Oral History Interviews

Frank Corniola was born in Italy and moved to Australia when he was seven years old and he began playing drums professionally as a teenager. Like many gigging musicians, Frank took a day job at a music store when he was not out touring. That first job, at Sutton's Music in Melbourne providing drum lessons, lit a fire in Frank that continues to this day. Frank wrote a drum method book based on his lessons and the success of the book prompted him to open his own music publishing company, Musictek. He also opened Drumtek, a drum shop in Melbourne, and he soon realized the drum commun

Kevin Hague is the Managing Director and founder of Australasian Music Supplies. He started his wholesale business in 1978 and grew it to become one of the biggest in the country. Australasian Music Supplies, known as AMS, all started when Kevin began importing the Zachary Organ from New Zealand into Australia, which was, at the time, part of the home organ boom. That success led to strong relationships with dealers across the country. Another early milestone for AMS was the decision to distribute a wide range of Accessories which led to many firm business relationships and strong

Peter Vogel and his schoolmate, Kim Ryrie, created the Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument (CMI) in 1975. The innovative computer based synthesizer helped revolutionize the music industry while providing cutting edge technology that allowed musicians to create and perform new sounds. Among the most important elements of the Fairlight products was the idea of sampling saving your own sounds, a feature not possible in any other product at the time. 

Kim Ryrie was just a few years out of high school when he called his friend Peter Vogel to discuss a new idea. Peter and Kim worked on several electronic related projects together in school and during the phone call Kim explained an idea he had for developing a computer based musical instrument that could create analog sounds in a digital format. The two soon established the Fairlight company and by 1975 offered the first in a series of products based on their Computer Musical Instrument (CMI) technology. Their efforts forever changed the way musicians created and reproduced uniqu

Carole Johnston is the Managing Director of CMC Music, a wholesale company she formed with her father, Pat Bonham. Pat was a pioneer in the music industry and a founding member of the Australian Music Association in 1977. When Carole and her dad formed CMC in 1991, they set out to focus on quality products rather than expanding into several brands without serving them well to their customers. As a result, she continues the strong family-like relationships with Ernie Ball that her father forged years ago. Her goal is to provide the best service with the best products possible. Her

John Payton and his brother Paul were always surrounded by music. Their father, John Payton Sr., ran the family business that he moved to Australia and expanded into music wholesaling. John Sr. was also a founding member of the Australian Music Association in 1977 and helped create the music trade shows, as well as several key music education programs.  Both John Jr. and Paul continue with the business along with John's two sons, Chris and Ben. 

Jody Whyte recalls fondly sitting in the family store as a child watching her grandfather repair pianos and then he would make banana pancakes for her. Those memories took on extra meaning after his passing and when her mother, Wendy Hutchings, asked if Jody would join her in the business and apply her background in business to the piano business. That was back in 2000 and Jody continues to work alongside her mom and aunt Amanda in providing lessons and quality keyboards and pianos for their customers, just like her grandfather.

Wendy Hutchings, along with her sister, Amanda, and daughter, Jody Whyte, are the owners of Hutchings Piano. The store was established by her father back in 1955 when he started selling pianos to his students. He took Wendy along to visit factories in China in the early 1970s, where he made arrangements to produce a 72-note keyboard piano, which was a big success in Australia. Wendy continued with the business after her father passed away and brought her daughter in the store in 2000.

Glenn Dodson played bass for a band he started with his schoolmates called Purple Haze. The band was high class, right down to their purple shirts! It was a fun experience that provided an entry into the music industry when Glenn took a “real job” at CBS Musical Instruments to supplement his gigging. Although CBS discontinued its foray into musical instruments shortly after, it provided great training, which he put to good use when he began working for Rose Music, the Yamaha wholesaler in Australia at the time. He worked with Peter Hayward at the wholesaler Australis Music.

Norm Lurie played the guitar as a teenager and was a big fan of Bob Dylan. After working in the book publishing business in Melbourne for eight years, Norm was given the opportunity to work at Music Sales. The company was stationed in England and run by Bob Wise, who hired Norm as the Managing Director. Over the years, Norm helped developed a very successful series of music books entitled "The Great Australian Songbook." He also worked long and hard with the Australian Music Association to develop music educational programs throughout the country.  

