Louisiana

Bill Causey had a long history of music in his family.  His father was a band director and both his father’s brother and sister were fine musicians.  Bill had great memories of the family dinners being followed by a sing along and music making!  While earning his music education degree he worked for the local newspaper, a job he continued at night after college when he would teach music by day.

Dwight Clements was working at Sears while playing music at night and on the weekends.  While visiting a local store in New Orleans, Mitchell’s Music, Dwight asked the owner if there were any openings.  Bill Mitchell told Dwight he could start the next week.  It was a dream for Dwight who remained with the store for twenty years until Bill retired in 1996 and the store closed.  Dwight was later hired by Dan Hall, the founder of Hall Piano Company, where he shared his passion for music with customers and employees alike until his own retirement in 2012.  Even after that time, Dwigh

Frank D'Arcangelo grew up in a house that always had music playing. He has memories of his parents record collection and large stereo system that seemed to always be playing. He took to the drums and grew up in an area with a vast amount of resources for musicians. In his oral history interview, Frank talks about how he still listens to customers and is still learning something new everyday. He is currently the manager at Ray Fransen's Drum Center in Kenner, Louisiana. 

David Doucet recalls the day his older brother, Michael, left for school. David dashed to pick up Michael’s guitars and taught himself to play. His passion grew the more he listened to artists like Crosby, Still & Nash and later, as suggested by Michael, roots musicians such as Doc Watson and Mississippi John Hurt. Earning a master’s in English at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, David developed a passion for the history of the music he was playing. Joining his brother on stage in 1972, he fell in love with sharing Cajun and Zydeco music with new audiences and telling th

Larry Erny began working with his father when he was a very young boy, emptying trash and sweeping the floors in the store and traveling with him as he set up and created school band programs and music instruments all over Louisiana. Larry's dad was the first music teacher in the state and saw the need for an instrument rental program. Their first store was in Houma, LA and they eventually settled in Lafayette. Over the years, the Erny family has assessed between 180,000 and 200,000 music students. Today, Professor Erny's Music has a thriving band instrument rental program and is

David Erny was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and like his father Larry, began working at Professor Larry's Music when he was a very young boy. David has been running the family business with his dad for a number of years. David played a key role in bringing the music store online with Internet sales and a strong social media presence. The store has developed and changed over the years while remaining family owned and operated.

Ray Fransen was born in New Orleans and began playing drums at an early age. He played professionally full-time for years and taught drum lessons until the birth of his first child. At that time, he decided to try to find a full-time job that would allow him to continue to play and teach. Eventually he opened Ray Fransen's Drum Center and continues his passion of teaching and working in music retail. Ray Fransen and his team have taught thousands of drum set and percussion lessons in the New Orleans area. Ray credits his staff for providing excellent customer service and their loy

Dan Hall was the founder of Hall Piano Company, located on David Drive in Metairie, Louisiana.  The store was opened in 1958 just after Dan had moved from Beaumont, Texas, where he began his career as a piano retailer.  His interesting story in the music industry began by a chance meeting with his brother following World War II.  Dan began working in his brother’s piano store which is where Dan discovered he loved the craft of tuning and repair.  The Hall Piano Company continues to serve the Metairie and New Orleans areas of Louisiana to this day with Dan’s nephew, John Wright Jr.

Donald Harrison Jr. was born in New Orleans to a deeply musical family steeped in all styles of music: brass bands, jazz, R&B, funk, and world music. His father was a Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief, an offshoot of the cultural tradition that goes all the way back to the time of Congo Square. Donald created the term "Afro-New Orleans" to describe himself and his musical heritage and he became a Big Chief of the Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans cultural group. As a saxophonist, he is credited with helping with the rise of "nouveau-swing" and was a member of both Roy Haynes' ban

Chad Huval puts a whole lot of Creole heritage into his playing. Born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, he received his first accordion from his father as a child. As he grew and developed his musical skills, Chad took notice of many of the older players and spent time learning the roots of Cajun and Zydeco music from them. Both styles originated in southern Louisiana and are heavily based on French and African musical traditions. 2017 Chad joined BeauSoleil, a Cajun band formed by violinist Michael Doucet in 1975. The band has toured many of the states and internationally, yet for Cha

Paula Keller Smith’s father, Frank, was a woodworker who opened a violin repair shop in 1975. Over the years the shop turned into a stringed instrument store in Kansas. Paula grew up in the store, assisting with the books, rentals and eventually became a repair tech like her father. After meeting her husband, John, the two moved the store to New Orleans, which came about when her daughter called from college saying the area really needed a string shop. Paula really enjoys helping her customers and working side by side with John in the repair shop.    

Steven Kinchen dreamed of playing music ever since he was a small child.  When he had a chance to work in the music industry following his music degree in college, Steven jumped at the chance. Thanks to a professor’s recommendation, Steven visited with Dan Hall, the founder of Hall Piano Company in Metairie, Louisiana.  Mr. Hall offered him a job and the rest is history!  Among his first duties with the store when he arrived in early 1990 was to develop the synthesizer department.  From that experience, the store began a long and successful relationship with the Kurzweil Company. 

