Hal Leonard Corporation

Colin Bailey famously played brushes on the song “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi, which was made popular thanks to the Peanuts cartoon television specials. His long career included gigs with Miles Davis, Clare Fischer, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra and George Shearing. He also often filled in for Ed Shaughnessy on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson! Colin wrote three drum method books, which were published by Hal Leonard. The books are based on his own teaching style that he developed over the years with his students while also working as a session musician in Los Angeles.

Maribeth Barrons is one of the most energetic sales reps you will ever meet!  With great knowledge of the Hal Leonard catalog and an honest interest in helping her customers, Maribeth has served music stores both in the United States and throughout Canada.  Over the years she has established new accounts as well as supported those who have been long-time customers.  She began her career in the music industry at Art Jenson's publishing company and stayed on when Art sold the company to Hal Leonard Publishing Co.  In 2013, Ms.

Dan Bauer recalls with pride working with the three founders of Hal Leonard back in the 1970s when he joined the company!  He was there when Keith Mardak took over the business and played a role as CFO in the expansion of the company over the years.  When the accounting department switched over to computers and years later when e-commerce came along, Dan was there eager to implement the technology, which improved many, if not all of his department’s processes.  

J. Aaron Brown headed Word Publishing in Nashville from 1970 to 1980. Prior to that, he worked with several musical acts, including The Oak Ridge Boys. As a songwriter himself, Aaron brought his personal knowledge and deep passion for music to every project he undertook throughout his career. His A Child’s Gift of Lullabies series earned him eight Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards for Best Musical Album for Children, helping to open a new market for mothers seeking to bond musically with their babies. The gifts Aaron gave to music continued to benefit us all. 

Philip Burn is currently the managing director of Hal Leonard Australia. He first commenced work for iconic Australian distributor, Rose Music, in 1976 (which in 1986 became Yamaha Music Australia) as a product manager, rising through the ranks to become General Manager in 1987, a position he held until starting his own company Print Music Australia in 1995. Print Music Australia was purchased by Hal Leonard in 2001. His musical background extends to include being a pipe organ enthusiast. Philip was a key member of the AMA’s executive committee for over 15 years and he is a past-p

Bruce Bush cut his teeth in the industry as a music retailer. Just out of college he managed the print music department of Onondaga Music Service in Syracruse, New York. He later owned the store before deciding to take on the role of sales manager for Hal Leonard. A long-time advocate for music publishing, Bruce had a role in growing the sales and marketing efforts at Hal Leonard especially as it regards educational materials such as method and practice books. Bruce has been able to build meaningful relationships with dealer customers with his passion and understanding for the ret

Jim Cliff remembers taking the bus into Minneapolis when he was eight years old to take accordion lessons.

Sue Collins is proud to mention that her mother was the very first employee of the Milwaukee division of Hal Leonard.  Once Keith Mardak and Art Jensen formed the division, Sue's mom was hired to help run the office.  The office manager for Hal Leonard is much different from the early days, especially considering the growth in the company's employee numbers. Jjust ask Sue, who has served in the position for several years.  Her dedication to detail and strong interest in serving all those who come to the headquarters building is part of the very fabric of Hal Leonard!  

Emily Crocker focused on teaching middle school choir when she was a teacher right out of college.  The experience was a wonderful foundation for her as it would lead her to work for Hal Leonard Publishing for many years.  While a teacher she wrote several pieces that were geared towards middle school.  When the first three works she submitted were accepted and published, she wrote several more pieces.  She joined the Jensen Publishing Company, which was later purchased by Hal Leonard, where she continues to focus on choral music for students.

Tom Dorn studied jazz trumpet at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin.  The experience cemented his passion for music and soon Tom found himself working for the Wurlitzer retail stores in the Chicago area.  It was 1976 and the Mighty Wurlitzer was a powerhouse with over fifty stores, including one at the Wood Field Mall, where Tom managed.  After working with Hal Leonard, Tom returned to the piano business where he has worked with Baldwin, Samick, North American Music, and others.

John F. Edmunds began arranging music as a high school student, when he found that commercially available arrangements were not suitable for his band of non-standard instrumentation. After college and a stint as a US Navy bandsman, John became a college professor, first as assistant director of bands at the University of Texas and later at LSU in Baton Rouge, while arranging and composing for those schools’ bands. Among his most noted works are “Britannia” and “March of the Longhorns,” the latter composed originally for President Lyndon Johnson’s inaugural ceremony in 1965.