John Egan was working for Ford Motor Company when his old friend and former colleague, Peter Hayward called him. Peter had formed a music wholesale company, which was expanding by the late 1970s and John joined the company as it brought on several key product lines including Ernie Ball Strings, Music Man amps, and Guild Guitars. In 1976, Peter, Geoff Brash, and Ikutaro Kakehashi established Roland Australia as Roland’s first international Joint Venture. Subsequently, John purchased Peter’s shareholding and ran the business for nearly twenty years.

David O'Loughlin joined his mother in the wholesale company his father had formed to import Fender guitars into Australia. He grew up in the business and recalls with a smile his college years when he and his sister would put together guitar packs in the family's car park. He also recalls attending the first trade show in Australia back when he was just seven years old. After his father passed away in 1982, his mother took over the business and later asked David to join her. The two worked closely together until Fender purchased their company and his mother retired in 2017.

Margaret O'Loughlin was inducted into the Australian Music Association's Honor Roll in 2017 for her dedication to the music industry. After her husband, Peter, had taken ill and passed away in 1982, Margaret attended the NAMM Show to inform the head of Fender that she could take over her husband’s role as the wholesaler for Australia. Having been a school teacher until Peter became ill, Margaret had no training in the business but felt it was her way to keep her husband’s legacy alive. She expanded the business and later brought in her son, David. In 2016, Fender purchased the bus

Sandra Lindsay is the Managing Director of Muso's Corner, a music store located in Newcastle, New South Whales, Australia. She purchased a small piano store and repair shop in 1967 and later renamed it Muso's Corner and expanded to a larger location in 1994. With a focus on lessons and music educational programs, Sandra has been active in supporting the Australian Music Association as well as serving on its board. Her son Andy also joined her in business. He became active in creating programs and sales events for their customers including May The Fourth Be With You sale and its fo

John Masson was front pumping organs during the great home organ boom of the 1970s. He opened Masson Organ Villa in 1975 demonstrating Baldwin Pianos and Kawai keyboards and organs. He later expanded into a shopping mall before renaming the store Masson Music. Along the way, John has been very active within the Australian Music Association and music educational programs. In 1999 and 2000, John created professional development programs that served to teach and inspire over 200 music teachers throughout Queensland. John continues to create ways that assist young students to become l

Mark Morris and his brother formed Morris Music in Brisbane, Australia in 2001. The tradition of his family's involvement in the music industry goes back to 1967 when his father, John Morris, formed Academy Music. John also was a strong music advocate who created the Queensland School Band Festival. For his dedication to the industry, John was inducted into the Australian Music Association's Honor Roll. Mark has followed in his father's footsteps as he continues to seek ways of increasing the number of music makers and supporting music educational programs.

Mike Tyler has been involved with music his entire life, and at the age of five he was playing clarinet. He was a rock drummer while in college studying music education and was later a school band director for ten years. Mike then advanced to an administrative role within the Queensland Department of Education, where he helped oversee AMEB, the largest examine body in the state and supported several key programs developed by the Australian Music Association.

Trevor Morrow left his native country Ireland in his 20s to relocate to Australia where he joined the well established music wholesaler called Australis Music. The company was founded by Peter Hayward and has expanded to include over 20 brands such as Gator Cases and Line 6. Trevor became the Managing Director and assisted as the company purchased the pro audio division of the Billy Hyde Company. As a result, Trevor began to provide specialized training to his retail customers on the benefits of adding pro audio and pro lighting products to their retail stores. Trevor has also bee

Ross Cole was inducted into the Australian Music Association's Honor Roll in 2017 for his life long career in music education. In 1978, Ross and his wife Marilyn opened Cove Music and later bought out Dickson’s Music as a way of expanding into the school music market. The business expanded into 22 schools and created programs, headed by Ross, that provide on-going education for music teachers. Ross also led the Dickson Yamaha Band Festival for 24 years, giving thousands of young musicians’ opportunities to play and compete. 

