Oral History Interviews

This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away since our last gathering.  This video was part of our annual program, which was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California June 3, 2022.

Chelsie Reed is the Marketing Coordinator for the store her parents, Cindy and Rand Cook, own and operate. Candyman Strings & Things was formed in 1969 by Matthew Schwartzman and later sold the store to the Cooks. It was Matthew who named the store after two different songs called “Candyman.” Blues musicians, the Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt, both wrote their own songs about a man who comes to town to supply the needs of the community. Picking up on the concept, Chelsie has used her marketing and Social Media skills to convey the message that Candyman Strings

Micky Patten, a lifelong musician who studied Jazz in College, always wanted to provide a space for musicians to shop for gear and feel comfortable. With that vision and dream, Micky opened Grandma’s Music in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986. The store was launched at the height of the MIDI craze and pro audio boom. Staying on top of the trends and understanding the products were two key factors in the store's success, which was among the top selling stores of its era. Micky closed the store to retire in 2017, at which time he focused on playing local gigs.

Ryan Clement was among the first employees at Grandma’s Music in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Established by Micky Patten in 1986, the store gained a strong reputation for selling pro audio and digital gear in great volume. Ryan became an expert on programming synthesizers, possessing a knowledge and understanding of MIDI in the very early days, which was greatly appreciated by the store’s customers. When Micky closed the store to retire in 2017, Ryan purchased the name and moved the business online, which continues to this day.

Doug Lawrence was first musically inspired by his father, a woodwinds player. However, at a young age he watched as his older brothers’ professional careers developed and Doug had tunnel vision after that, he wanted to be a professional musician! Latching on to the saxophone, Doug developed a style that allowed him to easily move from swing to bop and fusion, to straight ahead jazz. As a result, he has performed and recorded with everyone from Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett to Roy Eldridge and Joey De Francesco.

Dennis Alexander has sought to engage and inspire music makers at all levels throughout his long and successful career as a music educator. As a professor of music with a focus on pedagogy, Dennis began to notice the ways in which his students successfully learned to read and study music. In 1986, when given the chance to develop method books for Alfred Music, Dennis leaped at the opportunity. Over his long and successful career, he has published over 400 books at all levels and with the same conviction for which he successfully taught in person. What comes across within his metho

Mike White grew up in the Boston area where he was inspired by his band directors. While studying music in college in New Mexico, Mike was focused on becoming a band director himself. He greatly enjoyed his time as a music educator and still speaks of what he learned along the way. When the opportunity came to work for The Music Box in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he knew he could take his knowledge and skills and apply them to helping other band directors. As Mike became a school road rep in 1967 and was still traveling over 200 miles a day calling on schools at the time of his NAMM i

Dan King was exposed to music at a young age. His brother played in band and as soon as he could, Dan himself began playing trumpet in his school band. He joined the US Marines and while serving his country, he learned the craft of band instrument repair. He also had several great playing opportunities including a gig for President Bush and his work on the Cartoon Network. After his military service, Dan began repairing instruments out of his home before he and his wife decided to open a music store. He credits his wife with her business knowledge and the local band directors for

Ricia King as a child took piano lessons from the mother of future Yamaha Marketing Manager Roger Eaton (fun fact). Ricia has always loved music and because she grew up in her father’s Kawasaki motorcycle dealership, she always enjoyed the interaction with customers. So when her husband Dan sprang the idea of opening a music store, she was all in. The store has expanded into wholesaling its own brand of instruments and accessories under Fidelis Musical Instruments (yes, Dan was in the US Marines)! At the core of the business is their love and passion for helping students and band

Cindy Quinlan was once introduced at a NAMM meeting as “the boss lady” and the nickname stuck. She met her future husband, George Quinlan Jr., at a NASMD meeting in 1983. She was there on vacation with a friend when the two just happened to meet walking to a restaurant. Over the years she has provided an important source of support for George who has served on many industry boards and focused on expanding the music store his father established in 1959. Cindy and George have also been very active in supporting music education programs and teachers, both locally and internationally.

