Oral History - all
Agostinho Rodrigues, known by his nickname Tico, is the owner of Porto Guitarra which is located in the center of Porto, Portugal. Even though his education focused on being a mechanical engineer, he grew up playing and admiring the guitar. In fact, he was given his first guitar from an uncle when... more
Takashi Yamazaki developed a passion for music at an early age. He played guitar and piano and was encouraged by music teachers, which became an inspiration for him in starting his chain of 50 music schools in Japan. In addition, Yamazaki-San opened a music retail store, which grew into five... more
DJ Ralph M still remembers a Halloween party he attended in 1982, where he was first introduced to hip-hop and break dancing. He was fascinated by the turntable and his dream was to become a Mixmaster on KDAY, a famous Los Angeles radio station. When he was thirteen, he received that opportunity... more
DJ Babu enjoys his journey teaching the artform of turntablism, a term he is credited for coining. Since buying his first set of mismatched turntables when he was seventeen, Babu has accomplished a lot, including wining the ITF World Team DJ battle title, producing one of the most popular battle... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2003. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2002. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2001. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on... more
Vidal de Teresa closed his veterinary clinic in 2000 to pursue his dream of establishing a distribution company specializing in exotic woods. His vision was to supply luthiers of guitars and violins with the finest tone woods in the world. Just eight years later, after establishing an impressive... more
DJ Qbert brought new energy to Hip-Hop as a DJ in the digital world of turntables. Keeping to the traditions of the pioneering DJs who influenced him, Qbert added new flare to the craft of mixing by utilizing cutting edge technology and gear. His first set up included a turntable where the records... more
DJ Quest thought he was going to be a rapper while his cousin would DJ but once he saw the turntable set up at home he was hooked and never looked back. Quest is a founding member of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters/Space Travelers who created one of the first DJ battle records Hamster Breaks.... more
DJ Rhettmatic entered into the hip-hop world as a dancer (popping) and as a graffiti artist but quickly moved over to the DJ side. As a member of The Beat Junkies he won ITF World Team DJ titles in 1997 and 1998 as well as DMC West Coast champion in 1996. He was featured in the cult classic... more
Salvador Urbina is proud of his family’s history and legacy in the music industry of Guatemala. His grandfather was an audio technician and saw the need for quality gear as well as repairs. He opened a small audio equipment store in 1957 and soon carried Shure and Audio Techinca. Following in his... more
Jodi Siegel grew up in a musical family and developed a passion for music at a young age. Jodi started playing the ukulele because of its size but quickly moved onto the guitar. A big influence for her was Duane Allman, whom she would try to figure out how to replicate the sound of without... more
DJ Arabian Prince had to get creative with his overprotective mother. He figured out that by utilizing his new interest in DJing he could be the first at a party and the last to leave while his mother would drive him around and be able to keep an eye on him. As he DJ’d at dances and skating rinks... more
DJ Keith Shocklee was first introduced to DJing at a local Long Island youth center in the 1970s. He soon started performing at other youth centers in the area as well as house parties, living up to the program’s goal of keeping kids off the street. As his career developed, he began working with... more
DJ Aladdin’s musical career began in the late 1970s with a wooden turntable from his uncle and another from his aunt as well as a mixer from Radio Shack. He watched as Hip-Hop exploded in New York and wanted to bring his own unique sounds to his audiences in his neighborhood of Compton, near Los... more
DJ Chris The Glove remembers when he was a kid listening to Grandmaster Flash’s The Wheels of Steel on repeat trying to figure out what he was hearing and how he could replicate that sound. Chris first became well known for his 1984 appearance in the classic hip-hop movie Breakin’ and for producing... more
Andy Leftwich began playing the fiddle at the age of six when his dad bought one from a local pawn shop. Andy grew up knowing he could always express himself though music and by the age of twelve branched out to play the mandolin after seeing a young performer at a festival. Growing up, Andy... more
Takaki Maeda and his team were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Casio's Musical Instruments division while attending the NAMM Show in 2020. This special occasion was the perfect opportunity for us to sit down with Maeda-San for his NAMM Oral History interview. His perspective on the growth and... more
DJ Sir Jinx’s uncle played an important role for him growing up and in inspiring his passion for music. His uncle possessed an eclectic record collection and a DJ equipment set up at his house. Sir Jinx soon developed his own style of DJing and went on to produce most of Ice Cube’s early albums as... more