Audio Only
Lowell Samuel was the quintessential music man! He devoted his life to creating school band programs in the small towns of Illinois before and after World War II. After serving as a band director, he opened Samuel Music in 1946, which allowed him to continue to support both students and band...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jac Winroth was born with a handicap that his mother insisted would never limit her son. She often played the piano for young Jac, which served as a great inspiration for...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Kenny Gardner was a popular vocalist during the Big Band Era who witnessed firsthand the power of music uniting generations of dancers during the golden age of swing....
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Johnny Catron formed his first band in Boston back in 1939, but gained fame as a bandleader and songwriter when he reformed his band following World War II in Southern ...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Memo Bernabei led a popular society orchestra during the great Big Band Era. As a saxophonist, Memo cut his teeth within such bands as those lead by Jan Garber and Ray...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Doc Cheatham was a blues and jazz trumpeter who played from the early years of recordings all the way into the 1990s. Doc was just a teenager when he recorded with the...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Patti Page was the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner who broke out from the role as a band singer during the swing era to create a very successful solo career,...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Joe Franklin was a music historian who had a series of radio and television shows including two on New York TV that ran from 1951-1993! Joe was a good guy, funny, and full...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Georgia Gibbs, often billed as “Her Nibbs,” enjoyed a successful career as a singer with the big bands beginning in 1936. Over the years she performed with Tommy Dorsey,...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray Charles, or as he called himself "The Other Ray Charles" was a choral director whose choir backed such singers as Perry Como and Bing Crosby. Ray enjoyed a successful...