Chris Leuzinger was just nine years old when he saw Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show and begged his father for a guitar. By the time he was 12, young Chris was already in a band with friends from school playing local dances. Although the band mostly played cover songs, Chris was already writing songs, which led to him moving to Nashville in 1972. He toured with Dobie Gray and recorded with Cowboy Jack Clement, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, and a young Garth Brooks. Chris wrote most of the electric guitar solos and electric guitar parts on Garth's recordings over the years and

Kevin Mah was just six years old when he began playing the violin. His passion for music developed over the years and he became a composer of orchestral music. He discovered composing was a wonderful outlet for expressing himself. Kevin was an indie filmmaker when the pandemic of 2020 struck. While visiting his favorite repair shop, Keller Strings in New Orleans, he was offered a job as their social media manager. In addition to his marketing work, he has also been trained on instrument repairs, which he finds very enjoyable.

Gordon Pfund spent his life in the music industry that he loved. At an early age he began working for Werlein For Music in Louisiana and became enamored with the piano and organ market. He was an honorable salesman who put family and music education as key priorities in the way he addressed his customers. Gordon later established Pfund Music Centers and for a time served on the NAMM Board of Directors. His long friendship with Bob Hazard included both men serving as each other’s vice presidents at one time and both working together at Amro Music in Memphis.  

Brittany Platz began her musical journey in Minnesota as a percussionist. One day while in the third grade, her class was treated to a performance by the school’s 6th grade band. The drummer grabbed her attention and as she says, she has been a band geek ever since. She moved to New Orleans after college where she had a few interesting jobs, including working in the box office at the world-renowned Preservation Hall, before being hired at Keller Strings. She really enjoys the family feel of the store, working with customers and providing repairs when a rented instrument is returne

John W. Smith was playing orchestral guitar music when he thought it might be fun to begin playing the cello. He walked into his local string shop, Keller Strings in Kansas and …. met his future wife, Paula. Paula’s father, Frank, started the store as a repair shop where John was able to learn repairs firsthand from Frank. The store has since moved to New Orleans, where John can be found in the back repair shop doing what he loves.

Don Teach is the owner of Shreveport Music store, which was once run by his father. While his father guided the store it was mainly a Hammond dealer and became one of the first to offer Yamaha instruments. By the mid 1960s, he was asked to carry guitars for players who did not want to travel to Dallas for gear. As the store grew, Don came into the business and worked to keep the guitar and combo department strong, while continuing to offer top service to the store’s piano and organ customers. Don’s passion for musical instruments, especially piano and organ, has made him an expert

John Thomas was the lead piano repair man for Werlein’s For Music in New Orleans. The historic music retailer, which opened for business before the Civil War and closed in 2003, had several locations in the south. However, it was the company’s Canal Street location that was known around the world and was the store where John worked for most of the years he worked in New Orleans. John’s interview for the NAMM Oral History program took place on the last day the store was open.  

Lloyd Turner happily landed his first teaching job right out of college as band director for Madison Central High School in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1966. The job cemented in Lloyd’s mind the thought that this was the career for him. He taught for over 20 years, with stints working in local music stores during summer vacations. In 1968, he worked at Mississippi Music in Meridian for a year before being asked by G. Leblanc to serve as their sales representative. He traveled for Leblanc for several years, covering southern Mississippi, most of Louisiana and everything south of Waco,

Parham Werlein followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather as president of Werlein’s For Music in New Orleans, Louisiana. Like his predecessors, Parham also served on the NAMM Board and was a great supporter of the American Music Conference (AMC). Parham’s interview was completed on the day after Werlein’s closed its doors for the final time, which was only the 5th day of closing in its history. The first time the store closed its doors was during a battle close to the warehouse during the Civil War.  

Bitsie Werlein was the last president of the famed Werlein’s For Music in New Orleans. When its doors closed in 2003 it was the nation’s oldest operating music retailer. The company was established in 1862 during the Civil War when the Union Navy blockaded New Orleans harbor. During her years as president the company experienced the great home organ boom of the 1970s and the synthesizer popularity of the 1980s. Bitsie was interviewed on the very day the store closed for the last time. 

John Wright Jr. grew up in the piano business.  His father and his uncle, Dan Hall, formed the Hall Piano Company in 1958.  The store is currently located right on David Drive in Metairie, Louisiana, not too far from the first location, which John recalled running around in as a small child.  Like his father and uncle, John developed a true passion for the music business and was proud to be able to continue the legacy of the family piano store.  John played a key role in the expansion of the product lines and continues in the store’s rich history of customer service.  When his unc

Grayson Zeagler grew up in a musical family, singing in the church and playing in the band. Grayson plays the trumpet and began as a young student. His parents opened a sheet music store in 1968 in Monroe, Louisiana and Grayson grew up in the business and said he could think of nothing else he would rather do than work in the music industry. Over time the product line expanded from sheet music to band instruments when, by the late 1970s, Zeagler’s was a full line music store. After college Grayson joined the store full time and soon took part in industry events and organizations,

Fred Zeagler was always in band growing up and aspired to be the greatest Band Director of all time. He comes from a very musical family and grew up with his brother Grayson in the music store his parents opened in 1968. After studying to become a Band Director in college, Fred realized what he really wanted to do was to work at the store. Now that he’s retired, Fred stated in his 2020 Oral History interview that the people and relationships are what he misses most about working in the music industry.