British Music Industry

Ivor Taylor took part in one of the great developments of the music industry when he established a pro audio retail store in London. Turnkey was just that, an easy solution for its customers who were seeking to take advantage of developing technologies to make, record, and produce music. It was...
John Rogers provided an in-depth overview of the Paxman Company during his NAMM Oral History interview, which happened to have taken place as the company was celebrating 100 years in business during the 2019 NAMM Show. John explained that the company started when Harry Paxman opened a small retail...
Phil Hilborne turned the pages while next to his mother as a child as she played the piano. That early experience was not only a wonderful memory, but a useful training opportunity to read and understand music. He developed into a guitarist and a writer. Phil was able to convey thoughts and ideas...
Rob Hanson joined the brass band as a school kid in a small town in England. When looking for a job Rob turned to John Packer, who owned and operated the instrument company that provided Rob his horns growing up. Time after time John reported that he did not have a job for Rob. Finally, Rob said he...
Les Brazil’s first retail job was in Manchester, United Kingdom in 1966 when he was just 15, at a shop called Reno’s. Reno was a famous violin player that worked with the likes of Stephan Grapelli in the 30’s. After a few years of working at Reno’s, Les was also doing an apprenticeship as a welding...
Trevor Rabin was raised in a musical household, with a father who was a musician and he encouraged Trevor to play the piano at an early age. Later, his father gave him a guitar as a gift which started Trevor off on a side musical experience as a session player in his hometown of Johannesburg, South...
Pete Best grew up with a strong musical influence within his mother. She encouraged the passion and desire to bring music into the lives of Pete and the kids in Liverpool, England by opening the Casbah, a music club, below his childhood home. Despite picking up a guitar as his first instrument,...
Mike Wood has witnessed many developments in professional lighting throughout his career.  During his NAMM interview, Mike spoke about his background, as well as a few of those milestone improvements.  He also talked about the importance of the first moving light system, which was introduced in the...
Nicko McBrain joined the heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden in 1982 and has been an active endorsee of musical products since that time. Nicko can often be seen at a NAMM booth or on the floor posing for a photograph. Over the years, he has endorsed Premier Drums, but since the early 2010’s he has...
Michael Spriggs is a session guitarist who got his start at the age of 14 when he joined “The Rogues”. In 1971 Michael moved to Nashville where he played with Eddie Rabbitt. With over 35 years as a session player, Michael has worked with the likes of Waylon Jennings, BB King, Elton John, and Dolly...

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