Aerospace
Phil Rovner was having some trouble with his intonation as a saxophone player, and decided to design a new approach to attaching the reed to his mouthpiece. As an engineer, he had the knowledge to create this new ligature, which has since been played by musicians around the world. Phil grew up in...
Les Deutsch is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist in the aerospace industry who holds several patents for electronic musical instruments. His father, Ralph Deutsch, invited the sound generator technology for the first digital organ. That instrument, produced by Allen Organ and first shown...
Richard Factor is the founder of Eventide and has invented and designed numerous innovative products over the last fifty years. He played synthesizers and theremins when he was young and developed a passion for electronics. After attending Cornell University and receiving a degree in economics,...
Doug Kershaw is the wild man of Cajun music who has been a powerful ambassador for the musical style around the world for many decades. His passion and high energy performances gained the attention of people who may have otherwise not have been exposed to this native Louisianan's music. Beginning...
Mark Ureda was a young engineering student when he dreamed of working for JBL. He had that chance in 1976 for one day (that is a good story), but when that did not work out he joined the aerospace industry for over 25 years. Then, as if to finally make his dream a reality, Mark was hired by JBL...
Mark Dunkley is the president of Dunkley Music Inc. in Boise, Idaho. In fact this is just one of three locations that are situated along southern Idaho. Mark's parents opened the first location in downtown Boise, where Mark remembers going to as a small child. After earning a business degree and...
Ed Caustin was the nephew of guitar pioneer George Beauchamp. Ed recounted several stories about his very creative uncle, who Ed looked up to as an inspiration. In fact, Ed later worked as an engineer in aerospace and with the space program. At times, he used audio and sound waves in his work. ...
David Saul is a leading expert on player piano rolls and the AMPICO Company. David was interviewed in his El Cajon, CA home in June 2011 and spoke of his career as an engineer. He worked in Texas for the space program in the late 1960s and early 70s before gaining his master’s degree and moving to...
Bill Tarpley remembered the stories his father used to tell him about the early days of the family music retail store in west Texas. Times were hard during the era of the dust bowls and depression, but he credits his father’s skills as both a businessman and salesman in the success of the store....
Paul Damiano has played a critical role in the growth and development of Kaman Music ever since first joining the company in the early 1980s. With a great understanding and passion for marketing and manufacturing, he was able to design processes that increased the company’s success especially in...