Deceased
Morris Hayes had some harrowing moments during World War II, but would rather spend time telling you about the glee club he formed while overseas. As a life long choral director, Morris created several methods that have made him a well respected leader in the industry. He is also given credit for...
Dean Burtch was a past president of the world famous music publisher and retailer JW Pepper. The company was formed in 1876 and was purchased in 1941 by a group of businessmen headed by Harold Burtch. Under Harold’s leadership, the company expanded its publishing catalog and opened a chain of...
Richard Loberg worked for the Schmitt Music store for nearly his entire working career. The company was formed in 1896 in Minneapolis, largely as a piano store. Over the years the company expanded its musical products and services. Shortly after World War II, Richard joined the sales force,...
Herbert Fischbach spent his entire working career in the design and crafting of brass musical instruments. As was the tradition in the German village of Markneukirchen, Herbert studied the fine craftsmanship that was handed down from generation to generation, and then handed down his techniques to...
Sir John Pearse was proud of the role he played in encouraging countless people to play the guitar. His BBC program Hold Down a Chord was based on lessons he created by picking up simple techniques from his favorite blues players such as Mississippi John Hurt and Big Bill Broonzy. John provided a...
Hugo Schreiber along with his brother and father formed the W. Schreiber Music Company in Germany in 1946. In very difficult post war years, Hugo oversaw the expansion of the market and guided the company’s import and export business. He served as president of the company when it was taken over by...
Martin Konig’s father, Karl, partnered with Erich Meyer in 1949 to create a wholesale business in which their first products were music stands. Soon the Germany-based company grew to not only supply music accessories created by other companies, they began producing their own products such as...
Heribert Glassl had two musical loves, the tuba and the cello. While it may seem like a strange pairing, Mr. Glassl made it work. In fact, after a long career in musical instrument making, the tuba and cello are the only products he produced in his small German factory. As founder of the Musik...
Wolfgang Förster’s family-owned piano company was formed in 1859 by August Förster, who opened a small piano workshop in "Löbau, Germany. Wolfgang grew up in the family business and recalls as a young boy hiding under the workbench while his father and grandfather worked on building pianos. After...
Henry Heller recalled with detail his father’s idea of moving the Aeolian Piano Company’s manufacturing plant from New York to Memphis. During the months of the move in the early 1950s, his father suffered a heart attack and died. It was up to Henry not only to take over the project of moving the...