Television

John Altman, the world-renowned composer, grew up in a musically rich family and found his own passion for music at an very young age. His uncles (Woolf and Sid Phillips) were successful arrangers, bandleaders and conductors and his cousin Simon Phillips is best known as the drummer for Toto. John played saxophone in several bands growing up with the likes of Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix and Hot Chocolate for whom he served as the groups musical director. Playing as a Studio Musician for several years led to arranging and composing projects including movies such as James Cameron’s Ti

Whispering Bill Anderson began his music career as a songwriter penning the 1958 hit “City Lights” for Ray Price. Within a few years Bill was encouraged to sing some of his songs in his low and mellow way. The results were a string of hit songs including the cross-over smash record “Still” in 1963 and a nickname, Whispering Bill. Over the years he has been an actor, game show star and television host but found himself back to songwriting from the 1990s onwards. Music is a great part of Whispering Bill and, luckily for us, he is still sharing it with the world. 

Fred Armisen is an award-winning comedian and writer who was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2002-2013. Playing drums since he was a kid, Fred was heavily involved with punk rock bands in the Chicago area beginning in the mid-1980s. While his acting career took off, Fred has stayed true to his music roots and is often found at the NAMM Show trying out the latest percussion instruments and drums. In 2020, Fred hosted the TEC Awards during the Anaheim NAMM Show at which time he sat down for his NAMM Oral History interview. My wife jokingly booed him when they met, and she

Dennis Awe is passionate about the organ! As a recording artist he has performed on many products, endorsing the Lowrey Organ for many decades. As a keen salesman, Dennis has written books on the process of marketing and selling to encourage others. As a music maker, Dennis has brought the sounds of his talents to millions, with a smile and a friendly handshake. His love of the industry is only equaled by his desire to see growth in the sales of musical products, a goal he is always willing to share with others. 

Cowboy Joe Babcock is a singer and songwriter whose career in country music spans over sixty years. As a vocalist he and Hurshel Wiginton formed a backup studio singing group called The Nashville Edition. With The Nashville Edition and on his own, Joe sang on thousands of recordings such as Marty Robbins' “Devil Woman,” Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors,” and Elvis Presley’s Grammy winning version of “Amazing Grace.” In 1968 Joe was asked to sing on a new television program called Hee Haw and stayed with the program for its entire run, which went off the air in 1993.

Colin Bailey famously played brushes on the song “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi, which was made popular thanks to the Peanuts cartoon television specials. His long career included gigs with Miles Davis, Clare Fischer, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra and George Shearing. He also often filled in for Ed Shaughnessy on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson! Colin wrote three drum method books, which were published by Hal Leonard. The books are based on his own teaching style that he developed over the years with his students while also working as a session musician in Los Angeles.

Clay Bailey recalls his father’s early career included producing local country music ho-downs while establishing a radio repair shop, which turned into an appliance store called the Radio Hospital. His business grew to offer furniture and other goods over the years and at one point he was joined in business by his oldest son, Clay’s brother Paul Jr. In 1986 Paul Jr. and Clay opened a small music store. It was called Bailey Brothers Music and soon became a successful business. The two brothers were often heard/seen on local radio and TV commercials remembered to this day for their

Bob Bain played with a number of the big bands during the golden era of swing before he became the iconic studio session player in Los Angeles.  His session playing is well known for a wide range of famous gigs, such as playing for Audrey Hepburn as she sang "Moon River" in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or the bass guitar for the Munster's TV theme!  Bob credited his early big band days for providing the training ground to be flexible for his later success in the studios.  By the way, Bob also played for the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for 22 years!

Shelly Berg is the Dean at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Shelly is perfectly fitted for the position as his passion for the faculty, students and the ever-expanding programs and curriculum the school offers radiates off of him. The school has become one of the top music business programs in the country, a fact Shelly quickly credits his predecessors, including Jim Progris and Rey Sanchez. Shelly has been playing music since he was four years old and enjoyed a successful career as a studio musician, songwriter and composer for the film and television industr

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 original American Bandstand TV Show in the 1950s. He became the road manager for Danny and the Juniors, allowing him to meet and become friends with musical icons such as Sammy Davis Jr, Sam Cooke, and Frank Sinatra. He began broadcasting on radio in the 1960s with the goal of exposing young teens to the timeless classics of his generation. Jerry was also in several other TV Shows and movies including Th

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.

