John D'Addario

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Oral History Information

John D’Addario’s family history in the music industry can be traced back to the 1670s when Donato D’Addario worked as a “cordaro” – the Italian word for “string maker.” 
Since that time the family has perfected the art of handcrafting strings as well as other music accessories. John’s father had a great interest in alternative synthetic substitutes for the animal products and worked hard to design a new style of string following World War II that would revolutionize the industry. John and his father, John Sr., and John’s brother Jim, introduced a new brand of strings in 1974 and built a new factory in Lynbrook, New York. Today, Jim and John’s children work with their fathers to keep the long and successful tradition of cordaro in the family.