British Music Industry

David Seville loved the music industry because he loved music!  He was born in Birmingham UK and became a well-known opera singer both in recordings and such live performances as Wells Cathedral. During our interview, he recalls his transition from singing to a long and enjoyable career with Selmer...
Gez Kahan, on a whim, offered to be the musical director for his college’s production of Tommy. The experience lit a fire under him and soon he was exploring all of the latest gear, especially electronic keyboards and synthesizers. In 1983 he was hired as a freelancer to demonstrate the first...
Sir John Pearse was proud of the role he played in encouraging countless people to play the guitar. His BBC program Hold Down a Chord was based on lessons he created by picking up simple techniques from his favorite blues players such as Mississippi John Hurt and Big Bill Broonzy. John provided a...
Tom Dale was the original business partner and long time friend of luthier Mervyn Davis. Mervyn began building guitars in the 1970s and as the demand for his unique instruments grew so did the need to have a business partner who could help navigate the operation while he focused on the instruments...
Laurence Juber, like so many kids in the 1960s, began playing guitar soon after hearing the Beatles for the first time. He couldn’t dream that one day his talents as a guitarist would allow him to play along side Paul McCartney as a member of Wings, the band Paul formed a year after the Beatles...
John McLaren Sr. is the president of BBE Sound, which develops pro audio gear. The company purchased G&L Guitars and has been dedicated to keeping the spirit of the founders and their ideas and traditions evident in each guitar. G&L was originally formed by George Fullerton and Leo Fender...
Jim Marshall was in a full body cast as a 12-year-old boy due to polio. He managed to overcome the incredible odds to not only walk again, but also to become a trained tap dancer. He founded a charity to help crippled children and tap danced at charity events to raise money for the cause. Of course...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Stanley Dance was the noted jazz historian who wrote several Grammy nominated liner notes as well as books and magazine articles over his long career. He began writing for...

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