Oral History Interviews

Rene Flores grew up in a culturally rich family and began playing upright bass in grade school. His parents, both from Cuba, encouraged Rene to follow his musical passion. By the time he was in high school he was playing in six bands, including the stage band for which he played the electric bass. The legendary drummer Joe Porcaro taught Rene while he attended the Bass Institute in Los Angeles in the 1990s. Bringing his passion for music to the industry, Rene began working for Warner Brothers Publishing and developed his niche within the Latin American market.

Mathew Schirado can tell you the first music store he ever entered. As a kid he went into Eckroth Music in Bismarck, North Dakota, with his parents when he first joined the school band. When he was 18 he returned to purchase some reeds and saw a job opening, which he pursued. Beginning on a part-time basis Mathew began working in the business office and was mentored early on by Jeff Eckroth, the son of the founders. Jeff encouraged Mathew and fostered his interest and skills in computers, which led to Mathew upgrading the company’s network and its website.

Daniel Neves is the founder of Música & Mercado (Music & Market), a Brazil-based magazine that focuses on promoting music-making and musical products. His passion for the industry led to his long-time leadership role in the country’s musical trade association ANIFIMA (the Brazillian Music Industry Association). Anafirma was founded to help facilitate the growth of the Brazilian music market and has done so in many ways over the years. Working with the NAMM Foundation, Anafirma has developed many programs to encourage people to make music throughout the country.

Phil Burk has had a passion for electronics since he was a kid growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He built radio circuits before he was a teen and combined that interest with his love of music. He later developed his skills at Mills College Center for Contemporary Music and worked in the video game industry in the early days of DSP (digital signal processors). In 2013 Phil joined the Android Audio Framework team at Google, a job fitting for his skills and background.

Chris Tso is a perfect example of the benefits the music products industry receives when a musician enters it's world. Chris grew up blocks away from the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club in New York, and absorbed the rich history and diverse cultures that were blended into the music around him. He began playing guitar in junior high school and went on to perform in bands, including his own, over the years. He also pursued a career in professional lighting and sound and at an early age established his own production company. Chris lives by the motto “give the people more than the

Jeff Sazant began working with his brother, Sheldon, at Steve’s Music in 1967. The Canadian-based music store has played a significant role in the industry and gained a reputation for its innovative and creative staff. For example, it's thought that Jeff came up with the now-famous Top Ten Songs Not to Play in the Store, which aimed to lessen the staff's frustration. The store was also known for providing the latest technology at its zenith during the MIDI boom of the 1980s. This brought a host of celebrities to the store including Joni Mitchell and Mike Myers.

Lynn Martin has always been a passionate music maker, and as a leader of the music products industry, he has brought that same drive to creating and selling products that assist others to make music. Lynn played violin in several bands and had a memorable gig at a cowboy bar in Wyoming where he opened for a long list of notable artists. In 1980 he was hired by Larry Thomas to work at Guitar Center's third location in San Jose, CA. He worked for K&K Music and Skip’s Music before becoming a sales rep. His leadership skills developed as he joined the teams of DOD and Allen &

Deej White is a familiar face to those backstage at the NAMM show. As a long-time roadie and production manager, Deej has learned the importance of being prepared, for example he always has a flashlight on hand to help people on stage. After ten years of serving in the US Navy, Deej spent 15 years on the road traveling with performers all across the United States and five continents. He began driving trucks but soon his skills as an electrician paid off when he was asked to repair a guitar amplifier. He then became a drum tech for years, tuning and making repairs for live events.

John McClure played a vital role in welcoming the NAMM Show to Southern California each year as the National Accounts Manager for the Anaheim Visitors & Convention Bureau. John joined the bureau back in 1989 and always looked forward to the level of fun and energy the show brought. In fact, John often brought leaders of other organizations as guests to NAMM just to showcase how exciting Anaheim can be as a conference venue. His background was in music, working for CBS Records for years, and creating an annual jazz party in Orange Country. His company, West Coast Jazz Party LLC

Dave Amels is a huge fan of the Hammond B-3 organ, which he’s played on records and with garage rock bands including Husky Team and The Reigning Sound. In the late ’80s he co-founded Voce Music Instruments and made MIDI modules that faithfully recreated B-3 sounds and Leslie speaker effects. He went on to use his mathematical models of complex physical systems to make Pro Tools plug-in versions of vintage analog processors like the Universal Audio LA-2A, Moogerfooger stompboxes, and SansAmp PSA-1 guitar preamp for Bomb Factory Digital (which he also co-founded).

