Full Interview

Jane Smisor Bastien together with her husband. James Bastien wrote the best-selling method book, Bastien Piano Methods, which was enjoyed by millions of students and teachers worldwide. The series of books, all published by the Neil A. Kjos Music Company, are now translated into more than 16 languages. Inspired by Robert Pace's "Multi-Key" pedagogical approach and her own ideas culled from years of teaching, Jane and James created the much loved and accessible "Gradual Multi-Key Approach".

Jamal Batiste grew up in a very musical family and when he saw his brother’s drum kit at 3 years old, he fell in love. Raised in New Orleans he was surrounded by what he calls the gumbo of music, playing all styles and in many different settings. Throughout his career he has played alongside groups and artists ranging from jazz and soul to hip hop and rap, and gained first-hand knowledge in the importance of sharing his culture and knowledge musically. Jamal also works with several organizations to help raise awareness and funding that provide hope and support through his music. T

Jennifer Batten is often found at a NAMM booth checking out the gear or providing her feedback on products she has played over the years.  Washburn Guitars released a signature model that she took part in designing, which she has proudly played on recordings and on tour. While working with Jeff Beck, she began working with wireless MIDI systems, which led to a series of products and endorsements.  Her relationship with Line 6 resulted in the launching of the Variax series and the Batten String Damper, both cutting edge products first introduced at the NAMM Show.

Mike Battle invented the Echoplex, the pioneering electric effects device, which played a vital role in the early development of the rock and roll sound. The Echoplex was famously used by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips who used the echo effect on several of Elvis Presley’s first recordings (“Blue Moon” and “Mystery Train” showcase this sound beautifully). Over the years Jimmy Page used the Echoplex to create counter rhythms and country icon Chet Atkins recorded a unique slapback using the device. In the 1990s, Mr. Battle developed an echo device based on digital sound and electr

Scott Baxendale is a noted guitar luthier who has crafted a unique career based on his own style of guitar building that echoes several of his favorite luthiers. While working for Mossman guitars, he created several specialized instruments, including the noted custom Warner Brother’s guitar, which showcased his skilled techniques of inlay, design, and use of creative bracings. Scott bought the company for a time. To this day, he continues to design guitars.

Frank Baxter is the proud founder of Piano World (PianoWorld.com). Having programed webpages in the early 1990s, Frank used his skill and his insight that the web would soon be growing, to create a platform for his business. As a piano technician, Frank found his online marketing very successful as well as the community of piano forum members, which continues to grow each year. Frank cut his teeth in music retail at Curtis Music in 1968 and would later open and manage two of their mall stores and eventually a store of his own. Frank’s passion for the music industry continued to de

This is the full length NAMM Oral History interview with Dale Beacock, which was captured on June 21, 2008.  For his biography and web clip, please follow the link: https://ww1.namm.org/library/oral-history/dale-beacock

Dale Beacock grew up with a love of band music. After college he was hired as a band director and he felt as if his dreams had come true. He worked hard to design methods of teaching that brought out the best in his students, and he always sought ways of improving his bands. Over the years he felt a need for stronger service from his local music stores and thought that other band directors would also benefit from such support. Along with his wife, he opened Beacock Music, which sold musical products, but focused on providing service to their customers. Today, the store is run by h

Robert Beals was just a young man when he first met Chick Evans. The two worked to perfect and promote Mr. Evan’s idea of a synthetic drumhead in the 1950s. Up until that time, drumheads were made from cow skin, which presented several problems. With the skin drumheads, any change in temperature could greatly affect the sound and they would often fade out of tune. Robert became president of the Evan’s Company and oversaw its purchase by D'Addario & Co., which continues to produce the products Bob helped create. Mr. Beals passed away on August 7, 2010. 

Joe Beard doesn't remember a time when he didn't have a guitar.  He grew up near Ashland, Mississippi becoming friends with locals Syl and Jimmy Johnson and Floyd and Matt Murphy. In Memphis he met B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf.  Later in the 1960s in Chicago, he played with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Luther Allison, among other blues greats.  One of his longest and closest friendships came when he moved to Rochester, New York in 1956, where blues legend Son House lived just around the corner.  Beard never recorded in the early part of his career but taped several sessions with Hou

Carma Lou Beck was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. She opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967, after working for a few other stores, including one owned and operated by the Wurlitzer Company. By the time Carma Lou's House of Music expanded to three stores in the mid 1970s, she had become a local celebrity, due in part by her well-known TV and radio commercials. She was a proud advocate for music education and sponsored countless programs that encouraged music making for all ages.  

