Ryoki Yamaguchi

Ryoki Yamaguchi was born and raised in Japan, where his mother’s piano sparked his lifelong love of music. As a child, the instrument was all the toy he needed, and he grew up eager to learn everything he could about making music. By his teenage years, he had become a skilled electronic organist, and at just 22 he was hired by the Roland Corporation to perform as one of their featured organ artists. Through this role, he connected with industry leaders such as Dennis Houlihan, Hector Olivera, and Rosemary Bailey—who later encouraged him to share his story for the NAMM Oral History program. In his interview, Ryoki-san expressed his deep passion for theatre organs and described how his classical pipe organ training gave him a strong foundation, even though his first love has always been performing American Songbook standards on theatre organs. Among his many highlights was his first NAMM Show in 1988 and when he performed in the “Organ Power” concerts organized by Dennis Houlihan at Roland. Invited to play three times, he delighted audiences with his renditions of beloved American television themes, including Bewitched, Sesame Street, and The Muppet Show. Following his interview, Ryoki treated us to a performance on the Museum of Making Music’s Hammond Model A, to the delight of all who gathered.