Johnna Meyer loves the look on the faces of young students when they make a sound for the first time with a musical instrument! Taking part in band night at the schools Meyer Music serves has been an inspiring experience. Johnna and her husband, Mike, are proud of the work they do within their community to support school programs as well as a program they started called Band of Angels. Their community, thanks to a television news program, searches for instruments in attics and closets not being used and has Meyer Music repair them, at no cost, and then offers them to children who

Fumio Mieda was hired by the founder of KORG, Tsutomu Katoh, back in 1967. Mieda-san began working on a number of innovations as he hoped to improve the function of electronic organs. The results of his efforts led to a number of advances for the emerging synthesizer. Just prior to this, Mr. Mieda developed the Uni-Vibe, which was used famously by Jimi Hendrix (a fact he did not discover for some ten years). While at KORG he focused on monophonic and later polyphonic synthesizers including the now historic Prototype No. 1, and later the PE series of polyphonic synthesizers includi

John Meyer grew up in the music business and can remember as a child playing under one of the pianos in the family-owned store his grandparents opened in 1966. His father, Mike, never pushed John into the business but rather encouraged him to discover what he was passionate about and pursue that path. Nonetheless, John’s passion has always been the music business and he has enjoyed taking part in some of the advances and changes within the store, for example utilizing computers and technology to advance processes such as keeping track of lesson schedules.

Larry Redhouse grew up in a house with six siblings who were all, like their mother, very musical. The family formed a musical act, the Redhouse Band, in the late 60s. The band played a large repertoire of styles, including funk and jazz fusion, and cites influences such as Santana, Malo, and Tower of Power. The Redhouse band played in clubs and occasionally performed at national venues like the NMAI, National Museum of the Native American-Smithsonian Washington DC and the Alaskan Native Heritage Center.

Jason Bartel opened Maple Leaf Strings in 2011, right across the street from his father’s business, Baroque Violin Shop, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The two companies helped each other, and often Jason would walk a customer's violin over to his dad for repairs. Jason’s father, Paul Bartel, opened a small violin shop in the family home in1974 with a strong focus on the needs of students and teachers and moved the shop into the historic Smith-Jessup house in 1982. Jason grew up in the shop.

John Fulton has had a very interesting ascent to his position as Vice President of Sales for Conn-Selmer. He started taking violin lessons in the fourth grade, at first to get out of class but discovered a teacher who inspired him to do his best and work hard. He played in the all-star band in high school and earned a degree in music education at Arizona State University. John picked up a part-time job cleaning instruments at American Music Company in Mesa in 1997, which led to a school road rep job for Milano’s Music where he stayed for five years.

Sandy Goff, co-owner of Paige's Music, has had many first-hand experiences witnessing the importance of music education in the lives of young students as well as the passion for music so common with those who work in the music products industry. As the First Lady of NAMM, when her husband, Mark, served as the Chairman of the Board, Sandy traveled around the world and discovered everywhere they went she met people in the music industry doing what they do with the same passion and dedication that she saw in her husband and her staff.

Established in 1999, the NAMM Oral History Collection is unique, unlike any other collection in the world. The heart of the collection is the depth of its narratives that cover innovative creations, the evolution of musical instruments, the ever-changing world of music retail, as well as our collective quest to improve music education around the globe. This collection is our journal, our own way of chronicling ourselves and our community—the community we so eagerly embrace at the NAMM shows and so proudly celebrate throughout the year.

Wes Sutton has a background as a musician and a welder and wasn’t too sure about an opening at King Music Company in Brownwood, Texas, but he was looking for a change so he took a chance. He was the only employee in the store so he quickly learned every element of running a music store. He learned instrument repair and how to work with the local band directors to service the needs of the school music programs. In 2007 he was hired by Tarpley Music and rose to store manager, regional manager, and then general manager overseeing all six locations as well as running his own store in

Mike Kamphuis is perfectly suited for his position as Vice President, Division of Education at Conn-Selmer in Elkhart, Indiana. His role allows him to work closely with educators and industry leaders with the mission to make music programs available to all students. Leaning on his own experiences, first as a trumpeter in the 7th grade, progressing into jazz bands in high school and college, and finally teaching in his own trumpet studio, Mike understands fully the benefits of solid music programs. His career in the industry began in 2001 when he was hired as a sales rep for Leblan

John Jarvis is the president and owner of the music retail store in Florida, Music Man. His father was a band director back in 1944 who retired to Florida in 1973 and opened a small store three years later. As a result, John grew up in a very musical home. He played saxophone in his high school band and after college decided to work in the store. He learned how to repair band instruments and later went on the road as a school road rep for the store. After taking over the business he expanded to a second location with a focus on servicing school music programs.