Tom Bedell began giving guitar lessons in his home town of Spirit Lake, Iowa.  Just a few months later, when Tom was 14 years old, he imported guitars with his name on the headstock from Japan.  The year was 1963.  Tom continued to make guitars and played in local bands, growing his wholesale business to a half a million dollars by the time he was 16 years old.  He then opened his own music store, which was the same name as his guitar brand, Bedell Guitar Company.  Years later Tom and his wife came back to the music industry.  They opened a small music retail store called Two Old

John Beeson is the visionary founder and dedicated owner of The Music Shoppe in Terre Haute, Indiana. His lifelong love affair with the guitar began when he received one as a Christmas gift during his childhood, sparking a profound passion for all things guitars. This passion carried John through years of performing as keyboardist in the band Dicky James & The Blue Flames, which gained regional acclaim and released the album Hard Rain. In 1973, at the dawn of the vintage guitar craze, John channeled his expertise and enthusiasm into opening his store, which specializes in Fend

Harry Begian was one of the most respected band directors in the United States. Serving at the high school and college levels for over 45 years, Dr. Begian conducted his first band while he was in his teens. As the band director at Detroit’s Cass Technical High School and for 14 years at the University of Illinois, he taught his students respect for the classics and the power of team work. Acknowledging the importance of the Midwest Band Clinic on his career, he served on the board for the annual band conference and worked to improve the quality of its programs.  It was during the

Mike Beigel was a pioneering inventor whose effects pedals and synthesizer innovations were embraced by musicians around the world, including Stevie Wonder, the Grateful Dead, Bootsy Collins, Joe Zawinul, Larry Coryell, and Chick Corea. In 1972, Mike founded Musitronics Corporation with the goal of creating effects pedals that offered distinctive and groundbreaking sounds. Among his earliest creations was the Mu-Tron III, an envelope-controlled filter that became especially popular among funk musicians.

William Bell began singing in doo-wop groups before signing for Stax Records in Memphis, which is where his first hit was recorded.  In fact that song, "You Don't Miss Your Water" was also the first big hit for the newly formed record label that would go on to redefine soul music.  William wrote several other songs as well and topped the charts many times with tunes such as "Private Number," which he recorded with the late Judy Clay. Being influenced by the many artists he heard growing up in Memphis, such as Rufus Thomas and BB King, William was proud to contribute to the 2014 do

Al Bell was in the Stax recording studio in Memphis at the very moment Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed just a few blocks away. Ironically, the recording Al was producing at that time was a song he wrote encouraging Dr. King, whom he had known for years, to be cautious carrying out his goals during the Civil Rights movement. This was just one of many amazing and historically important events that took place during Mr. Bell’s impressive and inspirational career in music. We are proud to have captured some of those stories within the NAMM Oral History collection.

Archie Bell, a native of Houston, Texas, grew up listening to his mother sing in the Baptist church. Out of her seven sons she singled out Archie and suggested that he should try to be a singer. After seeing Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke in concert together, Archie decided that would be his path as well. He formed Archie Bell and The Drells in junior high and they were heavily influenced by the show band style of the Kashmere High School Stage Band under the direction of the legendary Conrad Johnson. In his NAMM interview, Archie discussed the history of his number one hit "Tighten

Dick Bell was surprised by the impact he had on the music industry, a fact that became clear to him at the NAMM Show 2009, when the Roland Corp gave him a retirement party and NAMM requested an interview for the Oral History program. He began his career in the music industry, as Dick said, “with no training at all.” He worked in the supply department at Kaman before the aerospace company branched out into the guitar business in the 1960s. A decade later Tom Beckmen hired Dick for work at the newly formed American branch of the Roland Corporation, where he stayed until his retireme

Bryan Bell was given the task of engineering a working synthesizer using all of Herbie Hancock’s favorite keyboards back in the early 1970s, well before MIDI. Herbie’s single instruction to Bryan was that he wanted all of the sounds of his 20 plus instruments powered and fully controlled by one unit, allowing Herbie to make all of the musical changes on his entire bank of synthesizers. Bryan succeeded and went on to play a vital role as one of the music industry’s most innovative sound engineers.

