NAMM Board of Directors-Interviewed

Marty Albertson began working at the Guitar Center in San Francisco when the small chain’s founder, Wayne Mitchell, was still active in the business. Marty was there to see the store locations expand and grow and was very much a part of the executive branch of the company when it was first offered as a publicly-traded company. As Chairman of Guitar Center Marty is still active in the major decisions, but also finds time to serve on a number of music related organizations including on the board of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

 Sammy Ash was named after his grandfather, the founder of the Sam Ash Music Company in New York City. Like his grandfather, Sammy had a deep passion and understanding of the music business and although both men faced different challenges in different eras, they both felt customer service was the highest priority. Sammy played a vital role in the company’s expansion, overseeing the purchase of several new store locations as well as the construction of others throughout the United States. He was just 65 years old when he lost his battle with melanoma.  

Thomas Austin was a key part of the Sherman Clay team for over 40 years!  The store chain focused on pianos; however, Thomas recalls the home organ boom in the 1970s as the company was a Hammond Organ dealer.  The company was formed in San Francisco in 1870 and grew to be the biggest (for a time) and oldest chain music store operation.  Thomas was involved with the company until it was announced in 2013 that the company would be closing its doors. Thomas served on the NAMM Board and remained involved with the industry even after the company went out of business.  

Pat Averwater has always been proud of the musical legacy of his grandfather, who established Amro Music in the 1920s. Since then, the Memphis based store has become a hub for the musical culture in the area. Pat and his brother, Chip, became the third generation to run the family business. They worked hard to create a future in which their children can carry on the rich history of not only running a successful music retail business, but also serving on boards and committees to strengthen the entire industry.

Chip Averwater took over the music retail business in Memphis, just as his father did and his son would one day, keeping the tradition in the family. Chip’s passion for the music business expanded beyond the store and out into volunteer positions for several organizations including NAMM. Serving on the NAMM Board, Chip played an important role in the development of international outreach programs including providing support for the newly created China show. Chip was the Chairman of the NAMM Board for two years beginning in 2008.

Sterling Ball’s great-grandfather was a successful songwriter in the golden era of Tin Pan Alley and wrote a series of hits such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and "Mother Machree” His father was Ernie Ball, the innovator and musician who revolutionized the music industry with his strings and in standardizing string gauges. Sterling expanded on his father’s company by bringing in the Music Man brand and in designing a new series of guitars and products beginning in the 1970s. Sterling has not slowed down since.

Dennis Bamber helped pioneer mail order catalogs for musical products beginning in the 1970s. After opening a small woodwind store in South Bend, Indiana in 1978, Dennis noticed that many of his customers were traveling 5 and 6 hours to his store. While he expanded the size of the store he also thought of ways to bring the store to those located far away. Among his innovations in the area of the mail order business, Dennis would send 3 or 4 products for the customer to try for a few weeks in order to be sure they were satisfied with their final instrument purchase.

Russell Beacock is president of Beacock Music, a Vancouver, Washington-based retail store that was established by his parents, Dale and Susan, back in 1976. Proudly representing the second generation of the family owned business, Russ works alongside his sister Gayle. Together they have expanded the business, which has a strong focus on school music, as well as being able to compete with the Internet and big-box stores in their area. Russ is also very active in organizations within the industry such as NASMD and NAMM.  

Gayle Beacock and her brother are second-generation music storeowners with a flair for business and a passion for encouraging music making. Gayle’s parents started Beacock Music to build relationships with band directors, a position her father held for many years. Gayle brought new and creative marketing ideas to the company including an in-store coffee bar and other activities for parents as they waited for their children’s lessons to end. She has also been very active in the industry associations, presenting classes for NAMMU and serving as president of RPMDA. 

Tom Bedell began giving guitar lessons in his home town of Spirit Lake, Iowa.  Just a few months later, when Tom was 14 years old, he imported guitars with his name on the headstock from Japan.  The year was 1963.  Tom continued to make guitars and played in local bands, growing his wholesale business to a half a million dollars by the time he was 16 years old.  He then opened his own music store, which was the same name as his guitar brand, Bedell Guitar Company.  Years later Tom and his wife came back to the music industry.  They opened a small music retail store called Two Old

Remo Belli revolutionized the music products industry by introducing the Weather King, the single most popular drumhead in the world! As a jazz drummer, Remo was looking for ways to improve the percussive products he was using. Once his team of chemists found the perfect formula, Remo took it around to his many drummer friends to test the product out. Remo pioneered the use of music and wellness with his dear friend Karl Bruhn and a wave of instruments aimed at getting all ages involved with music and music making. We have interviewed Remo several times for the NAMM Oral History p

Greg Billings is the retired president of the Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples in Florida. Greg is also a very active member of the music products industry, appearing on panel discussions at NAMM Shows, serving on boards and writing a regular article for Music Inc. magazine. His deep passion for the industry and for providing music in the lives of many thousands of people can be traced back to the passion of his father, Zeb Billings. Zeb was a pioneer in both retailing and music publishing in the home organ era that set standards still being used to this day.

