Deceased
Bill Harris was a Utah music retailer so passionate about the business that he often is heard saying, “I hate Sundays because the store is closed.” He began working in music retail when he was in high school and soon after teamed up with two local band directors to open a store in 1953. Within the...
Himie Voxman was a band director nearly all his life. He studied chemistry in college but fell into music because jobs were hard for chemists to find in the days of the Great Depression. Since he had studied clarinet beginning when he was eight, he felt he could teach. Over his extensive musical...
Harry Carter was already a school band director when he opened a music store in Ottumwa, Iowa. The year was 1948 when Harry and two partners set out to develop a store that would specialize in customer service for band directors. As the store grew, Harry hired college friends and several buddies...
Wil White worked for Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center for nearly 30 years! It all began on October 6, 1987 when he was looking for a job and answered an ad for a cashier. He was hired by the founder, Mr. Levin, who impressed on Wil his passion for music. Wil witnessed firsthand the way...
Robert Levin was the youngest of Chuck and Marge Levin’s three children, literally growing up in the store. From his earliest memories, he can remember observing and learning his father’s many successful traits and techniques that were at the core of building such a successful business. Along...
Marge Levin was the secret behind the great success of Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center in Maryland, a fact Mr. Levin was proud to admit. Marge was born in Washington DC and met Chuck, then a young pawnshop owner, while she was on a date with another man. Within a short time they realized they...
Larry Bearce formed Reston Music in northern Virginia in the 1960s and later opened several locations in the area. One key to the store’s success was the man himself. He was a dedicated music maker who found personal satisfaction in watching student’s progress and learn music. He took pride in...
Sam Keeney loved playing music! He had a road organ he hauled to performances nights and on weekends. Starting in the late 1950s, his day job was music retailing. In 1970 he bought a store in Spry, Pennsylvania, and renamed it Sam Keeney Piano and Organ Company. Over the years he pioneered product...
Gordon Keller owned and operated a string of piano stores in and around northern Virginia and became a much-celebrated figure in the area due to his work at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap. Mr. Keller was also a well-regarded leader within the music products industry and among piano technicians....
Michael Cooney taught music in the public schools in Massachusetts for over 25 years. During the time of his teaching he also established a high-end flute company in the early 1970s called Northeast Winds. Over the years the company built a worldwide reputation for quality of product with a special...