Oral History Interviews

Rob Carhart is the Director of New Products Engineering for PRS Guitars, a manufacturer of musical instruments located in Stevensville, Maryland, which was founded in 1985. Rob has worked in a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities within the business since he started as a body team sander in 1992. Rob has worked as the Neck Team Manager, Final Assembly Manager, Production Manager, Acoustic Production Manager, R&D Manager, and now as the Director of New Products Engineering. As such, Rob has an extensive knowledge of PRS’s products, manufacturing procedures, qua

Maggie Haugh quite literally stood by her man! In the moments following her husband Gene’s NAMM Oral History interview, Maggie came to say hello and stood behind him. During our few minutes with her it was so endearing to hear how proud she is of her husband and his work within the music industry. We also learned that Maggie herself once worked in the Sho-Bud factory in Arkansas and has wonderful memories of the many of the musicians (including her favorite Buddy Emmons) that she was able to meet over the years. Maggie’s love and support of Gene was beautiful to see and we thought

Gene Haugh began his career as a factory worker for the Baldwin Piano Company in Arkansas making parts for the electric organ. Gene was hired by the DH Baldwin Company in 1966 and in just two years was promoted to the plant’s supervisor.

Linda Oberg grew up in a very musical family and was always surrounded by music at a young age. She took piano lessons and studied music in school, which ultimately prepared her to be a piano teacher herself. Linda taught organ with the Yamaha Electone System  and developed an interest in the sales side of the music business. In 1984 she opened her own business, Keyboard Gallery, and continued her work with the Yamaha method and joined the NAMM Board of Directors. While serving on the board and serving as the chair for the Educational Committee, Linda helped establish the William 

Markos Kounalakis’ passion for music developed in the 1980’s when he worked at a broadcasting company in Sweden. The radio station had such powerful antennas that the government of the Soviet Union could not jam the signal. As a result, the music Markos played was able to be heard behind the Iron Curtain. As his career developed as a reporter for Newsweek during the fall of the Berlin Wall, he had a front row seat seeing western music flood into that area.

Uwe Kruger grew up singing old German folks songs with family in Switzerland. Picking up the guitar at eight years old, he later played with his brother, Jens, on street corners. His love of country and bluegrass music developed while listening to military radio stations as a kid. Uwe has always felt a strong connection with Bluegrass music and the stories that they tell. Once he moved to the United States, he started to feel like he was becoming a true musician and learned so much playing with artists like Doc Watson and Tut Taylor.

Sal Cracchiolo learned how to play the trumpet on his mother’s horn. As his love of the instrument grew she saw to it that Sal received classical trumpet lessons with some of the top teachers in their neighborhood of Long Beach, California. At 15 Sal began performing and recording with Jr. & the Preludes. As R&B horn bands grew in popularity in the mid 1960s, Sal found himself in great demand. As his career was developing, Sal met Poncho Sanchez just as his Latin jazz band was forming.

Dan Dugan is a pro lighting and pro audio engineer who invented an automixer that he first presented at AES in 1974. With a rich background in theater, both in lighting and sound, Dan created several automations that improved the quality and efficiency of production processes. His innovations were used in many products including Yamaha’s Dugan MY-16 card, and he was awarded an Emmy for technology in 2020. While working for theaters in San Francisco in 1968, the now commonly known title of sound designer was first used to describe the work Dan was doing.

Bob Watters was 12 years old when he picked up his banjo and began traveling for evangelists in and around his home state of Texas.

Travis Christopherson’s roots in music can be traced back to when his grandfather played country music records for him as a child. As he learned to play the guitar, Travis saw his passion for music grow and was inspired by the enjoyment he gave others. While in school he participated in the band programs and learned to play the trombone, which became a second passion for him. With the trombone he studied in college, performed with legendary musicians and taught many young students such as in the early 1990s when he was a part of the Clark Terry Jazz Camp! Behind his playing was hi

Julie Lewis has been surrounded by music her entire life, and knows first-hand the power it has on those who experience it. As a child she sang in choirs and played the cello, and can recall the happiness on the faces of those around her. As a nurse she often sang to those she cared for and witnessed the healing and comforting powers that music can provide. After meeting her husband Don, she dedicated herself to not only managing his career but using their skills to bring people together who could benefit from his musical talents.

