Vietnam War
Jim Semeizer started playing saxophone when he was a kid and went on the road with the Les Brown Orchestra in 1962 for two and a half years. He learned repairs from his father, who was a watchmaker. The mechanics of instruments came easy to Jim and provided a career path. That career was put on...
Rich Neville has spent his life making music and for decades has helped others obtain their musical dreams. Rich was a touring musician who turned to a career in music retail and never let go of the passion he first had as a kid in the school band playing trombone. He gigged in rock bands on bass...
Dusty Wheeler served as a medic in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. After the war he attended college all the while playing guitar and giving lessons. In 1979 he opened Dusty’s Guitars in Leucadia, California with just four instruments on the wall and an amp (with two of the guitars and the...
Bob Carbone is the co-founder of the Piano & Organ Center in Syracuse, New York. The store has a reputation for their quality products as well as creative lesson programs, which are offered to all of their customers. Bob entered the music industry with a letter he wrote while in the US Army to...
Mike Vaccaro is a true piano salesman veteran! Having worked in the piano business for over 40 years, selling for several retail stores and running his own dealership for over 20 years, Mike has sold his share of instruments! He played guitar in the US Navy Band during the Vietnam War era and among...
Howie Schwartz has had a passion for music and sound since he as a kid, which landed him in the Eastman School of Music playing bassoon. After his time in school, Howie worked as a DJ at a local radio station. He was drafted and continued his DJ career working being the iron curtain in Berlin,...
Dr. John Hanbery joined the school band in the fourth grade in his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi. He was encouraged and inspired by his band director, which is a strong reason why he perused the profession after attending Old Miss. Dr. Hanbery went on to teach in the Madison Country school...
Peter Yarrow is the Peter in the wildly successful popular folk music trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. During his often musical NAMM Oral History interview, Peter spoke of the role music played during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, as well as the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. The...
Larry Moudy sang and played the guitar for the musical group Up With People beginning in 1967. After being drafted and serving in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne, Larry returned to the group to sing, play, and help manage the tours. In 1975, he was hired by Fender back in the CBS days and...
John Stavash and his sister took over the music company their parents established in the early 1950s. John recalls the first milestone of the business was when it moved out of the family home into a real store front. Over the years, he has been instrumental in growing the product line as well as ...