J. Aaron Brown headed up Word Publishing in Nashville between 1970 and 1980. Before that time he had worked with several musicals acts, including the Oak Ridge Boys.  As a songwriter himself, Aaron added his personal knowledge and passion for music to all of the projects he was involved with over his career.  His project "A Child's Gift of Lullabyes" series earned him eight Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards (Best Musical Album For Children) and opened up a new market for new mommy's wanting to bond musically with their babies.  The gifts Aaron has given music continue to be

Carol Buschmann grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where she joined the all female singing group the Chordettes just a year after it was formed in 1947. She stayed with the group until they disbanded in the early 1960s after having several top selling albums and two hit records in the 1950s including “Mr. Sandman” and the crossover hit “Lollipop.” While with the group she performed all across the country, on television and radio. She and the other women decided to return home to raise their families, this after having played an important role in popular music. 

Frank Capp .always fancied himself a jazz drummer, although he successfully played many styles of music. As a session player in Los Angeles, Frank played on many hit recordings, among them, "The Beat Goes On" and "I Got You Babe" with Sonny and Cher. He led big bands and played in small groups with the likes of Stan Kenton and Peggy Lee. Frank was also the drummer for the David Rose Orchestra, which appeared on the Red Skelton television show for over 13 years! His friendship with Remo Belli, and several others in the music products industry, is among the main reason Frank was a r

Will Champlin grew up in a very musical family, his father Ben is the songwriter and founding member of the band Chicago.  Will studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and launched his musical career as a songwriter.  In 2010 he won a Grammy for writing the song “Ordinary Me,” which appeared on Heather Headley’s album Audience Of One.  Three years later Will’s singing career was underway with a performance on The Voice, he sang the Gavin DeGraw song “Not Over You.”

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray Charles, or as he called himself "The Other Ray Charles" was a choral director whose choir backed such singers as Perry Como and Bing Crosby. Ray enjoyed a successful career in television and can even be heard singing the theme song for the 1970s comedy "Three's Company" (Come and Knock on Our Door). Countless school children around the country learned the names of the states with a song he wrote entitled, "Fifty Nifty United States." He was also a st

Domenic Cicchetti, the institutional solutions group manager at Yamaha, boasts over twenty-five years of experience in the music industry. His versatile career spans roles as a performing musician, recording artist, composer, educational clinician and musical instruments product specialist. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Domenic launched his recording career in 1979 with the release of “Sunrise” on Arista Records. With a published book and recent recording, “Open Road,” paying homage to jazz icons like Bill Evans and Chick Corea, Domenic's dedication to his craft shines t

Gene (Cip) Cipriano began his musical career with the big bands led by such stars as Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, and Tex Beneke. He later moved to Los Angeles where he soon began his incredible career as a noted studio musician playing primarily the saxophone, oboe, flute, and clarinet. As a member of the Wrecking Crew, Cip can be heard on hundreds of hit recordings including the clever oboe intro to Frank Sinatra’s “It Was a Very Good Year.” He played for hundreds of movies and television programs, several under the musical direction of his longtime friend Henry Mancini.

Roy Clark, the Country Music Hall of Fame guitar player, was always proud of his connection with the music products industry. In addition to the products he endorsed over his long career, Roy helped design his signature model for Heritage Guitars. Roy also was close to many in the music publishing industry ever since he wrote the first of many successful method books for both guitar and banjo. The popularity of these books' were boosted with the creation of the TV program, Hee-Haw, which Roy co-hosted for over 20 years.

John Clauder played drums and percussion in the LA recording studios in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and can be heard on many hits, such as those produced by Phil Spector. John played in front of and behind the camera on dozens of TV shows and movies during his career, which he enjoyed very much. Deeply rooted along with his passion for music are John’s religious beliefs, which he brilliantly brought together in the form of pray and drum circle events as well as many wellness programs using the drums. 

Dick Contino had a series of hit recordings and popular television appearances in the 1950s playing his trusty accordion. By the end of that decade, he was hired by M. H. Berlin at Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) to introduce a string of innovative products. It was Dick who first introduced the Cordovox in the mid-60s, thanks to his friendship with Mr. Berlin. Dick appeared at a number of NAMM shows as an endorser and recalled many warm memories of the friendships he developed in the industry.

