Wally Marx

Wally Marx is a passionate rock and rockabilly guitarist, accomplished author, and an invaluable contributor to the NAMM Oral History program. A dedicated and longtime NAMM volunteer, Wally has conducted some of the collection’s most compelling and insightful interviews with legendary figures, including Ernie Isley, Suzanne Ciani, and Norwood Fisher. He is also the acclaimed author of Gibson Amplifiers 1933–2008: 75 Years of the Gold Tone, a definitive and richly detailed chronicle of Gibson’s pivotal role in amplification history. In 2025, Wally was a featured guest on The Music History Project podcast, where he shared reflections on key Gibson-related interviews. His lifelong love of music was sparked by his jazz-loving father and nurtured by a standout school music program. After starting on trumpet in fifth grade, Wally quickly gravitated to live performance and, at age 12, uncovered a guitar that set him on his path. He’s played in several rock bands, worked with Savage Amps and Composite Acoustics, founded his own rep firm, and contributed to top guitar magazines—all while passionately preserving and celebrating music history.