Oral History Interviews

Stan Keyawa has grown up in the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California.  He and his two brothers run the store that his step-father, Bob Yeager, opened in 1959.  What makes the store unique is its personality, which was crafted from the family that runs it and the gear they sell, as well as the many characters who have become loyal customers.  The customer list is really a who’s who of the drum world and Stan is proud to point out that they treat each person who walks in the doors as family.  If you have not been in the shop, it’s a must!  

Jerry Keyawa loves to tell stories about the many amazing customers who have shopped at the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California.  He and his two brothers run the store that his step-father, Bob Yeager, opened in 1959.  The team provides a deep knowledge of everything in the store and has carried on the Bob Yeager tradition of solid customer service!  Jerry enjoys providing quality gear and takes care of each request from his customers because the joy of a return and happy customer is worth his time.  He also enjoys the environment his family has created over the years

Alan Kay has always had a love for music and in fact often found himself thinking in terms of a musician when he was designing computers and computer code.  Alan is a computer science pioneer who spent a decade at the famed Xerox PARC helping to design and engineer personal computers, computer code and object-oriented programing.  His passion for science and music makes him the ideal person to explain how computers can be created to make music, a theme that has remained a key area of study and pursuit for Alan during his long and successful career.

Les Harrison is the president of Hollywood Sound Systems in Hollywood, California.  The company provides sound system and designs both to purchase and to rent and has been an innovator in the field since 1960.  The company has provided systems for recording studios, the film industry and for television as well as live events.  Along the way, Les became a collector and an expert on microphones.  His knowledge and collection have been used for several movies and TV programs over the years and a who’s who of musicians!  His passion and love for the industry may be the only things tha

Sylvia Cunliffe was working for the City of Los Angeles when she created and produced a series of large public events that brought music to millions over the years.  The Los Angeles Street Scene and Country Scene were among her most notable events, which provided over a dozen stages that showcased big name artists to un-knowns who performed everything from jazz and rock to country and classical.  The success of her events paved the way for many other similar events, all of which offered the latest in audio and staging gear.

Connie Czerwinski was the president of Cerwin-Vega, the company her father established in 1954 and worked with her father and the team he assembled, which provided many innovations in pro audio. Among the products the company became known for were speakers, the world's first solid-state  "Electronic amplifier," folded bass subwoofers and sound reinforcement.  The company was key in the development of sensurround technology beginning in the late 1960s, which was used in the motion picture industry.  Connie provided a wonderful background on her father, who passed in 2010 and the en

Gary Chen is the owner of Stein On Vine, the historic horn and string shop in Hollywood, California whose customer list reads like a who's who of jazz and film music.  Gary was hired by the founder, Maury Stein, the brother of famed songwriter Julie Stein.  Maury had developed a wonderful reputation among musicians who came in for new instruments as well as repairs and accessories.  Jazz legends such as Benny Carter,Stan Getz, Phil Woods as well as bassist Ray Brown, who became like a second father to Gary.  Gary's role in the store has been equally notable, which included bringin

Stephen Shorney grew up in the music publishing business that his great-grandfather established with a partner--Hope Publishing, which focused on church music.  The family has continued to focus on church music having started off printing and publishing hymnals and expanding to purchasing songs and developing works for choral and handbell music.  Stephen is proud, along with his two cousins, Scott and John Shorney,  to continue with the family's mission in providing quality music publications. 

Carter Schuld's father purchased an accordion for him when he was just four years old.  Thanks to church, Carter took a liking to the organ, which his father noticed and purchased a home organ when Carter was just seven.  He became more interested as television shows like Lawrence Welk fuelled the home organ market. The organ remains Carter's main instrument, which led to a music retailer job in Milwaukee and several other retailers including Wells Music in Colorado.

John Pollard first walked into Swords Music in Fort Worth, Texas as a customer.  In fact he took music lessons in the store before he was told of a position to work in the store.  The store owner and founder, Logan Swords, opened the retail shop in 1969.  At the time of the taping of John's interview, Swords Music was the oldest retailer in the city, a fact for which Logan and his team are very proud. John felt right at home in the store and soon became one of the most knowledgeable salesmen within the guitar department.