Keith Huxtable worked for Rose Music (now Yamaha) in Melbourne for 13 years beginning in the early-1970s. Starting in the service department and moving into product management, he witnessed the rapid development of electronic keyboards, MIDI, and synthesizers during that era. A special memory was a visit to the Moog factory in Buffalo, New York and being given a personal tour by Dr. Moog himself. Keith later worked with Roland as Marketing and Technical manager where his experiences with the education sector led to him establishing Music EDnet in 1991, a specialist supplier of mus

Mark Gibson is the songwriter and composer who wrote a series of method books for the Australian music market. Back in 1997, Mark established the Encore Music school that combined lesson programs with the latest in technology to engage the students. Based on the lessons he created for his students, Mark wrote several method books including "Encore On Keys" in 1998. He received support from Roland Corporation with the follow up set of books entitled "Accent On Keys." Mark continues to support music education programs as well as teach.

Owen Ray recalls his father buying him a ukulele when he was a kid and his passion for string instruments began! Owen played a vital role in the Australian guitar market when he started repairing guitars as his day job while gigging with his band, the Countdowns, at night. While repairing Fender instruments he contacted the factory with ideas of improving designs that would reduce the number of needed repairs.

Graham Hoskins played trombone professionally with the likes of The Bee Gees. When he was off the road he worked in a local music store in Perth, Australia and did so for eight years. In July 1980, at the age of 25, Graham decided to open his own store, Concept Music in West Perth. As his store developed and expanded to a second store in the early 2000s, Graham became involved with the Australian Music Association. He served as President and helped the organization develop several music education programs and planned key events, including the industry's trade shows. 

John Blanch grew up learning all about solid customer service from his father, who owned a grocery store north of Sydney, Australia. Those lessons helped John during his career in the music industry, which began in retail and expanded into wholesaling. His fun stories about selling pianos in the early 70s in Australia were plentiful, including those surrounding the fact that if you sold a piano in those day, it was you who had to deliver it! John joined Kawai at an important era of innovation and expansion, which included supporting many music educational program.

Mark Barratt operates a music store that has been in his family for years. His great grandfather opened a clothing store that later sold pianos and was then expanded by his grandfather to include other instruments when he relocated to Launceston, Tasmania in 1937. Mark's father brought in records to the business during his career and Mark, who joined the business in 2001, has focused on music education. Here ais a small part of the incredible history of the family, and its store is sure to continue to serve the Tasmanian community as it has for nearly 100 years.

John Goldsmith is the owner of Kosmic Music, a retail store in the western Australian city of Perth. He began repairing amps and loud speakers, which led to his involvement with backline gear for concerts. His first company provided the sound for the Rolling Stone's 1973 concert at the Perth Cricket Grounds. John formed Kosmic Music to offer a line of pro audio gear to all levels of musicians. John also witnessed the growth and development of the pro lighting industry within Australia and helped pioneer several brands along the way.

Palmi Snorrasen grew up in Iceland and was formally trained on the trombone, vibraphones, and accordion as a teenager. By his eighteenth birthday, Palmi was playing professionally and he later moved to Australia in 1961 and by the end of the decade was working in music retail. He purchased and worked for Academy Music, which was the Yamaha dealer in Melbourne. Within a few years Palmi was working for Music Junction, which had four locations, including one in Brisbane. Over the years, he has formed firm friendships with many instrument makers, particularly in Italy, where he travel

Richard Snape is a passionate and active member of the Australian music industry. He began playing flute in school and later worked for several music stores in and around Melbourne including Allans Music and Allans Publishing. In 2006 Richard became a shareholder and an Executive Director of the rebadged Allans Publishing (AMPD). In 2010 Richard and his partners sold AMPD to Hal Leonard Australia. As Head of Sales for Hal Leonard Australia, Richard has helped support many educational programs and has served on the Australian Music Association’s Board of Directors for over 10 years

Neville Kitchen was a school teacher when he married Linda May in 1969. Her father, Bill May, the founder of Maton Guitars, soon asked for some assistance. Neville joined the company to help for a short time when he soon discovered he loved the staff and the products. He remains with Maton to this day and in 1987 Linda and Neville purchased the company when Bill May retired. The couple focused on their acoustic models and in the early 2000s opened their custom shop, which continues to produce innovative and creative instruments.

Chico Fernandez was born in Toronto and began playing drums at the age of three. He studied piano at eight and later reconnected with the drums, playing in local bands both on stage and in recording studios. He eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he opened a music teaching studio that evolved into Santa Monica Music Center. As the studio expanded into a music store, Chico became the first Gibson dealer in west Santa Monica. With the help of his brother and daughter, he expanded to a second location, Culver City Music Center, which also boasts a strong music lesson program.