Dick Boak has served as Director of Artist Relations for the C.F. Martin & Company during the development of the popular signature series product line, as well as for such historic projects as Martin's One Millionth Guitar.  Dick has been passionate about the company's important past ever since joining the company in 1976 and has long served as Martin's historian.  Dick studied the history of the company, which was formed in 1833, and wrote the book "Martin Guitar Masterpieces" in 2005.

Crane Bodine’s father, Elmer, was a piano man who formed a retail store in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1933. When Crane was 17 years old, he began working in the store. In 1962, he took over as president shortly after his father’s passing. Crane became a pioneer in the organ business, both as a dealer for the Hammond and Yamaha lines, and as a promoter of music making in the form of the Amateur Organists Association International (AOAI), which he established in 1971. The organization became important for several reasons, including their widely read journal and their annual meetings.

Bryan Bradley proudly states in his NAMM interview that he has had several mentors throughout his career that helped him grow and develop within the industry.  Among those mentors were Gene Joly and Morty Manus.  Bryan wrote songs for several television projects before becoming a buyer for Guitar Center beginning in 2001.  He later worked for Alfred Music Publishing, where he worked with Morty for four years.  Bryan now heads Entertainment Division within JBL Professional.  In 2017, Bryan joined the NAMM Board as he looks for the opportunities to mentor others within the industry.

Fred Bramante formed the music retail store Daddy’s Junky Music on the East Coast and went on to play a vital role on the NAMM Board during a dynamic period in the association’s history. While playing in a rock band in college in the late 1960s, Fred got the idea of buying used music gear and selling it to performers he knew who were looking for unusual equipment. The idea led to the formation of Daddy’s Junky Music and Fred’s career long involvement with the music industry. He served on the NAMM Board in the mid 1980s when they established the Market Development Department, which

Keith Brawley heads up the global sales for Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, California. The role is a perfect fit for Keith who knows and understands the importance of a quality instrument, having had his own brand of guitars and the relationship with salesman as he was also a road rep for years. These experiences and his own love of the instrument makes for a perfect match. He joined Taylor at a very exciting time, when Andy Powers was coming into his own and the founders, Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, were around to provide guidance and perspective. Keith has also been active in build

T. Warren Brown was president of the music store his father established in the Tacoma, Washington area in the years of World War II. Ted Brown Music became an important leader in the music retail business with Warren playing key roles in the expansion of the store. Warren was also active within the industry, where he helped the establishment of the Omega Group as well as NASMD National Association of School Music Dealers. A matter of pride for Warren was that his daughters grew up in the business and went on to run the business.

David Brown grew up in the music industry working with his grandfather at his store, Critchett’s Music in Des Moines, Iowa. Dave started at a young age, first washing windows in the back of the store until he was encouraged, by his grandfather, to go on the road selling pianos and eventually he purchased the business in 1978. Critchett Music, which celebrated its 96th anniversary in 2018, continues to be a staple in the organ market throughout the Midwest. During his NAMM Oral History interview, Dave recounts the importance that relationships have played in the success of his care

Whitney Brown Grisaffi proudly serves as the president of Ted Brown Music, a revered Tacoma, Washington-based retail establishment founded by her grandfather. Her unwavering dedication and fervent passion for the business shine through in her exemplary relationships with customers, staff and industry peers. Following in the footsteps of her late father, Warren Brown, Whitney actively participates in industry associations, contributing her insights and leadership as a board member for NAMM and as the second female president of the NASMD board. Her innovative ideas have bolstered in

Thomas Burzycki served as President of Selmer Band Instruments while at the same time being on the NAMM Board as one of the first four commercial members to do so.  He followed that term as President of the American Music Conference during the important transition and growth of the organization during the 1990s.  His long career in the industry was followed by a part time teaching position at the University of Indiana, covering both business and advertising.  Tom’s unique approach to music education has played a vital role in many of the industry’s programs and projects during his