James Gadson was among the most recorded drummers in history, leaving an indelible mark on popular music across multiple generations. His career began in the late 1960s as a member of the Charles Wright band, where his deep groove and signature feel quickly set him apart. He soon became one of the most in-demand session drummers in the industry, contributing to thousands of recordings for a remarkable range of artists, including Paul McCartney, Bill Withers, Rose Royce, and countless others. Renowned for his distinctive pocket and musical sensitivity, James helped define the sound

Robert Gillespie was teaching at Ohio State University in the music department when he developed and hosted a summer workshop for violin teachers.  In addition to his regular teaching, playing, and the yearly workshop, Dr. Gillespie co-wrote one of the most popular and regarded method books for the violin, Essential Elements For Strings, published by Hal Leonard. 

Jerry Grochowski was dedicated to the efficiency of Hal Leonard’s production and distribution operations. His service to the company involved working with many of the processes still in place since his retirement that make the company an industry leader in customer service. Jerry’s interest in moving the operational procedures forward has been based on his own personal knowledge in technology that allowed him to embrace early computer and Internet technologies that have proven to greatly improve the accuracy and speed of the methods used in getting products into the hands of the d

David Hall is the sales and marketing Vice President for Pro Active Websites, a company founded by Bill Walzak.  David’s passion for his job is evident in the smile and handshake you receive at every trade show.  That passion started as a student player with hopes of becoming a band director.  He worked in retail and in music publishing before being hired by Greg Billings as a piano salesman.  He later worked for Hal Leonard for 17 years and became close to the RPMDA family, which continues to this day.  The products provided by Pro Active Websites are meant to help improve your b

Jim Hallwyler is a music retailer in Eugene, Oregon whose introduction to the industry was thanks to his father's friend Lyle Heater. The LD Heater Company, formed by Lyle's father in 1918, became an important distributor of musical instruments and one of the first in the industry to provide "talking machines" otherwise known as record players. Jim worked for the wholesaler for a time before serving in the US Army and earning his master's in music education thanks to the GI Bill. He would work for Kimball Pianos and Lowrey Organs before opening his own retail business in 1989. Jim

John Higgins manages many of the recordings created for the Hal Leonard Corporation.  As a former instructional director, arranger and composer, John oversees the studio recordings that are included in the publisher's products, such as sheet music with accompanying music or instructions within educational materials.  Since the 1970s, Hal Leonard has been actively providing recorded examples of their music, musical accompaniment and educational tips on-line to serve as tools for their products.  When you hear these recordings you can be sure John and his team are involved.

David Jahnke's smile can be spotted at nearly every NAMM Show and RPMDA convention!  The man loves what he does and often goes out of his way to help those he wants to serve.  His many customers are those related to his job within the sales department at Hal Leonard, but he is also focused on retailers and publishers alike who are involved with RPMDA.  David is the first commercial member of the organization to serve on the board of directors.  He is also dedicated to his sales team to ensure they provide the best service experience possible.  When next at NAMM, look for the smile

Art Jenson was known throughout the music industry for establishing Jenson Publishing in 1977. The company became one of the nation’s largest educational music publishers with a focus on band and choral works. In the mid '60's, Art did some writing for Charles Hansen Publications and in 1969, he joined the editorial staff of Zeb Billings Music Publishing.  In 1970, Art along with Keith and Don Mardak started Learning Unlimited, which became a division of Hal Leonard Publishing Corp.  They pioneered the print industry with several innovations including sending audio recordings of t

Herman Knoll led the team that wrote and designed the landmark Hal Leonard publication Essential Elements. This series of method books has redefined the way students and teachers approach the early stages of music education. This is one of countless products Herman has helped develop since joining Hal Leonard in the early 1980s. Herman’s approach to his publications includes the idea of getting out to the schools to witness first hand how the students are being taught and how he can develop meaningful materials to assist both student and teacher.  

Dewey Kuhn grew up listening to his grandmother playing the organ, which she did in her younger days accompanying silent movies.  His passion grew as he learned to play.

