Thoroughbred Music

AJ Altieri began working in the music retail business in the mid 1970s after a childhood filled with music. He played in bands as a student along with being a Drum Major, before performing in area rock bands. He began working in Elliott Rubinson’s Thoroughbred Music in Tampa, Florida. AJ was asked to manage the small drum area of the store, which under his direction over the next decade outgrew the space. The success led to the idea of his own drum shop one day, which became a reality in 1995 when Thoroughbred Music was sold. AJ and his wife Gracie opened AJ’s Pro Percussion Shop

Theo Boylan hailing from a quaint town 80 miles from Chicago, cultivated her musical prowess from an early age, immersing herself in the exciting realms of piano and oboe performance. Her passion for classical music blossomed at the piano during her formative years, eventually evolving into a fulfilling career path. Employed by Thoroughbred Music in Clearwater, Theo's innate talent merged seamlessly with her dedication to bringing the joy of music to people of all ages. During the piano sales surge of the mid to late 1990s, Theo honed a distinctive customer service approach that r

Paul Kirk has been the audio engineer for the Buccaneers football team in Florida since 1999 and credits his love of music and sound starting with organ lessons when he was 7 years old! His family encouraged his interest in music and when he was a teenager he switched to bass guitar and joined a rock band in his neighborhood. In 1981 he was hired by a local music store while still playing in bands. It was during that time that his love for audio engineering really took off as he would often be the “sound guy” for his bands and others who heard he could help them.

Elliott Rubinson fell in love with the bass at the age of 12 and played it every waking moment as he grew up in Queens, New York, in the rock era of the 1960s. He toured with a number of bands and eventually decided to start his own music store in Florida so he could spend his days immersed in music as well as his performing nights. Thoroughbred Music was opened in 1976 and branched out to create and develop Elliott’s own line of products including Dean Guitars and DDrums. Elliott sold the stores in 1999 to focus on music wholesale, which is when he formed Armadillo Enterprises.