Jack Ashford played percussion as a member of the famed Funk Brothers, the house band for Motown Records beginning in the 1960s. Jack’s unique approach to the tambourine soon resulted in...
Malcolm Cecil was the engineer and product designer behind the famous synthesizer known as TONTO! TONTO is the acronym for "The Original New Timbral Orchestra," the first, and still the l...
Leroy Emmanuel often shares a telling story about his musical heritage—his parents met in their school band, both playing the violin. Born in Georgia, he moved to Detroit at the age of ei...
Ellis Hall is a man of many talents. This singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and composer may have lost his sight at the young age of 18, but he quickly found inspiration by...
Akio Hiyoshi was on the engineering team at Yamaha in 1959 that designed the Electone Organ, which brought the small piano manufacturer into the electronic musical instrument market, wher...
Clayton Ivey is proud to have been the first white producer to sign exclusively with Motown Records. As a result of his work at Motown (which was located in Los Angeles at that time), Cla...
Corinne Lillo and her siblings Vic Dean, Les and Danielle grew up in the family music business which was founded in 1963 by their parents Doreen and Vic Lillo. Corinne has many fond memor...
Steve Madaio played trumpet on most of Stevie Wonders recordings during the innovative and creative period between 1971 and 1976. Stevie was experimenting with electric keyboards and syn...
Robert Margouleff has pioneered many technologies in making records, including the use of surround sound, tapeless recordings, and employing electronic musical instruments. He worked on ...
Glen Marhevka, known as "the Kid," is a longstanding member of the renowned band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, joining in 1995. Marhevka's exceptional trumpet skills have graced tracks from such ...
Reggie McBride picked up the phone in 1973 only to hear the voice of Stevie Wonder inviting the young musician to join him at the Record Plant recording studio in New York City. The proje...
Raul Midón, a luminary shaped by the vibrant rhythms of Latin music, discovered his calling amidst a world of sound despite the challenge of blindness. From his earliest days, Raul found ...
Bob Olhsson started as a mastering intern at Motown Records in the mid-1960s, when he was still a teenager. His long and innovative career as an engineer has included several historic pr...
Ray Parker Jr may best be known for writing the soundtrack to Gostbusters, but his legacy goes back much further. Starting in Detroit as a teenager, Ray got the opportunity to work and to...
Starr Parodi, has actively made beautiful music for the masses in all sorts of venues. As a pianist, synthesist, composer, producer, arranger, and conductor Starr has worked on a bevy of ...
Rocky Peoples was the saxophonist heard on hit recordings such as “Will We Go Round In Circles” and “Nothing From Nothing” by Billy Preston, as well as his own composition “Driver’s Licen...
Greg Phillinganes reminds one of a chameleon with his innate ability to perfectly blend into any musical situation or setting. While still a teenager, Greg had the opportunity to join Ste...
Phil Ranelin stood in line at school to pick an instrument for band. He really wanted the saxophone but when he got to the head of the line all the saxophones were gone and he was given a...
James Sajeva is the Senior Brand Manager for KORG USA, a firm he has worked for since 1996. His passion and love of music began at a young age and throughout his youth KORG instruments we...
Victoria Theodore has had some marvelous musical experiences both as a musician and teacher. Her first big gig was a seven-year stint touring with Stevie Wonder in his band. Being classic...
Isao Tomita was the world-renowned composer of electronic music who famously used the Moog synthesizers to create award winning music that influenced a generation of music makers! Among ...
Titus Tost studied computer programming in the mid-1980s in East Germany. He enrolled in a newly established study program called the Studio for Electronic Sound Generation (SEKD) in Dres...
Freddie Washington is proud of the connections he has made in the music world as a bass player and that his passion for music has led to so many opportunities to make music with other pas...
Nate Watts grew up in Detroit, Michigan when Motown was in full swing, and it proved to be a major inspiration for the bass legend. In 1974 Nate was summoned by Stevie Wonder to join his ...
Paul Wiffen was on tour with Michael Jackson in England when word spread that Princess Diana might attend the show. Concerned about offending her, Michael asked Paul to inform the crew th...
Stevie Wonder has earned the title of the "Mayor of the NAMM Show" for his countless visits to the show floor over the years. He has become an important part of the music products indust...
Betty Wright was three years old when she was placed on a pile of phone books in a studio in order to reach the microphone when her family recorded gospel music. She began writing songs v...
