmet needs of their customers and to try to address them with new accessories and equipment. Since first... more
Geno Mulcahy is your go-to man if you need deep product knowledge on all things pro audio. Around the office at The Music People, where he has worked since 2008, Geno is summoned by saying “ask Google.” Behind that knowledge is a deep passion for the gear and a long and interesting life in music.... more
Toni Fishman has always been fascinated with innovative microphones. Once he began collecting and researching microphones, he discovered some very unique characteristics of the ones he liked the most in terms of clarity and balance. In 1998 he opened Vintage Tones out of his home as a retailer. He... more
Jim Mingo learned much more than he can put into words from his experience in his school's marching band. Jim developed many skills he uses to this day including how to work within a team and how to listen to others. While playing in college he worked for a sound company and later would provide... more
Bill Clark began working for Vater Percussion right when the company was officially established. Alan and Ron Vater’s grandfather, Jack, started making drumsticks for his retail store in 1956 and in 1975 Jack’s son Clarence formed the official company. That is when Alan and Ron, along with their ... more
Dante Vater grew up in the family’s drumstick factory just south of Boston. Dante’s great-grandfather started making drumsticks for his music shop (Jack’s Drum Shop) just one year before Dante’s father, Ron, was born. Ron and his brother, Alan, expanded the business to manufacture sticks and... more
Chad Brandolini began working for Vater Percussion when he was just 17 years old. Back then he pitched in to help in all areas of the factory and production. Soon his skills for marketing developed and Chad played a vital role in Artist Relations for Vater. As new ways to promote and market their... more
Alan Vater’s grandfather, Jack, established a music store in New England and found a need to produce his own brand of drumsticks. Young Alan recalls watching his grandfather hand dip his drumsticks in lacquer, which inspired his father, Clarence, to work on developing a faster process. In 1975 the... more
Tom Field is the founder of TFA (Tom Field Associates) whose team provided lighting for a host of iconic live events such as Woodstock and the Newport Jazz Festival. In addition to the many innovative processes he created that have become standard in pro lighting, Tom has hired a long list of... more
Harold Cohen's name can be heard spoken by Chip Monck during the Woodstock film. After the Sha Na Na performance on Sunday evening and just before Jimi Hendrix appears on stage, Chip says softly in the microphone, "Turn it up Harold." And so Harold turned the controls on the sound system way up to... more
Bill Hanley is known as the Father of Festival Sound and for a very good reason. Beginning in the 1950s Bill and his brother Terry provided sound equipment for outdoor events and as the rock-and-roll era boomed, they found themselves inventing and innovating new ways to address the needs of... more
Terry Hanley formed his own company, Terry Hanley Audio Systems, following the formation of Hanley Sound with his brother Bill. Terry has a keen understanding of the ever-changing technology and always sought to provide state-of-the-art equipment to the events he worked. He helped improve many of... more
Mark Ethier is one of the founders of the innovative pro-audio company, iZotope. In fact, as of the recording of his NAMM Oral History interview in 2021, Mark was the only founding member still with the company. Mark's rich background in classical music was largely based on the support and... more
Steve Dawe grew up surrounded by music! His mother was a piano teacher and he studied the trumpet in college, but ultimately gravitated to the Hammond B3 as his primary instrument on stage. A 25-year career in electronics followed, though his love of music never left him. Motivated to return to... more
Josh Wilbur is a recording engineer who is well-known for his work with heavy metal bands. His passion for music began while he was in high school playing with friends as the drummer in local bands. With an interest for the recording process, Josh moved to New York to work at Soundtrack Studios.... more
Will Eggleston was always interested in how the music he heard on the radio as a kid was recorded. He was fascinated by the process and was determined to learn all he could. When he worked at Dirty Don's PA Palace (Atlanta, GA) in the recording department, he often found himself in the position of... more
Lisa Kaufmann is the Managing Director of the American headquarters of Genelec. The Finnish based company, an innovative loudspeaker and pro audio manufacturer, was founded by Dr. Ilpo Martikainen. Lisa's grandmother was a famous concert pianist and Lisa grew up in a very musical environment. When... more