Mario Ortigara joined his brother’s music store just two years after it opened. Since 1949, Mario worked alongside his brother Ben who started the store to teach and sell accordions. By 1...

Takeshi Inomata is the noted jazz drummer who, among other things, helped design the first percussive instruments for Yamaha.  His work with Yamaha took place during the early 1960s when ...

Phil Passin began working for Carl Fischer in 1947 in the shipping department, where he took a deep interest in the industry.  After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, Phil ret...

Fred Davis began playing saxophone as a boy and started his own band, the Freddy Davis Orchestra, which played around Ohio during World War II. He was well equipped with reeds for his gig...

Jerry Trestman grew up in a musical home, in fact his older brother played saxophone for several of the big bands during the swing era.  Jerry served in the Korean War and was stationed i...

John Allegrezza began working in the piano business in 1957 and soon discovered he had a real passion for the business and the people.  In 1981 he opened his store, Allegrezza Pianos, in ...

William Demmers volunteered for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music for over ten years. During that time he provided tours as a trained docent to guests of all ages. His own back...

Bill Tarpley remembered the stories his father used to tell him about the early days of the family music retail store in west Texas. Times were hard during the era of the dust bowls and d...

Jerry Osiecki’s grew up in the music industry. His father started Osiecki’s Music store out of his parent’s home in the middle of the Depression. When he was little his father passed away...