George Reeder and his wife, Lynn, are the owners of Rovner Products, which produces ligatures, mouthpieces and other accessories for musical instruments. The company was established in the 1970s when Phil Rovner, a mechanical engineer and musician, set out to redesign the ligature for his saxophone. The ligature is the device that attaches the reed to the mouthpiece in a way that allows the reed to vibrate. Phil’s idea was to use a textile strap for his ligature, which has since been used by students and professional musicians alike. George worked briefly with Phil in the early 19

Lynn Reeder did not become actively involved in music until her mid-40’s after receiving a gift certificate for voice lessons from her husband George and son Alex, although an avid listener throughout her life! Those lessons resulted in 13 years of musical performance, singing in a women’s choral group and in the Reeders’ 10-piece band. A self-professed “creative type” Lynn worked as a designer and manufacturer in the hobby and needlecraft industry and published multiple instruction books.

Syndenn Sweet was the first woman hired as a luthier at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Tucson, Arizona. This distinction is one she makes with pride, especially considering her father was a luthier as well. After earning her business degree, serving on the board of the Tucson Folk Festival, and establishing her own recording Studio (Sad Salads Studios), Syndeen began working at Booksmans in 2018. Established in 1976, Bookmans initially focused on retailing books and other related items until about eight years later when they expanded into musical instruments and hired a team t

Mark Mason's passion for technology began early; he started programming computers at just ten years old. This early interest blossomed into a career when he became a technician for Microsoft in the 1990s, contributing to the launch of Windows 2000. After a period dedicated to teaching, Mark joined Southwest Strings in Tucson, Arizona, in 2001. He felt a deep connection to their mission of supplying instruments to school programs, a cause close to his heart as a lifelong musician. Mark's journey in music began with piano lessons as a child, expanding to guitar, bass, and keyboards

Gregg Proniske began working at Southwest Strings in 1998. The distributor of stringed instruments is located in Tucson, Arizona, and specializes in contracts with school music programs around the country. Gregg started out on the phone taking orders and now wears many hats for the company including operations, managing the warehouse, and running their website. One of the most meaningful elements of his job is the people he works with, which he refers to as “a true family.”

Tiffany Johnson gets a real kick from serving her school accounts for Southwest Strings and helping each obtain the instruments and services they need in order to provide for their music students. Talking with teachers and getting to know them and their needs has become a favorite part of her job and a critical one for the success of Southwest Strings, an instrument distributor located in Tucson, Arizona. Tiffany joined the company in 2000, first working with the founder, Steve Shepard, taking orders over the phone.

Rebecca Ensley studied clarinet in college and yet somehow got caught up in the crazy world of stringed instruments as a luthier and repair technician. It all started in 1991 when a friend who was working at Southwest Strings in Tucson suggested she apply for an opening in the mail order department. Her role expanded soon after to submitting school bids and working the retail end of the business, all the while taking classes and gaining experience as a luthier and repair tech. With her background in music education, Rebecca knows how important it is to provide a child with easy-to

Nancy Kewin Smith is a pioneering senior executive who served the music products industry in an era in which she was among a small number of women in high-ranking positions. After earning her degree in music, Nancy first entered the music industry in sales at West LA Music. She then joined the Moog Music team, then owned by Norlin for six years. While at Moog and working under Dave Luce, Nancy earned her MBA. In 1983 she was hired by Tom Beckman at Roland and stayed on for ten years climbing to the role of Vice President & General Manager of the MI Division.

Leslie Stirm is the owner of the Instrumental Music Center in Tucson, Arizona. Joining the store in 2001, Leslie has helped develop the store’s team, which has a strong focus on customer service and a strong knowledge base on the products and instruments they sell. Leslie is also a strong advocate for music and the industry and can often be seen at industry conferences such as NASMD and on the panel for Best In Show during the NAMM Show. At the core of what she does is her strong interest in helping others, be it her staff, her customers, or others in the industry.