British Music Industry
Paul Brett knows a good story when he hears one and when he began digging into the history of the Bartell Guitar Company, he was hooked. Researching the California guitar manufacturer from the 1960s was not easy from his home in England, yet Paul was fascinated. In 2021 he published the book,...
Simon Jones has a rich background with the guitar, which has come full circle with his role with the Yamaha Guitar Group. As a teenager he played, and even built his own guitar to play with his friends. He continued to play in college and took an interesting path within the pro audio and recording...
James Brady was front and center during the MIDI boom, working within the keyboard department at Rushworth’s Music House in Liverpool. The year was 1986 and the synthesizer was at its peak in popularity. As a musician, who was already using electric keyboards and analog synths to create his own...
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-...
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...
David Rushworth started in the family business, Rushworth's Music House, in 1966 when he was in his early twenties after leaving University. David quickly moved up through the ranks from junior salesman to manager, selling transistor radios and pianos. Eventually, he became director of the company...
Dave Nicholas was just four years old when he began playing a piano that was left in their new house when they moved in the 1930s. The previous owner had purchased the piano on monthly payments and Dave’s father decided to take over the payments while arranging lessons for young Dave. He later...
Paul McManus recalls the moment he first heard the recording of T Rex. It is a moment most of us can relate to when music enters our lives in a way that we can’t deny. He began playing guitar in local bands and later switched to bass, playing at clubs and college parties. Paul had a twenty-year...
John Waite was born in Lancaster, England and began playing ukulele at the age of four. In school he studied art and always felt that his music incorporated art at some level in addition to the music. In 1975 one of his first bands, The Babys, recorded a video that went along with their song and...
Alan Barclay entered the music industry as a salesman, which is where his love of the industry developed. In 2003 he opened Absolute Music, an instrument retail store in England that incorporates a host of special services for his customers, helping set his store apart from his online competitors....