Jerry Blavat was a DJ and radio broadcaster with a lot of energy! Also known as “The Geator with the Heater” and “The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce,” Jerry started his career on the origina...

Fred Bernardo was repairing and teaching guitar in his local music store when the idea came to him to open his own shop. In 1972, with one guitar and a set of strings he was given as a pr...

Fred Oster was encouraged by his cousin to play the guitar as a youngster, which quickly expanded to include playing the mandolin and the five string banjo. By the time Fred was playing b...

Neal Pomerantz developed a passion for music at a young age. He started on the guitar and had aspirations to become a rockstar. In 1988, Neil took a job at a local music store to make som...

Mark Despotakis has become a well respected arts advocate and strong supporter of music education policies as Director of Market Development for Progressive Music in McKeesport, Pennsylva...

Allan Small played music as a young student and earned his degree in music education, then became a band director for almost a decade.  As a band director in Pennsylvania he was involved ...

Alice Phillips met her future husband when she joined a band while in high school.  Dave sought to learn about the technical side of the business while Alice developed a background in the...

Dave Phillips met his wife in a band he created in high school.  They have been making music ever since and as of 1977 when they opened their retailing business, they have assisted countl...

Fred Greene enjoys running the C.F. Martin & Company factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in fact you could say it is his dream job.  As a guitarist he has passion to the tenth degree w...

Jim Botti always had a passion for music education and in fact has taught most of his life.  In 1958, after he met Jim Kaplan, the two opened a teaching studio that would grow into a musi...

John Buswell was a 16-year-old drummer in the school band when his father, Stan, decided to open a drum shop.  The year was 1976. The city was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The store was cal...

Jim Kaplan and his longtime partner, Jim Botti, were both band directors in Pittsburgh area schools when they saw the need to provide private lessons after school.  Together they opened a...

Richard Schiemer grew up in Brighton, Pennsylvania and often went down to Brighton Music Center for supplies and lessons.  Little did he know at the time that one day, after college, he w...

Brad Wittmer and his friend and co-worker Richard Schiemer were given an opportunity to purchase the store they were working in, and they took it!  The two met while working for Brighton ...

Rose Karr's father worked for the founder of Cunningham Piano Company as a technician. When Mr. Cunningham passed away, Rose's father approached Mrs. Cunningham about his goals to continu...

Calvin Grafton was very interested in the radio business as a youngster. His early jobs included radio repair but he knew he needed more for a solid business, so he opened his own music s...

Al Rinaldi was the first person ever to receive the Steinway Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to him in 2012.  Al never worked for the piano manufacturer nor did he work for an...

Peter Sides is the president and third generation of his family to operate the Robert M. Sides Music Center Pennsylvania. His grandfather opened the store out of his home, selling and rep...

Alysha Sides-Greevy grew up in the music store that her grandfather established in 1937 and has enjoyed working in music retail along side her parents and brother. The Robert M. Sides Mus...

Carol Sides married into the Robert M. Sides Music Center family in the 1960s and soon became an important part of the company’s educational programs and music therapy activity. She work...

Joel Menchey is the president of Menchey Music Service, a Hanover, PA based retail store established by his grandfather in 1936. Joel is also very active within the industry serving on bo...

Bobby Martin was one of the architects who developed the Philly Sound that provided a unique twist of soul and funk records of the 1960s and 70s. As a producer he worked with many top art...

Steve Weiss loved playing the drums as a small child, but never imagined in a million years that he would have a career in music, let alone a pioneering and successful career in the music...

Ed Rizzuto was surrounded by music his entire life. As a young boy he started playing trombone, which he continued throughout high school and into his military service in the early 1950s....

Grace Marquette doesn’t care much for vacations or trips because it takes her away from what she loves, her music store. Grace and her late husband, Robert, purchased the Loser’s Music S...

Sam Keeney loved playing music! He had a road organ he hauled to performances nights and on weekends. Starting in the late 1950s, his day job was music retailing. In 1970 he bought a stor...

Earl Remaley began working for the C.F. Martin & Company before World War II. His long career with the company included nearly every phase of production and assembly. During the 1950s...

George Hines began his music retail store, George’s Music, outside of Philadelphia, PA, in 1977. Since that time, he has been devoted to the industry that he entered out of passion for mu...

Charles J. Dumont’s grandfather and uncle opened a sheet music distribution company in 1945. The company, Charles Dumont and Son in Philadelphia, became one of the key jobbers within the ...

Jacob Malta was an innovator in designing handbells and hand chimes. His approach to product development and engineering led to several important advancements in the tonal quality and man...

Pete Sides has a great passion for the music industry; in fact it is in his blood. On his mother’s side a piano tuner can be traced back to the Mayflower and on his father’s side, his gra...

Tom Baker began his career in the industry at Menchey Music outside of York, Pennsylvania, where he developed and managed the sheet music department. After 30 years, Tom is right where he...