Lowrey Organs
Tony Fenelon cut his teeth on the Theatre Organ and became the artist in residence at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in the early 1960s. He recalls performing demos at the NAMM Shows beginning in the 1970s for companies such as Lowrey and Roland. Tony was on hand for the big unveiling of the...
Camille Scheidemann is the current owner of Frank and Camille’s Piano Store on Long Island, New York. For her, it all started when Dennis Awe, the young, amazingly talented organist/store owner told Camille’s father he would teach her to play if they purchased the Lowrey Heritage organ. That...
Garth Hudson sat down at the piano and played several classical works as the NAMM Oral History crew set up the camera and lights. He began by playing, stopping every once in a while, to review his notes. Garth spoke about his love for music and his first teacher in Canada who impressed upon him the...
Tom Miller began his career in the piano business at Jordan Kitts Music in Bethesda, Maryland in 1976. His father had purchased a Hammond organ from the same company in 1960, and at age 6 Tom started music lessons. Tom began working on the manufacturing side of the industry in 1977, first as an...
Bruce Mihalek has played the piano since he was just eight years old. When he saw the Beatles on TV, Bruce purchased a guitar and formed his own band. The band was the Animals Fax of Lyfe. It was the love of music that led him to work at a few music stores, including Well's Music in Denver. When...
Shelley Wilson and her husband, Greg Murdaugh, opened the Piano Craft store in 1999. The store, which is located in Springfield MO, has a family feel whenever you visit, which may be due in large part to the mom and pop approach Greg and Shelley have towards their customers and staff. Shelley...
Jim Hearn brings a great deal of experience to his position as Vice President at Piano Craft in Springfield, Missouri. Jim owned and operated his own music store in a local mall for over twenty years and before that cut his teeth in sales at one of the Wurlitzer factory-owned retail stores in...
Sheilah McDowell is a saleswoman and Lowrey class instructor at Piano Craft in Springfield, Missouri. Her passion for the industry goes back to the days she first met her husband, Jim McDowell, and worked in his family's music store in St. Louis. She traveled the country with Fred Waring playing...
Greg Murdaugh is the president of Piano Craft in Springfield, Missouri. The store, which is co-owned by his wife Shelley, opened in 1999. Greg grew up in the business, as his father owned a piano store years ago. After serving as a manufacturers’ road rep, Greg and Shelley decided to open the...
Marty Baxter entertained the troops during World War II as a member of a singing quartet. While with bands, such as Frankie Master’s Orchestra, she not only sang but arranged the four part harmonies. When she met and fell in love with the band’s piano player, Eddie Baxter, her life in music would...