Music Research

Marsha Berman grew up in a home filled with music. Her mother sang and her father played, so she was encouraged to play piano. She took lessons until college, at which point she studied music at UCLA not knowing just what she wanted to do with her degree. She wrote a paper on music library studies and found herself attending UC Berkeley soon after on her way to earning her masters in library science. The degree was not rare in the 1940s, but most certainly not common in the west, which presented Marsha with many opportunities. She became a leader in the field and a strong supporte

Eric Bettelli noticed that Los Angeles based musicians had a need for a magazine that could help them find gigs. He also realized that clubs needed the same such magazine to showcase their venues and to attract acts. Eric put the two needs together and formed Music Connection in 1977. The magazine has since become a national publication and an important resource within the music industry. The company formed a website as early as 1996 and has been the launching pad for a number of big music groups over the years. Eric is proud that the publication has served the musician successful

Paul Bierley was a leading expert and author on the life and music of John Philip Sousa. A passionate fan of band music, Paul noticed several elements of Sousa’s career that were not documented. With his own publishing company, he penned several books on the March King’s life, including unearthed volumes of Sousa’s own photographs and manuscripts that otherwise may have been forever lost. Beginning in the 1960s, Paul began interviewing all of those he could locate who were associated with Sousa, from performers in his bands to the bandleader’s personal cook. What Paul discovered a

Joseph Boonin formed two successful music-publishing companies, which have played an important part in the music products industry. The first of his companies was Joseph Boonin Inc and the second was Jerona. As a leader in the field of research, Joseph added great insight to industry organizations such as the Music Publishing Association (MPA) and the Music Library Association (MLA) of which he has been a member for over 50 years. After selling Jerona he returned to work as a music librarian. Among his most noted jobs was as head of the Recorded Sounds and Images Collection for th

Q David Bowers contributed greatly to the archiving of the music products industry. As an author, he researched and published several books on the early era of mechanical instruments. His 1972 publication, The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments, has become the definitive reference source on the topic. Along the way he also saved an enormous and invaluable collection of vintage trade magazines dating back to the 1880s from being lost. Those materials have since been scanned by the NAMM Resource Center, thanks to Mr. Bowers’ devotion to history, and will be made available

Garrett Bowles was always interested in computer technology, music and library science, so it came to no surprise to his family that Garrett found a way to combine the three fields long before most other librarians even knew there was a need. Garrett was an early architect of the computer music library cataloging process and its MARC record index. As the music librarian for the University of California, San Diego, he set standards in indexing musical materials and catalog designs that have since been adapted by other institutions, including the NAMM Resource Center.  

John Boylan is best known as a hit-making record producer working with Charlie Daniels, Linda Ronstadt, Boston and the Little River Band. In addition to his successful career, John has a passion for the history of electronic and recording equipment. He has studied the roots of recording gear and its development over the last one hundred years. In recent years John has worked on several movie projects including “Born on the Fourth of July” and the TV program, Elmopalooza. 

Monica Burdex grew up enjoying music of many styles and having a real interest in research and library science. She combined her passions becoming the music librarian for California State University at Northridge. During her long career she also worked tirelessly to help re-establish the Southern California Chapter of the Music Library Association, which she did with the help of Steven Fry and other long time members. Her work both with MLA and at the University has played an important role in the preservation of musical documents. 

Walter Carter along with his wife, Christie, formed Nashville's "friendliest guitar store" when they opened Carter Vintage Guitars.  With a last name so well known in country music, you can understand why a beautiful painting of Mother Maybelle Carter adorns the outside wall of the building.  The couple proudly established a store in which men and women can feel welcomed and comfortable, along with a knowledgeable and friendly staff, and inventory that makes most musicians feel like a kid in a candy store.  Walter has also written several books and articles on the history of frett

 Richard Collins had a colorful career as a jazz trumpeter in the evening while he studied for his masters degree by day.  Two topics always fascinated Dick, music and research, so he sought to study both.  He earned his masters in Library Science and spent most of his career in southern California lib

Rob Cook’s name is very familiar to those interested in vintage drums and the companies who produced them. As an author and publisher Rob has penned a series including “The Slingerland Book,” “The Rogers Drum Book,” and “The Ludwig Book.” Rob also established Rebeat Vintage Drums and the magazine Not So Modern Drummer along with authoring hundreds of articles that have appeared in many of the leading drum publications. Once more, Rob has been a historian at heart and has been a great supporter of this archival project.