Jim Widner was given a very special opportunity to join his grade school’s orchestra, which provided him an instrument to play. His love of music was fostered years later when he became a student of his highly influential high school band director. These early experiences set Jim on his path in music, which has included touring with big bands (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Buddy DeFranco), teaching (and creating a jazz program at the University of Missouri at St.

Bob Snyder enjoyed his 40 plus years in the music industry, driven by his passion for music. His father was a professor of music and instruments of all kinds seemed to be everywhere in his home growing up. His sales career started at a Hammond Organ dealership where he would perform on the organ to attract customers to the store. In 1981 he was offered a job at CBS Musical Instruments, a division of the broadcasting company.

Jamal Batiste grew up in a very musical family and when he saw his brother’s drum kit at 3 years old, he fell in love. Raised in New Orleans he was surrounded by what he calls the gumbo of music, playing all styles and in many different settings. Throughout his career he has played alongside groups and artists ranging from jazz and soul to hip hop and rap, and gained first-hand knowledge in the importance of sharing his culture and knowledge musically. Jamal also works with several organizations to help raise awareness and funding that provide hope and support through his music. T

Flavio Giannini is part of the third generation running Giannini Musical Instruments alongside his brother, Roberto. One of their most well-known designs is the Craviola, which is designed to be a smaller and therefor more comfortable instrument to play. As they introduce new products, they strive to keep the tradition alive by maintaining the high quality in their products and continuing in their innovative thinking. They continue to modernize their business while staying true to their family roots and preparing their sons (the 4th generation) to continue the legacy.

Roberto Giannini is part of the third generation running Giannini Musical Instruments alongside his brother, Flavio. Their company has thrived on being innovative and working around issues. During WWII when supplies were cut off, they began making their own strings and then between the 1960-1990s due to economic issues they became even more self-sufficient making all of their own products. They continue to modernize their business while staying true to their family roots and preparing their sons (the 4th generation) to continue the legacy.

Ned Augustenborg is a multiple Emmy Award winning producer and director in the categories of Entertainment, Documentary, News and Sports. He has worked on projects for ESPN, HBO, FOX Sports, MSNBC, CNN and the Canadian Sports Network. Being introduced to NAMM’s Museum of Making Music in 2001, Ned recorded several live performances and interviews for the NAMM Oral History program, which introduced him to Don and Julie Lewis. Realizing the importance of their musical journey, Ned directed and produced the feature length documentary The Ballad of Don Lewis: The Untold Story of a Synt

Tony Agnello always had music being played in his house growing up and credits his great teachers for helping him discover his love for science and math. Starting when he was a teenager, he would go to shows at The Fillmore and see amazing acts such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, King Crimson and The Grateful Dead to name a few. He also discovered the beauty in mathematics and studied physics in university. Tony started out at Eventide by helping Richard Factor design a digital flowerpot clock, and eventually helped him with repairing equipment.

Don Cromwell realized music was his passion when was playing in bands with his friends at a young age. His sophomore year of high school he switched from guitar to bass and never looked back. After graduating high school and attending college, Don started playing with better musicians and started to get into the local scene in Seattle, WA. Songwriting was also a passion of Don’s, and he continues to write and record his own music to this day. In his 2021 NAMM Oral History interview, Don talked about how touring and live music has changed, and his memories of playing with Air Suppl

Bobby Fernandez grew up surrounded by music and developed an interest in film music at a young age. He always felt drawn to the film industry and more specifically the recording side of the business. In order to make his dreams a reality, Bobby applied for a mailroom job at Warner Brothers with the intentions of being around the industry and working his way up to the sound department. This eventually became reality, and Bobby worked as a scoring mixer and recording engineer at Warner Brothers until 1994. He has worked on hundreds of films including every Clint Eastwood movie since

