Composer/Songwriter
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Red Norvo was often surprised at the influence his vibraphone playing had on a generation of musicians. During his interview in 1994 he said, "I just wanted to make music...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Frankie Carle fondly told the story that his parents could not afford a piano so young Frankie practiced on a fake keyboard his uncle made for him out of an orange crate...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Peanuts Hucko was a versatile clarinetist and saxophonist during the swing era. He worked with a number of big bands including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Jack...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Peggy Lee was an elegant jazz vocalist who started singing with Benny Goodman's Orchestra and went on to record standard jazz albums and hit songs in the 1950s and 60s....
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Benny Carter was among the most creative jazz composers and arrangers in a career that spanned the 1930s through the 1990s. He first recorded with Charlie Johnson's...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Burton Lane studied classical music in New York and had the opportunity to listen to George Gershwin playing the piano at his family home while still a teenager. The...
This audio only interview was conducted by Bruce Duffie and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Vladimir Ussachevsky was a classically trained composer who worked in the field of electronic music. In fact, with the use of electronic musical instruments, such as the Moog, Vladimir was the...
This audio only interview was conducted by David Schwartz and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Al Jardine can be heard on the very first Beach Boys recording. The song, “Surfin’” was recorded in 1961 for Candix Records. Al left the group for a bit but returned to play bass for the group in...
Bruce Johnston has been a member of the Beach Boys since the mid-1960s, first singing with the group on the hit "California Girls." He appeared on most of the groups albums, including the seminal Pet Sounds and toured with the group for decades. Bruce is also a songwriter who penned "I Write the...
George Benson recalls befriending Bob Cavanagh at the EU Wurlitzer Music store in Boston long before his noted career as an entertainer took off. George often visited the store and spent hours playing the instruments while Bob often showed him chords, provided picks and let him try out various...