Rich Formidoni cut his teeth in the industry as a salesman in the keyboard division of Sam Ash Music in Queens, New York. That experience led to his move to Korg in 2005 as a product specialist. The move was the perfect fit for Rich who was then tasked with producing demo videos, artist relations and enhancing the company’s website. Loving the products, Rich fell right into the development of new products such as voicing presets and being a part of product launches such as the Korg Kronos Workstation, for which he worked with Herbie Hancock and other artists to perfect the voicing

Amin Bhatia award winning composer/synthesist has worked in film and television in both electronic and orchestral environments. In his youth, Amin won Roland’s International Synthesizer Tape Competition in both 1981 and ’82. This led to work with Toto’s esteemed synthesist Steve Porcaro. Amin Bhatia is well known for his full-scale synth-orchestral work The Interstellar Suite, which premiered in 1987. It featured all analog synthesizers and no digital samples. Amin's film and TV scores, many of which were co-written with friend and collaborator Ari Posner, have won several Canadia

David Battino majored in philosophy at Oberlin, but found his epiphany in the college’s electronic music studios. Suddenly it was possible to create both the instruments and the music, and he began writing to share that excitement with readers around the world. He joined Keyboard Magazine in 1994, was the founding editor of Music & Computers, and produced the popular “Adventures in DIY” column for Electronic Musician. Music Tech called his 2005 book The Art of Digital Music “truly entertaining and informative on both philosophical and technical levels.”

Abraham De La Riva was helping his father’s band running sound when he noticed a need. The musicians in the band had the same issues as those in his high school musical productions, people on stage could not hear each other clearly. Abraham, with this father’s assistance, set out to create Peru’s first customized in-ear monitor. The process was not easy but Abraham was determined and worked first with drummers to design a quality product. He then took on the challenges that were slightly different for vocalists and recording engineers. Soon thereafter, DRB was born!

Jim Semeizer started playing saxophone when he was a kid and went on the road with the Les Brown Orchestra in 1962 for two and a half years. He learned repairs from his father, who was a watchmaker. The mechanics of instruments came easy to Jim and provided a career path. That career was put on hold when he was drafted and served in the army during the Vietnam War. Upon his return home, Jim worked on and off for his father before landing retail jobs at Brook Mays Music in Texas and later at Shoemaker Music in Florida. Those experiences cemented in Jim’s mind his interest in runnin

Javier Batiz was very proud of the role he played in bringing American Blues music to Mexico! His own playing in bands and as a solo artist brought a great awareness to the Blues south of the American border but more than that he created opportunities that brought legendary performers to Mexico for the first time such as Ray Charles and Little Richard. Perhaps even more meaningful to Javier is the time he dedicates to young musicians to teach them the art of music-making. Over the years he taught and inspired a host of well-known musicians including Carlos Santana, whom Javier beg

Clark Hagan is a Grammy-winning recording engineer whose passion for music and sound can be heard in each of his projects. Working with an impressive list of artists, Clark has stretched beyond engineering to the producer role, allowing him to work with an equally impressive list of studio owners and record executives. Among those most important and influential to Clark are Bill Porter, Chet Atkins, Ray Stevens, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Tommy Emmanuel. For a taste of Clark’s artistry, check out his 1996 Grammy-winning album with Chet Atkins Almost Alone.

Phil Rovner was having some trouble with his intonation as a saxophone player, and decided to design a new approach to attaching the reed to his mouthpiece. As an engineer, he had the knowledge to create this new ligature, which has since been utilized by musicians around the world. Phil grew up in Baltimore and played in local clubs, which were plentiful in the early 1950s. He took lessons from Joe Allard, the noted professor at Juilliard. In fact, Phil tells an interesting story about taking the milk train home from his lessons, which would take up to six hours because the train

Masako Koyama worked closely with the Japan Music Trades Magazine founder, Mr. Hiyama. The magazine was launched in 1962 with the goal of sharing stories about the instruments and people in the industry to help bring the industry together. Koyama-san joined these efforts in 1976 and was soon sent to the Chicago NAMM Show, which was rare for a women reporter to make such a journey in those days. She was also covering the music industry in Czechoslovakia in 1989 when the change of socialist regime took place, which was a peaceful revolution and an historic event for her to witness f

Shiko Onodera is the President of the Japan Music Trades Magazine. This monthly magazine was established in 1962 by Mr. Rikuro Hiyama to support the music industry and to encourage sharing of ideas. When Mr. Hiyama approached John Majeski, the editor of The Music Trades Magazine (established in 1890 in New York) asking if he could use the name Japan Music Trades, Mr. Majeski cordially agreed. Shiko-san has followed Mr. Hiyama's vision and has helped expand the scope by incorporating new technologies such as a digital format for the magazine and webinars to bring people together to

Rich Neville spent his life making music and, for decades, helped others achieve their musical dreams. He was a touring musician who later built a career in music retail, never letting go of the passion he first discovered as a kid in the school band playing trombone. He gigged in rock bands on bass, and after a stint in the U.S. Army, began setting up PA systems for Sound West in San Diego. That opportunity led to engineering and playing jobs, including running sound for Return to Forever in 1974.

