Oral History -
Marco Alpert has had a fascinating career in the music industry and lucky for the NAMM Oral History collection he shared many of his stories with us. Marco was an electronic music composer in Los Angeles when he happened to meet the two founders of E-mu. Marco was hired to promote the innovative synthesizers that Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge were creating for E-mu.
This is the full length NAMM Oral History interview with Marco Alpert, which was captured on January 16, 2011. For his biography and web-clip, please follow this link: https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/marco-alpert
AJ Altieri began working in the music retail business in the mid 1970s after a childhood filled with music. He played in bands as a student along with being a Drum Major, before performing in area rock bands. He began working in Elliott Rubinson’s Thoroughbred Music in Tampa, Florida.
Grace Altieri has a background in law but was willing to put that career on hold when her husband decided to open a drum shop in Tampa. AJ was working for a local music store and was really growing the drum segment of the business, so, when a chance came along to open his own store he jumped at it.
Steven Ambrose first started liking country music after hearing Johnny Cash through headphones during a recording session. This prompted him to develop a toll that could be used by all musicians to get the same sound. The result was the first set of in ear monitors – something that the music industry would learn to love and not be able to live without.
Mark Amentt was brought into the music products industry to help direct the then, newly established AIMM group, to better serve its members. The group soon grew as did its noted annual meetings, which take place the day before the Anaheim and Summer NAMM Shows begin.
Jim Anastasi served as the trumpet tester for the King Band Instrument factory in Cleveland, Ohio for nearly 40 years. While testing some 200 instruments a day, Jim also had dozens of students each week, many who met him at Stebal's Music for their lessons, as well as playing out. His professional playing career began when he was a teenager and continued into his 90s!
Jon Andersen has enjoyed playing music nearly his entire life. A jazz saxophonist, Jon played in a number of small and large bands over the years and found work with several noted musicians in and around his neighborhood, Santa Barbara. When he was approached by his longtime friend Nick Rail, to assist with his band instrument business, Jon jumped at the opportunity. For ove
Eleanor Anderson helped establish Woodbury Music Company with her late husband, Leroy Anderson. The company is managed by their three children (Kurt, Rolf and Jane) with a third generation very active in music as well. As composer and arranger, Leroy Anderson published popular classical music that helped create a whole new musical genre during the late 1940s and 1950s. The
Muriel Anderson sure puts her heart and soul into her music as both a performer and songwriter. Over the years the music products industry has been lucky to be closely associated with Murial thanks to her endorsement of instruments and accessories as well as her widely successful All Star Guitar Nights, a feature at NAMM Shows since 2000.