O’Lyn Callahan has played the piano since she was eight years old and started on organ at age twelve after receiving a Hammond B3 from her father. She came in third place at a Yamaha organ competition in 1973 (which took place at a NAMM Show) which resulted in her getting a job as a touring organ artist for Yamaha. After her long career playing organ, O’Lyn and her husband opened O’Lyn Callahan’s Piano & Organ Center in Sarasota, Florida. After a fifteen-year run with her own store and experience serving on the NAMM Board of Directors, O’Lyn started working as a touring artist

William Carpenter has an incredible understanding of the music business.  Having developed and marketed a percussion accessory, Bill was hired in 1976 by Remo to assist in sales and product development.  After 12 years working outside the music products industry he then returned to Remo in 1994 as General Manager.  In 1996, in what seems like an unlikely direction, he was hired by Boosey & Hawkes as President of Rico International..  In 2003 he teamed with two other partners to acquire the instrument and accessory division of Boosey & Hawkes and to form The Music Group.

Joe Castronovo began working for Unicord in the months before the company was sold and became KORG USA. With a solid team, which included the late Mike Kovins, under the leadership of KORG founder, Kahto-san, the company flourished over the next few decades. When Joe’s friend, Mike Kovins, passed away in 2006, Joe took the position of president and guided the company during the years of a recession and strong Internet competition.  

Brian Chung grew up surrounded by music and played piano at an early age. He earned an MBA and worked at ATT before returning to music. Brian wrote film scores using MIDI in the early 1980s, but injured his arm. As he wondered what he would do until his arm recovered, he applied and got a job at Kawai Pianos. Within several years he grew within the company, becoming senior vice president. During this time Brian became a strong supporter of many music education programs including those supported by NAMM. 

Jack Coffey is the founder of Coffey Music in Massachusetts. Coffey Music was a one-store operation that later grew to a chain of retail stores noted for their music lessons and attention to details. As a leader in the industry, Jack held many key positions within a number of organizations, including president of the NAMM Board. Jack was one of the NAMM past presidents in attendance at the 100th anniversary of the association in 2001. He also played an important role in the development of the American Music Conference (AMC).  

Jake Connolly has fond memories of working with his father, who became his mentor in life and the music business. Together, father and son grew their string distribution company from a short list of products to a strong offering based on several product lines. The relationships they built years ago remains important in partnerships such as those with Thomastik-Infeld and Konig & Meyer. Jake has also devoted his time and resources to music advocacy and supporting music in the school programs as well as serving on the NAMM Board of Directors.

Cindy Cook married long-time music retailer, Rand Cook, in 1998. Ten years later, the couple had the opportunity to purchase the very store Rand had worked in for nearly 20 years. Together, the couple transformed the store into a welcoming music hub and education center serving people from all walks of life; from families to professional musicians, and everyone in-between. The Candyman was presented several NAMM Top 100 Dealer Awards including the 2014 Dealer of the Year. Along the way, Cindy has also been involved with the guidance of NAMM, serving on the NAMM Board of Directors.

David Cooper recalled, with a warm smile, when his father took him to his first NAMM Show. The Cooper Piano and Organ Store in Georgia began in 1905; therefore, David did not just grow up in the business--his life was always involved in music. The store enjoyed great success over the years due to what David called ‘the willingness to take a chance on what the customer wanted.” It was not always easy to predict the trends and stay on top of them, but his family, which includes his son who now runs the company, has a great track record. David was also a strong supporter of the NAMM

Hal Cowan studied business administration while playing music all through school. He loved playing organ and found himself in the company of fellow organ buffs as well as employees of organ stores and manufacturers. Hal worked for the Jenkins Hammond Organ Studios as president under Paul Jenkins who was a family member of the Jenkins Music Company. Hal took over the Hammond Studios as owner when Paul Jenkins left in 1977 and changed the name of the store to Jenkins Music Company (he licensed the name from J. W.

Kevin Cranley grew up in the music industry and has a passion for all elements of the music business as if it were in his blood.  As a young man, he completed odd jobs around the Willis Music store and helped his father with the publishing side of the business.  Years later Kevin took over the business and became very active within industry organizations such as RPMDA and NAMM.  He served on the NAMM Board of Directors as well as on the Executive Committee before becoming NAMM Chairman in 2011.  Kevin has also been a strong and long-time supporter of the NAMM Oral History program,

Bill Crowden was one of the true veterans of the music products industry!  He owned and operated Drums Ltd, one of the hot spots for jazz, symphonic and rock drummers for several decades.  The store was located on Wabash Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.  When Bill married into the Ludwig family by marrying the founder’s granddaughter Brooke, it was the perfect match.  Mr. and Mrs. Crowden were sure to be on hand at the NAMM grand events as well as those hosted by Ludwig and the Percussive Arts Society for the better part of 40 years.