Rick Walters made a lasting impact on the world of classical and vocal music publishing during his remarkable career at Hal Leonard. Starting out transcribing popular sheet music, he quickly rose through the ranks to eventually oversee the classical and vocal publications division. His influence was particularly significant as Hal Leonard expanded its reach through major acquisitions like G. Schirmer and Boosey and Hawkes. Rick's dedication to preserving and presenting essential repertoire for students and teachers in the classical music realm was unwavering.

Nancy Ubick is quick to point out that her mentor in business has been Mary Vandenberg, the pioneering Business Affairs executive for Hal Leonard.  In fact it was Nancy who succeeded Mary as the Vice President of Business Affairs, which handles the contract and licensing rights for the company.  Mary remains a consultant for the department, for which Nancy is very proud to be involved.  The company has been a leader in musical rights in the digital age, thanks in part to both  Nancy's and her staff’s hard work and dedication.

Mary Vandenberg started at Hal Leonard as the sole licensing administrator in the Milwaukee office and eventually became the Vice President of Business Affairs.  In that role she dealt with copyright, trademark and other intellectual property issues and was the liaison with music rights owners and others from whom the company licensed rights for its products.  She developed many of the templates used by the company in its various licensing and business contract areas.  She now is a consultant to the Business Affairs department, handles all of the contracts for the book trade area,

Brad Smith is the Senior Sales and Marketing Manager for Hal Leonard.  During his career as a writer and industry historian, he worked for MIX Magazine before joining the Hal Leonard team. Among his many tasks is overseeing the publication of books dedicated to the history of musical products such as the Fender Guitar Company and the musical gear used by the Beatles.  Brad has been a strong supporter of the NAMM Resource Center and this Oral History program since the early 2000s. 

Jimi Schutte first played drums as a teenager and went on to perform and record with a host of blues legends such as Luther Allison, Jimmy Dawkins and Lonnie Brooks. He toured with The South Side All Stars in the late 1970s and early 80s, which featured Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Shaw and the great Hubert Sumlin. 

Michael Sweeney has been heavily involved in all aspects of music education over his career in the music industry.  Originally a public school band director, he’s been a full-time employee of Hal Leonard Corporation since 1982, serving as director of band publications, composer, arranger, clinician and guest conductor.

Jeff Schroedl wrote and published a guitar book in his late teens, which led to being asked to join his publisher, Hal Leonard, to be involved with future projects centered around guitar music.  Hal Leonard has been dedicated to music publishing since first being established in 1947. Along the way, the company has been a leader in music publishing and very innovative in several formats and deliveries along the way.  An area of expansion for the company is pop songbooks and instructional methods, which is spearheaded by Jeff and his team.

Jim Paulsen's father opened a small music store in Kenosha to focus on his instrument of choice, the accordion.  When young Jim encouraged his father to expand into guitars, they started off slow, but soon began to grow.  The Music Center today is a well-established retailer that covers the combo and school markets and includes both lessons and repairs.  The family feeling within the store that Jim's father created continues with family members as well as long time employees who are treated as members of Jim's family!

Tom Merritt is the general manager for The Music Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the right hand man for the company's president, Jim Paulsen.  The two have worked side by side for several decades and both feel their main goals in business are to serve those who walk in the door.  Customer service and attention to quality products have been key factors in the growth and development of the store over the years. Their team work should be added to that list too!

Doug Lady is one of those guys who will give you the shirt off his back.  As the Senior Vice President of Sales for Hal Leonard, he has created a team that echoes his strong and sincere feelings towards customer service.  Doug has also been active within several elements throughout the music products industry to ensure growth of music makers and strong business practices.  As a member of the Music Achievement Council (MAC), Doug has helped direct many of that organization’s goals and tasks, and he has also served on the board of the Church Music Publishers Association and the Milw

David Jahnke's smile can be spotted at nearly every NAMM Show and RPMDA convention!  The man loves what he does and often goes out of his way to help those he wants to serve.  His many customers are those related to his job within the sales department at Hal Leonard, but he is also focused on retailers and publishers alike who are involved with RPMDA.  David is the first commercial member of the organization to serve on the board of directors.  He is also dedicated to his sales team to ensure they provide the best service experience possible.  When next at NAMM, look for the smile