Tosin Abasi is the founder and lead guitarist of the group Animals as Leaders and has a style of playing that is often unmatched. Tosin grew up in Washington, D.C and has memories of trying guitars out at Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center. He took the leap to create music professionally and joined the group Reflux, and had good success touring nationally. After studying music at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media, Tosin created his “solo” project, Animals as Leaders. In 2017, Tosin started Abasi Concepts – his own guitar company that takes a focus on guitars with a uniqu

Will Friedwald is an author and music historian who has the skills and knowledge to write about everything from the Blues to the roots of Rock and Roll. The era in between seems to be his specialty, with works on jazz singers, the big bands, radio pioneers and even Warner Brother cartoons. During his NAMM interview, Will spoke of his writing career and his published books as well as big band musicians Red Norvo and Jonah Jones and singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Bessie Smith. He also gave a wonderful overview of the V-Disc program, which provided special records

Mutter Slater played harmonica, flute and sang as a member of the influential British band Stackridge beginning in 1970s. Although often categorized as a progressive rock band, their sound included themes of folk, the blues and psychedelic rock. Among the bands successful albums were their self-titled first album released in 1971 on Angel Air followed by Friendliness the following year and The Man In The Bowler Hat in 1974, which was produced by Sir George Martin. They went on to record several more albums, including some after the band reunited in the late 1990s.

Tony Ferguson has had an amazing career in music! He began playing guitar at a young age growing up in England, touring with bands such as Unit 4 + 2 and Christie before switching to the record industry as a producer, manager and as Artist & Repertoire (A&R) for over 20 years. While working for Stiff Records he toured the United States, Europe and Spain working with Elvis Costello and several early Punk bands. A few years later he became A&R for the newly formed Interscope Records. Tony signed the band No Doubt in 1991 and worked with them on their first two albums, th

Richard Factor is the founder of Eventide and has invented and designed numerous innovative products over the last fifty years. He played synthesizers and theremins when he was young and developed a passion for electronics. After attending Cornell University and receiving a degree in economics, Richard started the Eventide company after he saw the demand for the products he was building. The company exhibited at an AES show in 1971 where they showed off the instant phaser and gained even more popularity.

Dennis Spragg is a music historian and author who has become an expert on the bandleader Glenn Miller. He is the senior consultant for the Glenn Miller Archives and the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as the historian for the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society in Clarinda, Iowa. These collections include donations from artists, their families, producers, broadcasters, and collectors. The entire scope of the big-band era is represented, including over 10,000 recordings and broadcasts, many of which are unique.

Lynda Smith started on the piano early in her life and was always fascinated by the instruments at her local record shop. Her love for classical music led her down the path of studying music education and music therapy. While teaching K-8 music classes and working at the same music store she grew up visiting, Lynda became one of the first Yamaha Music School teachers. After working music retail for 10 years, Lynda was offered a rep position at Technics. She regards this job being one of her favorites because of the great relationships that can be forged in the music industry betwe

Ed Polcer grew up in a world filled with music and the older people around him were supportive and encouraging. As a result, all throughout his career, Ed sought to do the same for younger musicians. His musical career began when he was a child playing xylophone and his sister sang, the act was called Eddie & Betty! He switched to trumpet and later cornet and played with jazz greats such as Benny Goodman, Eddie Condon, Teddy Wilson and even the King of Thailand (King Bhumibol Adulyadej)!

Daniel Weiss grew up in Switzerland with a passion for music and electronics. He played the electric violin (one that he built himself) as well as bass, before developing an interest in building and playing synthesizers – something that he learned from a magazine. He started to build his own amps when he couldn’t afford to buy them, and thus started a long career of designing and building audio products. Daniel joined Studer as electronics engineer in 1979 where he worked in the digital audio lab for five years. When he realized there was a market for custom digital audio equipmen

Mary Jo Papich has dedicated decades to creating programs to assist music teachers! As co-founder of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and as a former band director and arts director administrator, Mary Jo wanted to provide meaningful engagement, educational resources and connections that would be available for those dedicated to teaching music students of all ages. When she was just ten years old, she wrote in a school assignment that she wanted to be a music teacher. I wonder if that little girl had any idea the impact she would have on countless students and educators alike.