Full Interview

John McDermott could sure sell pianos! His knowledge of the products and his strong relationship with music retailers made him an ideal and successful sales rep. John worked for the Gulbransen Piano Company during the company’s innovative era of the mid 1960s through the 1970s. After his retirement he stayed active in the industry and can still often be found at the National Piano Travelers Association’s annual meeting lending his support and hearty hand shake to new comers.  

James McDonald was known simply as Boom Boom to his NAMM family. Following in the footsteps of his father, Boom Boom’s career focused on the trade show industry and early on he became involved with the NAMM Show. Soon, he became a part of the organization’s annual events. Boom Boom was never shy about the importance of customer service and how insisting that rules are followed may be the best way to provide such service to everyone fairly, a trait evident in his vast number of friendships within the music industry.  

Ellen McDonald is a passionate music retailer who has strived to create programs and events that encourage her community to take part in active music-making. Hartland Music, located in Hartland, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee, is home to over 2000 weekly music students and has become the musical hub of the surrounding area. Ellen and her husband designed their current location to include teaching studios, a performance area, a separate piano room, large display areas, a music therapy center and even a coffee bar! The best part of Hartland music is the comfort level you feel whe

Robert McDowell was president of the NAMM Board of Directors from 1969-1971. During that time he assisted William Gard in the expansion of the NAMM organization, including more hands on involvement with AMC and its publication Music USA. As a retailer in St. Louis for Ludwig-Aeolian, Bob saw the need to launch a nationwide music promotion campaign in the early 1970s. “Discover Music” and other ideas championed by Bob became an important foundation for other promotional programs. In 2000, Bob served as the president of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music at the time when t

Will McFarlane has proudly traveled the world touring with some of the biggest names in music as a journeyman musician. He toured with Bonnie Raitt in the 1970s, which was a wonderful experience considering his love of the Blues and all of the great iconic players who would join her on stage. Will also has made his mark in the recording studios, serving as a studio musician at Muscle Shoals Sound for over 20 years. He recorded with the likes of Etta James, Little Milton, Johnny Taylor and Bobby “Blue” Bland who described the type of tasty guitar fills he wanted Will to play as “lo

Kevin McGinty is the audio engineer and Front of House for one of the most historic venues in music, the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, Tennessee. Kevin began mixing Live Sound while in high school and later attended Belmont University studying Piano and Music Business. In 1986 he worked as the FOH mixer for the Exit/In and put PA systems in other clubs and concert halls around Nashville. He finished his degree in 1993 at Middle Tennessee State University. In 2003 Kevin joined the Grand Ole Opry team as their audio engineer, a position he says is never boring, and after each perfor

Andrew McGowan has spent most of his adult life working in the Music Industry, starting at Sequential Circuits in 1979 and including stints at Yamaha, Passport Designs, and Seer Systems. In the mid-’90s and lasting for roughly ten years, he worked as an independent contractor for various, mostly non-MI companies like Electronic Arts and Microsoft. In 2007, friend and mentor Dave Smith asked Andrew to join him as his first employee at Dave Smith Instruments (later Sequential), where Andrew worked for the next 17 years, leaving his position as Senior Product Manager in 2024.

Bob McGrath, next to Elmo and Big Bird, maybe the most familiar face on Sesame Street. Without question, he is one of the leaders in the promotion of music education and for many years played a key role in the expansion of NAMM programs around the country with the goal of promoting music makers. In the heyday of choral music on television during the 1950s, Bob’s tenor could be heard on the Fred Waring broadcasts and on the programs of choral director icons such as Mitch Miller and Robert Shaw. After a popular solo career in Japan, Bob returned to the states and landed a job for a

Chris McGrew is the personification of today’s hybrid producer/engineer/artist/businessman.  The legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district has several studios available. Chris leases Studio C, also known as “Wally’s Hideout”, which he runs as an independent business, but is still connected to the Hyde Street brand.  His vast experience as a musician and producer provides a hands-on experience for bands and artists who need to take their recordings to the next level. He not only helps you mold your sound with microphones, amps, and setups but uses his vas

Roger McGuinn got a transistor radio from his parents as a young kid and was never the same after hearing Elvis Presley. He instantly picked up the guitar and it changed his life forever. Roger co-founded The Byrds in 1964 with David Crosby and Gene Clark and recorded amazing versions of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” just to name a few. Roger has also release five solo albums, as well as toured with folk legend Bob Dylan. In 1995, he launched The Folk Den – a website that catalogs folk music and preserves it for the future generations.  