John Higgins manages many of the recordings created for the Hal Leonard Corporation.  As a former instructional director, arranger and composer, John oversees the studio recordings that are included in the publisher's products, such as sheet music with accompanying music or instructions within educational materials.  Since the 1970s, Hal Leonard has been actively providing recorded examples of their music, musical accompaniment and educational tips on-line to serve as tools for their products.  When you hear these recordings you can be sure John and his team are involved.

Brian Douglas enjoyed a career as a touring musician and songwriter both in rock and in house music, which gives him a unique perspective in understanding several facets of the needs of performers.  As president of Cream City Music outside of Milwaukee, and an owner, he is able to provide that perspective in a way that is meaningful to his customers.  As the store expands in on-line sales as well as walk in sales, Brian and his staff stand at the ready to apply their knowledge and passion to help others fulfill their musical dreams.

Emily Crocker focused on teaching middle school choir when she was a teacher right out of college.  The experience was a wonderful foundation for her as it would lead her to work for Hal Leonard Publishing for many years.  While a teacher she wrote several pieces that were geared towards middle school.  When the first three works she submitted were accepted and published, she wrote several more pieces.  She joined the Jensen Publishing Company, which was later purchased by Hal Leonard, where she continues to focus on choral music for students.

Sue Collins is proud to mention that her mother was the very first employee of the Milwaukee division of Hal Leonard.  Once Keith Mardak and Art Jensen formed the division, Sue's mom was hired to help run the office.  The office manager for Hal Leonard is much different from the early days, especially considering the growth in the company's employee numbers. Jjust ask Sue, who has served in the position for several years.  Her dedication to detail and strong interest in serving all those who come to the headquarters building is part of the very fabric of Hal Leonard!  

Dan Bauer recalls with pride working with the three founders of Hal Leonard back in the 1970s when he joined the company!  He was there when Keith Mardak took over the business and played a role as CFO in the expansion of the company over the years.  When the accounting department switched over to computers and years later when e-commerce came along, Dan was there eager to implement the technology, which improved many, if not all of his department’s processes.  

Maribeth Barrons is one of the most energetic sales reps you will ever meet!  With great knowledge of the Hal Leonard catalog and an honest interest in helping her customers, Maribeth has served music stores both in the United States and throughout Canada.  Over the years she has established new accounts as well as supported those who have been long-time customers.  She began her career in the music industry at Art Jenson's publishing company and stayed on when Art sold the company to Hal Leonard Publishing Co.  In 2013, Ms.

Frank Whetstine was working late in his musical instrument repair shop when he got to thinking about the unique way George Benson holds his guitar pick.  Frank tried a few ways and finally took his pliers and twisted the end of the pick.  He looked at the twisted pick and said out loud, that is a “sik pik.”  The name stuck and after several improvements he filed a patent on the new and creative design, which is now being sold around the world.  There are four styles and a package of all four for those wanting to explore which Sik Pik is best for them.  Frank is also the repairman

Bob Dingley felt lucky that he fell into the industry, which became his passion and his life-long career. On his way to a trumpet lesson he stopped by the local music store to pick up some sheet music and was asked by a school mate if he wanted a job.  From retail to JW Pepper Music Publishing, Bob learned the business in and out, along the way falling in love with the industry.  He worked with several leaders who helped mentor him, including Sandy Feldstein and branched out on his own as a self-publisher and thanks to his involvement with RPMDA, Bob has become a mentor to others.

DeAnn Diller grew up in a small Kansas town, picking up piano at the age of 5 years old.  In the small town she found she was able to be involved with many aspects of music including band and choir.  She studied music education with thoughts of being a band director, while teaching piano as a college student.  One day she met Joe Hume who hired her in his small store.  The school road rep at the time was Denny Senseney who would later purchase the store and rename it Senseney Music.  DeAnn was there for that exciting transition and again when Denny retired and Lori Supinie took ov