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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Neil Larrivee was just four years old when he began playing drums. His father was a manager for rock bands and music was all around Neil as he grew up. He served in the Drum and Bugle Cor...

Matthias Hellinger and his brother, Andreas, own Rohema which was founded in 1888 by Eduard Robert Hellinger and produced batons, drumsticks, and percussion instruments. The company was s...

Tom Gauger was a regular member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over 40 years and taught percussion at Boston University for over 30 years. Over those decades, he developed several m...

Jim Hennessey was working for Kaman Aerospace when he was transferred to the Ovation Guitar division. Jim worked closely with Charlie Kaman on several projects and later worked in the adv...

George Jacob greatly enjoys creating musical products for musicians –of all levels and ages. When a customer needed a softer sound with his drum sticks, George came to the rescue and deve...

Maury Brochstein recalls growing up in the drum business. His father, Herb, established Pro-Mark drumsticks in 1957 and involved Maury at a young age. Maury saw the need to expand the pro...

Pat Brown has a most familiar face. His smile can be seen in the ProMark booth at every NAMM show and PASIC convention. More than a friendly smile, Pat has proven to be a strong supporter...

Joe Calato is the inventor of the nylon-tipped drumstick, who turned the small idea of preserving his favorite sticks into an industry success story. He formed Regal Tip to produce his un...

Ed Thigpen, known as Mr. Taste for his remarkable touch and feel as an innovative drummer, had a few (hundred) tricks up his musical sleeves when it came to brush work on the snare drums ...

Herb Brochstein had a million stories about his long and successful career in the industry. One of these stories was about how he developed a new drumstick and formed ProMark, one of the ...

Jack DeJohnette is a drummer’s drummer and yet, unlike many influential players, Jack is widely known among jazz fans around the world. With credits that range from Miles Davis to Herbie ...