Gary Cooper enjoys a well-regarded career in journalism with a run in recording and popular music magazines before his work in the music products industry. He branched out with celebrated articles on the people and musical products for Music Trade News and MI Pro, both published in England. He has also contributed articles for pro-audio publications in the United Kingdom. Along the way Gary has been an important supporter of the NAMM Oral History program, providing ideas, background and contacts for many of the veterans and leaders of the British music industry.  

Richard Crain has been at the forefront of music education for the better part of his life. As a Texas bandmaster and educator, he has been instrumental in the growth of school music programs throughout the United States. He has served on the boards of directors for the Midwest Band Clinic and the Texas Bandmasters Association, for which he was not only the President in 1977, but a winner of the Bandmaster of the Year award. Richard’s insightful NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 22, 2006. 

Alan Dale, as a lover of swing music, found himself as a radio station host in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graced the airwaves over several stations and along the way began approaching traveling artists for interviews to be played during his radio program. These interviews served as a strong influence on Dan Del Fiorentino, who worked at KCEA radio station during the same time Alan was there. Alan made the people and their stories come to life in a way that was a thrill to the listener and an honor for the interviewee. 

Sidney Davis took over the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) trade magazine in the 1980s. Originally the magazine began reporting on the industry in the 1880s and became an important resource for suppliers and retailers alike. Sid hired the magazine’s first editor, Don Johnson, who was with the publication for over 25 years and stayed on until his passing in 2008. Sid also assembled a jazz and school band magazine designed for educators. His list of innovations included providing the industry’s first electronic weekly newsletter.

Herbert Deutsch was down in Robert Moog’s basement when the two men were redrafting the design of an electronic synthesizer in the early 1960s. Herb suggested that the modular unit with patch cords was hard to play as a musical instrument and wondered if it could be controlled by an organ-type keyboard. The idea was incorporated into the Mini-Moog, and the rest is history. Herb went on to teach and compose electronic music and has often written about the success and development of the synthesizer.  

Joan Flintoff LoPear joined the Southern California chapter of the Music Library Association (MLA) in 1967 just as the organization and the field of music librarians were recreating themselves in a new age of music. Joan helped in establishing the standard codes now used in music cataloging and has since provided several lectures and research papers on the topic. Her NAMM Oral History interview was completed on December 28, 2005. 

Steven Fry pioneered electronic cataloging as a music librarian for UCLA. He brought his love of music and people together when he revived the then-fading Southern California chapter of the Music Library Association. The chapter was formed in 1947, however, when its founders retired and passed away, the organization declined in membership numbers and thus activities. Steven brought his passion to the chapter and grew it up to a now important part of the music library field. After retiring from UCLA he got back into his other passion, making music!  

Mitch Gallagher grew up in a musical family. His mother and her sisters sang three-part harmony for dance bands, encouraging all of the children in the family to get involved with music. Mitch followed his love of music throughout college and into a salesman job for the Sweetwater Sound retail store beginning in 1992. He grew in that position and helped with the marketing side of the business and writing for the company’s newsletter. Mitch enjoyed writing about the gear and in fact left Sweetwater for a time to become editor of Keyboard Magazine as well as EQ Magazine.

David Goggin is known throughout the industry as Mr. Bonzai, the author and photographer behind several books and thousands of articles on recording, engineering and the people who work in the industry.  To say he is a wealth of information about the recording industry is really an understatement. Thanks to his talents as a writer he has shared much of his knowledge and many of his stories with his readers.  His first recording studio experience occurred in 1967 as the Beatles recorded “I Am the Walrus.”  And so started a love affair with the process and the people in the recordin

George Gruhn is without question one of the top experts of vintage guitars on the planet! George collected guitars before opening the world renowned Gruhn Guitar Shop in Nashville, TN in the early 1970s. Since that time he has authored several historical reference guides and thousands of articles on his vast collection and knowledge including “Acoustic Guitars & Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History” published in 1993.