Frank McIlquham is the founder and executive director of Rock for Vets, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military veterans through the healing power of music. Inspired by a belief in music’s ability to foster connection and renewal, Frank established a music program for youth in high schools, to the senior aged community to inmates to Veterans. Rock For Vets program is to provide veterans with opportunities to learn instruments, develop vocal skills, and actively participate in a collaborative musical environment.

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray McKinley provided a swinging and consistent rhythm behind several big bands during the 1930s and 40s. He worked with the Dorsey Brothers, Will Bradley and Glenn Miller before forming his own orchestra. His influential drumming behind Glenn Miller's Army Air Force band has been cited by many percussionists as a launching point for their own passion. He also wrote a method book that was widely used for beginner drummers and he often held clinics in musi

 Phil McKinney and his family have a long history in musical retailing in northern Oklahoma. Louie Chenoweth and Russell Green opened their first music store, Chenoweth & Green Music, in Enid, OK in 1926. Not only did they remain in business with each other for over 50 years, they were also brothers-in-law (they married the former Velma and Nellie Warrick). Over the years, the company bought smaller stores in and around the area such as a store in Bartlesville, which was managed by Mr. Green’s son-in-law, Lewis McKinney. When World War II ended, Mr.

Ben McKlveen had a very colorful life as a service man during World War II and a piano technician who cared for the instruments of many top performers and orchestras. He played oboe in the military band before serving in George Patton’s Third Army and traveled straight across Germany with Patton. After the war he studied music performance and played solo and utility for several symphonies. He continued to perform until after his 89th birthday. Back in 1952 his piano tuner retired and Ben decided the craft would be a great sideline while he performed.

John McMurray's father opened a music store in the years following World War II in St. Louis. John joined his father in business after attending college and working for a few other music companies including Stanton Music in Georgia. Under John's leadership, McMurray Music expanded and was able to maintain business during a recession in the 1980s and the growth of new competition, the big box stores such as Mars Music. Years later he sold the business to Brook Mays. John also served on the NAMM Board beginning in 1990.  

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 formative years of bebop and free jazz.  What he sought was a way to express himself that was not only his unique sound, but conveyed his unique thoughts and ideas within his music.  As a composer he craf

Jay McShann ​was one of the last great original stride pianists, one of the last Big Band Era leaders and one of the few musicians to work with such an amazing list of jazz icons. During our interview with him he told some of the most memorable McShann classic stories such as when he was the first big band to hire Charlie Parker and the true story behind Parker’s nickname Bird. What put Jay in a class by himself was the warm way he told his stories and the humble approach he had toward what is without question one of the great jazz success stories in history.  

Gerhard Meinl represented the seventh generation of a distinguished family of brass instrument makers whose leadership helped shape the modern wind instrument industry. After the reunification of Germany, Gerhard played a pivotal role in integrating the formerly state-owned B&S GmbH in Markneukirchen with Melton Meinl Weston in 1991, helping preserve and strengthen an important tradition of European instrument craftsmanship. In 1994, he and an investment group acquired the renowned clarinet maker Antoine Courtois, further expanding the family’s global influence.

 Mr. Menchey founded the Menchey Music Service in 1936 out of his mother’s sewing room in Hanover. By the time he retired in 1982, Menchey’s Music grew into the premier full-service school music and piano dealer serving Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. He pioneered expansive sheet music departments throughout his multi-store locations and was known to provide music publishers with ideas of trends and needs he saw within his customers, which often resulted in new editions and publications such as band music for beginners in the era before they were common place. Mr. Menc

Mary Jo Mennella is the president and founder of Music Asset Management, Inc. She studied trumpet in college and landed her first job in the industry working at ASCAP in New York, then Los Angeles. While with ASCAP, she worked on a number of projects including the first Pop Music Awards. Mary Jo also served as SVP/GM of Music Publishing for Fox Music and was based on the movie lot, working on such films as Titanic. Since forming her own company, she and her team have managed an array of award-winning catalogs, mentoring next generation publishing executives and honoring those who

K. Ethel Merker was asked by the Holton Company to create the now popular Merker French horn. Her career has included acclaimed symphonic performances, radio and TV jingle work, and several well-known music education programs over the years. Her list of accomplishments is even made more impressive when you realize she did all of this as a woman musician in Chicago in the 1940s, where she was a pioneer who made it possible for women to follow in her footsteps. Her NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 10, 2002. 

