The Beatles
Denny Mack has been surrounded by music his entire life! His father was a Vaudeville performer and it seems all Denny ever wanted to do was be involved with music. He played drums at sock-hops when he was in school and continued to be in rock trios throughout college. Along the way he developed a...
Michael Campion has attended the NAMM Show since the late 1970s, first as a wide-eyed musician, then as a retailer and finally as an exhibitor. Tracing his evolving roles at the show mirrors his fascinating career in the music industry. Playing in garage bands led to his involvement with...
Mark Altekruse, like so many passionate members of the music industry, specifically remembers the lessons he learned from one of his earliest and most influential music instructors. Trombonist Bugs Beddow was a local musician in Detroit who served as a musical mentor to young Mark, who went on to...
Bill Hanley is known as the Father of Festival Sound and for a very good reason. Beginning in the 1950s Bill and his brother Terry provided sound equipment for outdoor events and as the rock-and-roll era boomed, they found themselves inventing and innovating new ways to address the needs of...
Bob Hardy was greatly influenced by the American rock and roll artists he heard on the radio as a kid growing up in 1950's Liverpool, during which time he was a pupil at the Liverpool Institute with George Harrison and Paul McCartney. A few years later, around 1961, he was blown away when a friend...
Jim Armstrong worked in the music publishing industry for many years, both for Charlie Hansen and Columbia Music. His music career began at the famous music retailer in southern California, Wallich’s Music City in 1968. He soon switched to working for innovative publisher Mr. Hansen in Florida,...
David Garretson is a special representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents motion picture technicians, artists and allied crafts of the United States and Canada. As a union leader, David has overseen the creation of several initiatives that have...
T. Bruce Wittet is the widely read drum journalist who began his musical passion playing harmonica. His love for all things music led him to an exciting career playing in the school’s jazz ensemble, gigging in coffee houses and working as a studio musician for over 12 years. These experiences...
Jim Wilson incorporates his experiences as a gigging musician (he formed a duo in college and later played a Fender P-Bass in several rock bands) into the work he does as a piano technician. Being able to understand the needs of professional performers has allowed Jim to relate to and be trusted by...
Billy Amendola is the Editor At Large for Modern Drummer magazine whose background as a musician makes him perfect for the job! His passion for music began at an early age and by the time he began working for the magazine in 1997, Billy was already a seasoned studio musician and founding member of...