Deceased
Terence James Thompson played the clarinet just as his father and grandfather did. Terence played clarinet in the British Army after World War II and in 1948 attended the Birmingham School of Music. He began to teach in a Birmingham area high school in 1950. He quickly discovered that he was unable...
Stan Kitchen, along with his late wife Shirley, were the co-owners and founders of Studio Music. This music publishing company was established in 1957 in London and has grown over the years to include a special method of engraving that Stan developed in the days before the musical typewriter. His...
Denzil Jacobs provided detailed and insightful stories of the piano industry in England from the 1930s into the 1980s. With a gentlemanly manner, Mr. Jacobs provided historical information on the growth of the piano market following World War II and how the Kemble Company expanded and grew under...
Crane Bodine’s father, Elmer, was a piano man who formed a retail store in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1933. When Crane was 17 years old, he began working in the store. In 1962, he took over as president shortly after his father’s passing. Crane became a pioneer in the organ business, both as a...
Lothar Meisel was the ninth generation of violinmakers in his family, going back to 1660 in Klingenthal, Germany. He recalled with a smile the days as a young boy hiding under his grandfather's work bench and even in later years Lothar could recall the lay out of his grandfather's workshop. His...
Buckwheat Zydeco redefined and popularized the Cajun Zydeco movement in America and around the World. In doing so, he brought positive attention to the accordion. The instrument’s reputation had suffered greatly beginning in the late 1960s; however, pockets of creative and innovative musicians...
Max Herman played his first professional music job at the age of 13. He enjoyed a stellar music career as the first trumpeter for many of the top name bands of the Swing Era. Most notably, Max was the first trumpet in the Bob Crosby Orchestra. His second career was that of music publisher, forming...
Holger Siems had a prolific career in music publishing. Beginning in his native Germany, Holger worked for several top publishing firms in key positions. Among his many accomplishments included establishing the United States branch of G. Henle Press. Relocating to Missouri, Holger helped bring the...
Harold Gore was a proud “march nut” as he often proclaimed. A former band director with a passion for the music of John Phillip Sousa and of other composers, Harold was well known throughout the music publishing industry for his love of the music and for always having a story to tell. Harold bought...
Robert Rockley took over the music store that his parents had started in Denver, Colorado. Bob, along with his wife Nina, expanded the products they carried while he focused on growing the guitar department. The store remains in the building that his father built and even as a kid Bob contributed...