This is the full length NAMM Oral History interview with Buddy Merrill, which was captured on Feburary 15, 2011.  For his biography and web clip, please follow the link: https://ww1.namm.org/library/oral-history/buddy-merrill

Buddy Merrill played the pedal steel guitar on the Lawrence Welk TV program from its start in 1954 until he left the show in 1974. Buddy played Fender products while on the Welk Show, which was an exciting time as several key instrument innovations were released during this time, including the Stratocaster. His passion for music and musical products started as a child when he played alongside his country-western singing father, Les Merrill. After leaving the Welk Show, Buddy worked in the movies and wrote background music for many years.

Ron Mesh is a tour manager for some of the biggest names in Live Sound. Ron cut his teeth as an audio engineer for touring bands such as Uncle Sam and the Chesterfield Kings, a Punk Rock band that enabled Ron to tour Europe for the first time. Over the years he developed skills in logistics and fell into the role of Tour Manager, working with bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Tower of Power, and Billy Gibbons. Along the way, Ron also formed and ran his own audio equipment rental company for over 25 years called Advanced Audio Services.

Dana Messina was always intrigued by all the machinery in factories thanks to his engineering background, but his business skills are what lead to his success at both Selmer and Steinway. Dana was able to help streamline the business while never compromising on the quality of the product at both companies. Though Dana may have initially been seen as an outsider to some in this industry, his respect and understanding of his customers and his commitment to the business has proven he is anything but that. 

Hans-Peter Messner's story begins in Trossingen. After he completed his studies in economics and law, he started working in sales and marketing for his uncle's company, Hohner, which is primarily known for its accordions and harmonicas. Here Hans-Peter gained experience with the Hohner line of electric pianos and digital sound systems. In 1986, Hans-Peter left Hohner and bought into the GEWA company, which at that time produced and distributed violins and cases in Mittenwald, Bavaria.

Marcel Messner grew up surrounded by the sound of music, so it is no surprise that he is now part of the industry himself – the music business runs in his blood! His father, Hans-Peter, already had a distinguished career in the industry. Hans-Peter joined GEWA music in the mid-1980s and took over the company a few years later. Marcel is now also working in the business and is leading the company to new shores as CEO.

Mike Metlay, known as “Dr. Mike” for his Ph.D. in nuclear physics, transitioned from academia to music journalism in 1996. With more than four decades in the industry, he's contributed articles and reviews to publications like Recording and the MIT Computer Music Journal. Serving as editor-in-chief of Recording for five years, he left in 2019 to focus on his independent copywriting and editing firm, Atomic Words. As president of Atomic Words and editor-in-chief at Bjooks, Mike's influence extends globally. His book SYNTH GEMS 1, published by Bjooks in 2021, showcases his expertise

John Meyer founded Meyer Sound Laboratory back in 1979 and soon became an important pioneer and innovator in sound reinforcement.  He worked to establish a balance in the sound created by the microphones, signal processors, amps and loudspeakers to produce the desired sound for both live and recording settings.  Over the years John has became the father of such advances in audio as processor-controlled loudspeaker systems as well as self-powered loudspeakers.  He has created sound systems for such performers as Frank Zappa, The Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among

Chris Meyer is renowned for his groundbreaking work in designing electronic music devices, he has left an indelible mark on the industry. From his pioneering invention of Vector Synthesis to his current endeavors in teaching modular synthesis, Chris' journey is one of continuous exploration and creative evolution. Throughout his diverse career, Chris has worn many hats, from technical chairman of the MIDI Manufacturers Association to educator and author. His contributions to the world of synthesis are matched only by his dedication to sharing his knowledge with fellow musicians.

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 musical instruments made in Germany to ports in the west and elsewhere in the difficult decades following World War II.  Gotthold has also played an important role in the expansion of the NAMM Oral History collection and the

Bernard Michaelson was just a teenager when he began working for Frank Hessy. Hessy’s Music store in Liverpool was the hangout for all of the young musicians in the area at a time when bands seemed to be on every street corner. One such band Bernard recalls coming into the store were the Beatles. Bernard married Frank’s daughter, Sara, and worked together for several years before the store was closed in 1995. Bernard also opened another music store in the 1970s that launched a product line different than those offered in the Hessy Music store.