Oral History - all
Stuart Spector’s creation of the Spector Bass is recognized around the world. As Stuart explained, little has changed in the design of the Spector guitar since it was first created in 1974. Three years later Stuart hired a furniture builder named Ned Steinberger, who designed the famed NS... more
Birth Date: April 13, 1923
Deceased Date: July 4, 2018
Gotthold Meyer became a very successful German wholesaler when he and his wife formed the 'Gotthold Meyer' company, which later on became 'Musik-Meyer'. His visionary thinking led to strong international relationships and partnerships around the world. Gotthold was a key player in the export of... more
Birth Date: November 30, 1932
Deceased Date: September 22, 2021
Bob Moore’s bass can be heard on countless recordings made in Nashville during the 1950s through the 1980s. As a member of studio musicians known as the A Team, Bob played on recordings with everyone from Patsy Cline to Elvis Presley. In the 1960s he had a string of hits with his own band... more
Birth Date: November 30, 1909
Deceased Date: March 14, 2009
Joseph Rashid studied the art of violin-making like few others. His goal was not to mass produce the instrument or even to sell them, but rather to hand-make the instruments based on scientific evidence. When he could not locate data on frequency measurements, he conducted his own studies to... more
Birth Date: October 26, 1930
Deceased Date: December 6, 2010
Zeb Billings opened Billings Pianos in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1956 beginning a long and celebrated career in the music industry. With great success as a retailer, Zeb branched out into publishing when he saw the need to include packets of sheet music in the bench of every piano sold. The idea... more
Birth Date: January 19, 1933
Deceased Date: April 7, 2009
Ernesto Gittli was born in Uruguay and moved to the U.S. as a small boy before he began taking piano lessons. He met his wife, who also taught music, and together they envisioned a music school that would encourage all ages to become music makers. Gittli Music opened in the mid- 1960s with a strong... more
Birth Date: January 19, 1917
Deceased Date: November 25, 2018
Shep Shepherd co-wrote the now classic instrumental “Honky Tonk Part 2” while playing in the Bill Doggett band. The recording became a hit in the late 1950s and helped build a stronger audience for rock instrumentals, which remained popular throughout the mid 1960s. Shep began playing drums and... more
Birth Date: July 23, 1922
Deceased Date: May 11, 2013
George Quinlan was proud of his store outside of Chicago, for which the walls are full of photographs of the children he rented or sold an instrument to, and the fact that he survived hard times such as a store fire. However, George may have been most proud of the fact that his son took over the... more
Birth Date: September 18, 1928
Deceased Date: December 31, 2010
Dick Richardson was working with the Lyons Band Instrument Company in Chicago in the early 1960s when he was given the chance to run the Musser vibraphone division of the company. Dick become president and soon expanded the product line, bring on key endorsers such as Lionel Hampton and Gary... more
Billy Shaw and his wife Donna opened Desert Piano in Palm Springs after working in a series of piano sales jobs, including one at Colton Piano where the couple met. Billy is well known in the industry as a creative salesman and the inventor of the Piano Bar, which was introduced in the 1980s. He... more
Charles McPherson has thoroughly enjoyed his life as a music maker. The jazz saxophonist was strongly influenced by the players of the big band era, such as Johnny Hodges who played in the Duke Ellington orchestra for many years. Charles took what he heard and played his own style during the... more
Birth Date: February 23, 1911
Deceased Date: April 9, 2009
Harry Benson became the president of William Lewis & Son 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-... more
Birth Date: November 30, 1922
Deceased Date: November 4, 2004
Robert Perine was raised in Los Angeles in a very artsy family. At the age of six, his father drew his portrait and asked young Bob to do the same. “It was like magic and from that time on I knew I wanted to be an artist.” After enlisting in the US Navy during World War II, Bob studied at the... more
Birth Date: March 18, 1923
Deceased Date: October 24, 2009
Lee O’Connor was a noted trombone player in the golden era of the big bands. His experience on the radio, traveling from town to town for name and territory bands, reflected the struggles of the Great Depression and the amazing impact music had on people. Lee was hired by Harry James at the most... more
Birth Date: March 16, 1930
Deceased Date: January 7, 2009
Bob Seidman was born a salesman! Bob knew he loved selling before he was a teenager. One of his early jobs was selling women’s undergarments, but soon his attention turned to musical instruments in the early days of rock and roll. He worked for the jobber Lipsky before opening his own wholesale... more
Birth Date: April 10, 1926
Deceased Date: January 15, 2009
Gottfried Möckel recounted the effects World War II had on the German music publishing industry during his NAMM interview. Even after the war, products made by German companies were not selling around the world or even in Europe. He witnessed first hand the changes in Germany over 60 years and was... more
Birth Date: July 6, 1924
Deceased Date: February 14, 2009
Louie Bellson was one of the World's premier drummers and listed in every jazz encyclopedia. Even with great success, he remained humble and was one of the true gentlemen of American popular music. With his noted double bass drum kit, a series of method books, and respected clinics, Louie made a... more
Birth Date: June 13, 1919
Deceased Date: August 9, 2010
Jacob Malta was an innovator in designing handbells and hand chimes. His approach to product development and engineering led to several important advancements in the tonal quality and manufacturing of handbells. His company, MalMark, has been a leader in the industry for over 50 years. Throughout... more
Bill Magee began playing electric blues guitar before it was popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. When he first began playing professionally Bill used a Fender Jazz Master and later played the Telecaster. He has played with a long list of performers including James Brown and a then unknown Jimi... more
Birth Date: August 11, 1942
Deceased Date: February 1, 2008
Bob Luly built the first sound system for the Rolling Stones that they used in the United States. The system was created for the Orange Show in the 1960s and led Bill to build systems for the likes of Three Dog Night and Frank Zappa (whom Bill played electric bass for on stage in the early part of... more