Remo Belli revolutionized the music products industry by introducing the Weather King, the single most popular drumhead in the world! As a jazz drummer, Remo was looking for ways to improve the percussive products he was using. Once his team of chemists found the perfect formula, Remo took it around to his many drummer friends to test the product out. Remo pioneered the use of music and wellness with his dear friend Karl Bruhn and a wave of instruments aimed at getting all ages involved with music and music making. We have interviewed Remo several times for the NAMM Oral History p

Ami Belli grew up in the Philippines surrounded by music. She played piano as a girl and would often sing with her mother and sisters. She earned her medical degree and moved to the United States, where she focused on alternative medicine. While practicing in Los Angeles, she met Remo Belli, who himself studied nutrition and medicine as well as music and wellness. The couple soon married and had a son. They traveled to many conventions over the years seeking to learn more about music wellness. They also funded several studies to show the importance of music for mental and physical

Bob Benedetto is a guitar luthier’s luthier! Respected around the world, Bob has achieved what few have in guitar craftsmanship: a unique style and sound, creative and classic design, and tooling that is second to none. His knowledge of guitar building was evident in our interview with Bob along with his genuine respect for his contemporaries. With his lovely wife, Cindy, at his side, Bob was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program on January 18, 2004. 

Christian Benker has been an influential leader in the German musical instrument manufacturing industry. With fresh ideas and marketing skills he helped Hofner reinvent itself during the 1950s and 60s. Christian worked alongside Mr. Hofner, the inventor of the widely popular Beatle bass and Mr. Hofner’s daughter, Gerhilde, who Christian would later marry. The couple worked together to keep the company growing and producing innovative projects.

Gerhilde Benker served as president of Höfner Music, the company founded by her grandfather Karl Höfner in 1864 in Eger, Germany. A pioneering woman in the music products industry, she led one of its most innovative and influential firms with vision and grace. Her father, Walter, invented the iconic Höfner bass — known worldwide as the “Beatle Bass” after a young Paul McCartney adopted it. The endorsement of the instrument by the most popular band in the world created a demand unlike anything the company had ever experienced.

Mike Bennett began playing trumpet at the age of eight and played jazz trumpet and piano throughout high school. He studied music at the University of Tulsa and in 1980, landed a part time job at Saied Music. That first job was in the sheet music department and less than a year later, in January 1981, Mike joined the company full time. He managed one of the branch locations for years before being asked to join the main store in Tulsa to run the Piano & Organ Department. Mike has excelled in this position and has enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Richard Bennett served many roles during his long career in music, perhaps most notably as the sales rep for Wurlitzer towards the end of the 1960s. His involvement in retail and his philosophy on customer service have had a lasting effect on his success and the success of the dealers he would call on. This point has been proven time and time again as we have interviewed others in the industry who have remarked on Dick’s care for the retailer. His first job after serving in the Navy during World War II was as a band director.

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-time boss of another industry veteran and strong supporter of this archive collection, Robert S. Johnson.

This is the full length NAMM Oral History interview with Lenise Bent, which was captured on September 2, 2014.  For her biography and web clip, please follow the link: https://ww1.namm.org/library/oral-history/lenise-bent

Lenise Bent, as an assistant or chief recording engineer, has been associated with some of the most successful and creative albums in rock history.  Her passion for music and her incredible talents to bring out the best in musicians have been key elements in a career that includes such projects as Aja with Steely Dan, Breakfast In America with Supertramp and Tusk with Fleetwood Mac.  Foley mixer and engineer for a number of films and TV projects, Lenise is also an adjunct professor, teaching the art of engineering that is not just her job but her passion.

Andy Bereza was on the team that created the now famous Portastudio products for TASCAM. In fact, Andy is credited with the mixer’s first blue prints as well as coming up with its clever name. The product forever changed the industry by offering a small mixer for home and road use. His work with TASCAM resulted in several products as did his association with Fostex and before that for the famed Allen & Heath Company. Andy’s mixing boards led him to work with several British musicians and bands such as Pink Floyd as well as with master engineer Yoshiharu Abe.  

Irwin Berg has a million great stories, like the one when Glenn Miller ensured that his father not serve in the infantry during World War II, but instead, design and manufacture all the mutes for the Army Air Force band and those of the Navy bands as well. Irwin has since expanded the business to cover the globe, but, of course, they still offer those same mutes! His NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 24, 2005.