Combo Line
Tony Yarbrough’s love of music led to buying a music store in Memphis that was closing and renaming it Yarbrough Music, which soon became a hub for musicians in and around town. He took an interest in audio and pro audio installations and created a division of the store called Memphis Audio. ...
Peter Dods was an investment banker on Wall Street on September 11, 2001, which in his words, “uprooted my life and caused me to rethink what I wanted to do.” Having been a music maker himself, Peter returned home to Hawaii where he sought to open his own music store. At that time he learned that...
Kevin Jarvis began working for Gelb Music in Redwood City, California in 1966 as a guitar teacher. The store was established in 1939 by Sydney Gelb, who was still running the store when Kevin joined the store. Kevin fell in love with the music business as he continued to teach and play...
Craig Bosco is a musician and manager of Music Village, a retail store in San Jose, California. Craig's passion for music began at an early age and over the years he has become a professional bass player, all the while enjoying the thrill of working with fellow musicians and gear heads such as...
Anita DeBlasio manages the Union Ave. location of Music Village in San Jose, California. The store was established by Joe Teixeina in 1964 to serve the musicians and to foster music in the lives of beginners. Anita has a true passion of the business and takes great pride in helping customers find...
Joe Teixeira opened a small music store in San Jose, California in 1964. As the fiftieth anniversary approached in 2013, Joe sat down for his NAMM Oral History interview to begin documenting the contributions of Music Village! The company has grown to two locations and focuses on teaching, just...
Don Kong is the manager of Music Village in San Jose, California. Don worked for a few other music companies before begging to be hired by the store's founder, Joe Teixeina, in the early 1990s. Don has worked alongside Joe, who established Music Village in 1964, and has worked hard to maintain...
Richard Abreau played music in school as a kid but got away from it during most of his professional career. Then in 2001, upon his retirement, Richard returned to music! Encouraged by a friend, he walked into Music Village and soon became one of the store’s greatest promoters! The store was...
Greg Howren is the past president of his family's music store in Charlotte, North Carolina. Greg followed in his father's footsteps and continued to build the music store, which focuses on school band programs as well as the combo business. After his father was president of the company, his older...
Dennis Howren is the president of the Howren Music Store in Charlotte, North Carolina. The store was founded by his father and was run by his two older brothers before Dennis took over as president. The store has a strong school music program and in fact one of Dennis's first jobs after returning...