John Kurzweg is the recording engineer behind a host of successful albums including those by Creed, Jewel, Puddle of Mudd, and Eagle Eye Cherry. The Creed classic My Own Prison was recorded in John’s house as was John’s own album Wait For the Night, which was released in 1987. He grew up surrounded by music. His father a Lutheran Pastor who led a choir and his mother played the accordion. They fostered his interest in music and provided piano lessons for him when he was six and a guitar when he was nine. He played flute in school and soon began writing his own songs.

Zenobia looked forward to church every Sunday growing up in the Los Angeles area. She loved to sing and cut her teeth on the old gospel hymns. Zenobia pursued singing and was cast in the Broadway musical Hair, worked with director/choreographer Michael Bennett and became a successful backup singer. She also worked in radio production and has many interesting stories working with the likes of Luther Vandross and Lou Rawles.

Kitten is the mascot at Candyman Strings & Things in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Watching customers walk into the store and immediately smile when they see Kitten is a joy to witness. Her proud owner is Chelsie Reed, daughter of Cindy and Rand Cook, the owners of Candyman. Chelsie is currently the Marketing Coordinator for the store and at first thought, it was odd to have a dog named Kitten, but there is no denying, the name fits her perfectly. Kitten, a Lhasa Apso who was born in 2012, loves roaming the store to check on customers and coworkers and never seems to have lost her pup

Jono Manson is the owner of The Kitchen Sink Recording Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a record producer and engineer, he has collaborated on projects ranging from national advertising campaigns and motion pictures to working with a host of recording artists. Jono is also a performer and songwriter, a passion that goes back to when he received a Kent guitar when he was six years old. His mother was a modern dancer who performed with Martha Graham and during his NAMM interview, Jono made some interesting observations regarding the trends in modern dance and how they were echoed

Jeff Nelson's mother was a sought-after pianist who had a regular gig in San Francisco playing at the Top of the Mark. As a kid, Jeff took lessons from a woman who had the best name for a piano teacher, Bea Sharp. Jeff always surrounded himself with music. He played trumpet in grade school, trombone and tuba in high school and bass in his school’s stage band. He later was hired as an assistant engineer at a recording studio where he quickly became in demand as a musician and arranger. As a keyboardist, Jeff joined the Funk band Cameo in 1988 and has recorded and toured with the gr

Karen Lafferty played an important role in the early growth and development of Contemporary Christian Music. She put music to the Bible verse Matthew 6:33 in 1974, thus creating the early and influential praise and worship song “Seek Ye First.” The song was released on Maranatha! Music, a Christian record label and has since been used by countless churches around the world. Karen wrote several songs for children (“Don’t Build Your House on the Sandy Land” among others) and became heavily involved with the organization Youth With A Mission, which focuses on supporting young people

Francesca Jozette Tharpe was so thrilled to have a role in her school's choir. The experience gave her a musical outlet and self-confidence, which led to her involvement with Musical Theater. She would later learn the guitar, began writing songs, and formed her own band, Free Range Buddha. An important element of her musical career has been the support of the owners of Candyman Strings & Things, where she had been the General Manager since 2017. The store’s owners, Cindy and Rand Cook take great pride in their employees and seek ways to help when with their musical dreams, for

Jayda Cook grew up in her parent's music store, Candyman Strings & Things in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and she always had a passion for the educational component of the business. Jayda took lessons as a child and had a wonderful experience participating in the store’s Rock Camp program. She then took an interest in assisting with the store’s lesson programs, rising to become the Director of Education. While managing the schedules for their 500-plus students and top-level teachers, Jayda has witnessed firsthand the powerful effect music has in the lives of others, just as it had al

Honoring Larry Morton for his invaluable service in assisting the NAMM Resource Center in obtaining fantastic interview contributions to the NAMM Oral History Program. This video contains some of the highlight interviews that Larry helped us gather over the years. Thank you, Larry!