Doug Lady is one of those guys who will give you the shirt off his back.  As the Senior Vice President of Sales for Hal Leonard, he has created a team that echoes his strong and sincere feelings towards customer service.  Doug has also been active within several elements throughout the music products industry to ensure growth of music makers and strong business practices.  As a member of the Music Achievement Council (MAC), Doug has helped direct many of that organization’s goals and tasks, and he has also served on the board of the Church Music Publishers Association and the Milw

Gabriel Lara was asked to create a series of music books with the Hal Leonard company for the Spain market beginning in 1972. Along with his business partner, Antoni Punti, Gabriel worked with Keith Mardak to form Hal Leonard Spain. During a trip to Milwaukee, Gabriel sat in Keith’s office and they selected songs they felt would be successful in Spain. It was a wonderful experience and one that encouraged Gabriel to continue his career in the music industry, which was not his original training. While studying business administration, Gabriel meet Antoni as the Hammond Organ divisi

Lloyd Larson has been a prolific composer and arranger for a number of music publishers since the early 1980s. While focusing on church music, Lloyd has also composed for school music programs. Among his most noted works are those for choral and keyboard, some 1,500 publications so far! Over the years, he has worked with many publishers including Shawnee Press, Hope Publishing, Hal Leonard, and the Lorenz Corporation for which he has served as an editor for many years. His music has been enjoyed by millions around the world and on nearly every holiday and special occasion. All thr

Mike Lawson always wanted to become a musician as a child. The process was not easy as his family could not afford an instrument for him, but his desire was always strong. He worked hard to earn the money when he was a little older, cutting grass and other odd jobs, and finally purchased a guitar. Along the way he studied music magazines and books to learn all he could about the gear and the art of being a musician. Those experiences provided Mike with a unique perspective which he used when creating books aimed to serve musicians.

Keith Mardak provided great detail of the history of Hal Leonard Publishing, especially the stories of the company's founder, who passed away years ago, before they could be interviewed for this program. Without Keith's insight the early days of this important music publisher may have been lost. Keith also added background on his own impressive career in our industry, as well as his insights on the condition of the industry.

Patricia Maultra was the first employee hired by Learning Unlimited by its three founders, which included Keith Mardak.  Keith went on to become Chairman of Hal Leonard Publishing and all throughout the early days, Patricia was there.  She began working for Zeb Billings in his retail store in 1960 and recalls when Keith started part time as a teacher.  Pat recalls that she knew from the start that Keith was “going places because of his driven spirit and passion for music.”  She takes great pride in the staff and the success of the company.  She is also proud of her daughter, Sue,

Patricia Maultra was the first employee hired by Learning Unlimited by its three founders, which included Keith Mardak.  Keith went on to become Chairman of Hal Leonard Publishing and all throughout the early days, Patricia was there.  She began working for Zeb Billings in his retail store in 1960 and rememberswhen Keith started part time as a teacher.  Pat recalls that she knew from the start that Keith was “going places because of his driven spirit and passion for music.”  She takes great pride in the staff and the success of the company.  She is also proud of her daughter, Sue,

John Mlynczak soared as a student on his trumpet. He engaged other students and teachers alike to gain the most out of their experiences together while in practice or performing for contests. He worked at Mars Music in high school and pursued his music education degree all while seeking to provide more education programs in the music industry. He worked at PerSonus and did exactly that, expanding the thought process into the marketing and sales department with questions that went to the core of the customer experience. John took his skill set to Hal Leonard for seven years before

Larry Morton grew up in a family in St. Louis that had a strong love of music. His parents provided piano lessons for his older sister and later Larry began learning music. His father encouraged him to follow his dream of being involved with music. Larry played in the marching band in high school and went on to study music composition in college. He worked for Lowell Samuel at Samuel Music in Effingham, Illinois, before being hired by Keith Mardak at Hal Leonard Inc. Larry has grown in the company to become president, all the while leading several industry associations including R

Toyomasa Namikawa was the founder and chairman of the board for the Japan music publisher Teine Corp., which was named after his initials. He dedicated his life to providing students and teachers with band instrument publications throughout Japan. While attending the Midwest Band Clinics in the late 1960s, he was able to arrange exclusive distribution rights for Japan with three of the most influential band instrument publishers in the United States, Hal Leonard, C. Barnhouse and Neil Kjos Music. Mr. Namikawa was a passionate leader within the music publishing industry and was pro

Antoni Punti and Gabriel teamed up with Keith Mardak in 1972 to form Hal Leonard Spain. The company’s success was fueled by the home organ boom, which was an important milestone of growth for the music industry in Spain. Years before, Antoni was the first person to establish Hammond Organ Studios in Spain and became Managing Director for the famous organ company in 1968. The wholesale business, Music Distribucion, which Antoni and Gabriel later established, helped bring many important brands to Spain including the Pioneer Audio line.