Oral History - all
Leslie Stirm is the owner of the Instrumental Music Center in Tucson, Arizona. Joining the store in 2001, Leslie has helped develop the store’s team, which has a strong focus on customer service and a strong knowledge base on the products and instruments they sell. Leslie is also a strong advocate... more
Joyce Moore has been encouraged by many friends and family members for years to write a book. After her NAMM interview, we concluded the same thing. Joyce was there when Jackie Wilson recorded “Higher and Higher.” She had an onboard tour of the very plane that crashed two months later, killing Otis... more
Sam Moore and his singing partner Dave Prater helped put Stax Records on the map with their string of top hits in the 1960s. Their powerful performances inspired their nicknames of Double Dynamite and The Sultans of Sweat. They began recording together in 1965 and helped redefine soul music of the... more
Denny Mack has been surrounded by music his entire life! His father was a Vaudeville performer and it seems all Denny ever wanted to do was be involved with music. He played drums at sock-hops when he was in school and continued to be in rock trios throughout college. Along the way he developed a... more
Michael Campion has attended the NAMM Show since the late 1970s, first as a wide-eyed musician, then as a retailer and finally as an exhibitor. Tracing his evolving roles at the show mirrors his fascinating career in the music industry. Playing in garage bands led to his involvement with... more
Kelly Wheeler and her husband Dorsey run a music retail business in Idaho with several locations. Dorsey Music was established in 1969 and just three years later Kelly walked through the doors looking to buy a guitar. She soon began working in the store before they were married a few years later.... more
Dorsey Wheeler attributes some of the success of his music store to the training and ongoing support he has received from companies such as Peavey Electronics and Cannonball Musical Instruments. Having a strong relationship with his suppliers has been a key element for his business, as is attending... more
Laurel Summerhays was 11 years old when she received her first paycheck working in her family’s music store. Her parents, Hyrum and Colleen, opened Summerhays Music in 1936 and their family has served the greater Salt Lake City area ever since. After college, she pursued a career in banking but... more
Katelyn Summerhays was 11 years old when she had her first official job in her family’s music store. Her grandparents opened Summeryhays Music in the Salt Lake City area in 1936, and her family has owned and operated the multi-location business ever since. Katelyn started out answering the phones... more
Mark Altekruse, like so many passionate members of the music industry, specifically remembers the lessons he learned from one of his earliest and most influential music instructors. Trombonist Bugs Beddow was a local musician in Detroit who served as a musical mentor to young Mark, who went on to... more
Chris Leonard grew up surrounded by gear! His father served as sound engineer for local events and at church. This exposure ignited a passion in Chris and set his career path in the direction of Live Sound. Among the gigs important to him in his early career were providing sound for the... more
Larry Blank was greatly influenced by attending Broadway musicals with his parents as a kid. As a result he studied drama yet realized he wanted to be a musician. Larry played piano growing up and as a teenager had opportunities to perform for small musical shows. Word soon spread of his abilities... more
Gio Giovanni has a rich background in music, a passion of his since he was a kid. Gio grew up in Detroit, where he studied guitar and became a Hip Hop DJ. He took classes that incorporated music theory into the art of DJing and worked part time as a DJ when he moved to Nashville in 2006. With the... more
Gary Panton grew up in Niagara, New York, and played the drums and vibes in high school. It was there that he started his first band, a jazz trio. In 1970 he was hired by Dick Crino in Dunkirk, New York, to work in his small music store. While Gary started on the sales floor, he soon followed Dick’... more
Russell Scull is the proud son of Bert and Isabell Scull, two widely influential members of the music industry’s family. The Sculls provided accounting services to music stores beginning in the 1950s and are often credited for the growth of their clients over the years. The Scull Groups, as they... more
Lynn Scull is the daughter-in-law of Bert and Isabell Scull, who formed the now historic Scull Groups to serve music retailers throughout the United States. Lynn married the Scull’s son Russell and became part of the family in 1974. She witnessed first-hand the devotion Bert and Isabell had towards... more
Matthew Green grew up in a very musical family. His father plays French Horn and was greatly influential on Matthew's own musical pursuits. At first he played the cello in school then later switched to bass. He studied classical music for some time and found wonderful and inspiring music teachers... more
Marietta Robison was living next door to Sheryl and Tevis Laukat in 1996 when the couple approached her for help with their idea to start an instrument company. With a strong background in accounting, Marietta was intrigued by the idea and from the very beginning of the business, which would become... more
Howard Summers is an instrument designer at Cannonball Musical Instruments, specializing in trumpets. Howard began playing the trumpet in the fourth grade in New Orleans and proudly can still recall his music teacher’s name, Jim Webber. As he developed as a musician, Howard learned to play a wide... more
Julee Laukat is a technician and hand engraver at Cannonball Musical Instruments in Sandy, Utah. Julee is dedicated to her craft, and she is also married to Tevis’ brother. Tevis and his wife Sheryl established the company in 1996 and from nearly the beginning, Julee has pitched in wherever needed... more