Norman Harris loves guitars! His vast knowledge and collection has made him one of the industry’s leading experts on vintage guitars and basses. As the founder of Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, CA, he played an important role in the great boom in vintage guitars that began in the 1980s. His passion for the instruments has made him a sought-after resource for articles, books and museum exhibits around the world. His first NAMM Oral History interview was completed on January 20, 2002 and his most recent aligned with the store's 50th anniversary in 2025. 

Sam Hinton was a national treasure. It seems appropriate to use that term when talking about him because he become an important and invaluable preservationist of some of our nation's greatest treasures, folk songs. Sam spent many years traveling the backwoods of this country in search of traditional songs that surely would have been lost without his efforts. As early as 1947, Sam recorded his favorite folk songs for the Library of Congress.

Don Hogue worked with Dr. Kent in the C.G. Conn Research Department. The historic lab created or improved many mathematical and engineering theories used in countless musical instrument designs. Don is particularly proud of the Stroboconn, as it served as the first tool to measure the frequency of an instrument. His NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 23, 2005. 

 Don Johnson received his degree in journalism and later landed the editor’s job at a recording industry trade magazine.  Years later the magazine was sold to the owners of the Music Merchandise Review (MMR).  Under Don’s editorial direction the magazine has focused on music dealers with profiles and product news.  He also worked hard to ensure that each issue would contain tips and suggestions that could be applied to any retail store.  In 2007 Don led the effort for the first

Marvin Jones is the founding editor of Polyphony, an early and important magazine covering the growth and development of the synthesizer industry and its many innovators and leaders. Marvin talked of his wonderful background in music, going back to his father who was a designer and creator of musical instruments who showed his son that creating a sound was more than just playing an instrument, it was crafting an instrument that could make different sounds.

Gez Kahan, on a whim, offered to be the musical director for his college’s production of Tommy. The experience lit a fire under him and soon he was exploring all of the latest gear, especially electronic keyboards and synthesizers. In 1983 he was hired as a freelancer to demonstrate the first Roland MIDI instrument, the JX3P, at the British Music Fair. Once again the experience was exciting and rewarding and led to Roland hiring Gez for demos for four more years before finally asking him to come on board full-time. He wrote the advertising, the company’s newsletter and articles ab

George Klein first met Elvis Presley when the two attended Humes High School in Memphis. Over the years, George became one of Elvis’ closest friends. He was a part of many of the King’s important moments. George appeared in the 1957 film “Jailhouse Rock,” was a groomsman during Elvis’ wedding in 1967, and was a pallbearer at Elvis’ funeral in 1977. He also served as an advisor on many of Elvis’ projects, including the now classic recordings during the late 1960s at the American Sound Studio in Memphis.

Dan Kobida was first interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program back in 2004 during the Wurlitzer company reunion in Oak Brook, Illinois. Dan was not only a respected former employee of the now defunct company but also a key player in the organization of the reunion, which was as much of a family get-together as ever there was. We were able to sit down with Dan again in 2006 on the 20th anniversary of his own company, Ancott, which publishes sales, trends and changes in the piano business.

Walther Krüger was the chief scientist at the music instrument institute in Markneukirchen Germany before his retirement in the 1980s. His specialty was research on the acoustics of instruments to improve their design and production through mathematical measurements and consistency. His research has been published in a series of books (including Das Gorgonenhaupt published in 1972), volumes dedicated to the acoustics of instruments and several hundred articles published in engineering and scientific journals.  

Ray Kurzweil appeared on the popular 1950s and 1960s quiz show “I’ve Got a Secret” to reveal that he had made a computer that could make music. Since those early days, Ray has come to define the computer age of music making. Founder of Kurzweil Music, Ray designed some of the industry’s most noted electronic instruments of the 1980s and 1990s.

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser was presented the highest honor from the American Music Conference (AMC) when he was given the Henry Grossman Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors those dedicated to music education and advocacy, which is practically Tim’s middle name. Over the years as a band director and educator, he has been asked to provide clinics to assist teachers and administrators with the role of increasing the ranks of music makers. He was also an early supporter of recreational music making and was a promoter of many of the advocacy materials created by NAMM, AMC, and othe