Deceased
Dolores Yeager was the CEO of the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California, which her late husband, Bob, opened in 1959. Bob teamed with Chuck Molinari to establish a store that would provide gear for the working musician in and around Hollywood. The store soon became the drummers hang out...
Eugene Wright can be heard playing bass on the classic jazz song “Take Five” as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but what most people may not know is that Eugene fronted his own band for years before joining Dave. Eugene was the leader of the Dukes of Swing and enjoyed a remarkable career in...
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. ...
Botso Korisheli was born in Georgia, Russia, and came to America to become a composer and music teacher. After teaching music in elementary school, Botso established the County Youth Symphony for San Luis Obispo County, California in 1964, which over the years has showcased many of his musical...
Denver Spence joined the music industry in 1968 after having been involved with his school marching bands and school band programs since he was in elementary school. He worked as a school road rep for Jenkins Music in Kansas City for two years before opening his own retail store in Ada, Oklahoma....
Kurt Kaiser worked for Word Music beginning in 1959. Not only did he witness many of the changes to church music, many credit him for creating what is now known as contemporary Christian music. As an arranger and songwriter, Kurt worked with several leading church music artists, including Ethel...
Chris Climer wanted to play the piano and organ when he was 16 years old. He did not have the money to purchase an instrument so he made an arrangement to work in a music store in Arkansas to earn the money to make the payments –and he has been in the industry ever since! He learned to deliver...
Tom Wilson might have been among the most-suggested people to be included in the NAMM Oral History Program! Suggestions came from those who worked with him over the years who gained respect for his abilities, fairness and friendship! Tom worked with Yamaha in Texas as the Direct Sales Manager,...
Henry Stone wanted to record musical artists that were not able to sign deals with the large record labels of the late 1940s. As a result, Henry found a string of artists and provided the setting to be recorded. This list includes Ray Charles and James Brown. As his own company grew, both as a...
Hy Babit can be viewed on the 1966 TV tour of the NAMM Show in Chicago, which highlighted several key exhibitors to the show that year. Hy provided a review of the art of piano roll arranging. At the time of the filming Hy was working for QRS. Fast forward to 2014, Hy was once again in front of...