Del Courtney was among the most popular Big Band leaders of the golden age of swing. Getting his start in the Al Hill Orchestra, Del soon found fame when he formed his own band at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, Calif., in 1939. He established himself as "The Old Smoothie" and created a band ideal for hotel ballrooms. He later had success incorporating Hawaiian themes in his music, originating the "Sylvania Television Program" and becoming the official band director for the Oakland Raiders football team.

David Coy is a seasoned bassist renowned for his extensive collaboration with legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach. His passion for music was nurtured by his father, a dedicated college band director who notably led Pasadena City College’s ensemble in the iconic Rose Parade. During collage, David immersed himself in the Los Angeles recording scene, performing alongside esteemed studio musicians of the 1970s and ’80s. His early career featured engagements with various Christian music groups across Los Angeles and Orange County, laying the groundwork for his professional journey.

Damien Curry had been working for Guitar Center as the Product Marketing Manager for a few years when he began a night and weekend gig composing and recording music for television. Since 2007 his Diamond Mine Productions has created music for a long list of your favorite programs including Entertainment Tonight, Ellen, The Wayne Brady Show and MAD TV.  Damien remained at Guitar Center for a decade before accepting a job offer at Harman working as Global Products Line Manager for their Recording and Broadcast products. The position fits perfectly with his background in pro audio as

Sonny Curtis is thought to be the first person to have recorded a rock and roll song using the Fender Stratocaster.  The recording date took place in Nashville with his friend Buddy Holly a year before Buddy recorded his first big hit called “That’ll Be the Day.”  In fact, it was Buddy’s guitar Sonny was using because the engineer wanted Buddy to focus on the vocals.  This all took place before Sonny wrote “I Fought the Law” and the TV theme to the Mary Tyler Moore Show!

Eric Dahl recalls his father playing bass guitar as a kid and the wide range of records in his home growing up, from jazz to the blues. As a small child, he was given a Casper the Friendly Ghost crank-up plastic guitar but played on it enough that he was given a more serious guitar when he was just five years old. He played in his dad’s band, and churches and even was in a band that opened for Tower of Power in Las Vegas back in 2001. While at a local pawn shop, Eric discovered and purchased a guitar that once belonged to BB King. You must read his book about this capper, which en

Dean Daniels plays a vital role in the production of the annual TEC Awards during the Anaheim NAMM Shows.  His expertise in video production goes back to the early days of country music programs on television, which his father helped pioneer.  His dad started his career on radio and later directed many special music broadcasts both on radio and later on television. Country Music Television (CMT) was founded by his father and he was also the program director and first president of the network.  Dean followed in his father's footsteps and has his father's passion for the industry an

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Frank De Vol was a noted arranger who took jazz to television and the movies and incorporated top musicians within Hollywood studio work whenever he could.  Frank began arranging for big bands when he was a teenager and worked with Horace Heidt and Alvino Rey before being hired by recording studios.  He arranged for a long list of vocalists including Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett and began working in the movies and television. Frank wro

Barry De Vorzon began writing songs as a teenager and had several hits during his long career.  Among his top charters were two hit instrumental songs, the theme for the television show SWAT and the second, the theme for the soap opera The Young and the Restless, which was also known as “Nadia's Theme”.  Barry and his son also created a software program for songwriters called MasterWrite.

Glenn Derringer is one of the icons of the music products industry. As a small child, Glenn gained national fame as a whiz on the piano and organ. In fact, Elvis Presley opened for Glenn when the soon-to-be crowned King of Rock made his TV debut on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show in 1955. With great vigor and dedication, Glenn went on to carve out a respected reputation, first at Wurlitzer and other companies before becoming the president of Hanser Holdings and BC Rich Guitars.  

Frank DeVito  was the drummer and percussionist in

Dennis Dreith was inspired and encouraged by several music teachers and professors during the early part of his education. A few of his college professors made special accommodations so that Dennis could gain his class credits while touring with bands. Those experiences, along with the kindness shown to him by studio musicians, helped Dennis realize his need to help the next generation of musicians.