Drums
George Luther was a legendary music retailer! His reputation preceded him far beyond the South, where he forged a successful and colorful career. His business savvy was in large part from thinking "outside the box". Over many years of fostering a fun working environment and mentoring many...
Larry Garris is the founder of Corner Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Located in the heart of the country music region, Corner Music has become the place to purchase the latest gear and to listen to some great music. Over the years, Larry has developed long-lasting relationships with many of the...
Fred Bramante formed the music retail store Daddy’s Junky Music on the East Coast and went on to play a vital role on the NAMM Board during a dynamic period in the association’s history. While playing in a rock band in college in the late 1960s, Fred got the idea of buying used music gear and...
Gene Chrisman was among the celebrated studio musicians from Tennessee who played on countless recordings and helped shape the Memphis Sound during the 1960s and 70s. Gene’s creative drumming style has been cited by percussionists around the world as an influence on their own careers. Gene was the...
Paul Hagen grew up in England playing a number of musical instruments including the bassoon, piano and flute. He was part of the National Youth Band and, although he studied engineering in college, felt that he wanted to be involved with the music products industry. When he had the opportunity to...
Lee Worsley and Paul Hagen represent the modern distribution era with their music wholesale business in the United Kingdom—a business formed after the advent of computer technology and the Internet. Active Music Distribution began in 1999 with a strong focus on the percussion market. Lee had worked...
Don Canedy was a beloved band director and professor at Southern Illinois University before being hired by the Roger’s Drum Company in 1961. Don played drums beginning at the age of 10 and was a perfect fit for the company’s Educational Director. Just prior to his job at Roger’s, which at the time...
Rudi Metzler watched the Beatles on TV in his home in Germany and wanted to be the next Ringo Starr. He earned money washing cars, taking over a year to earn enough for his first drum kit. After playing in several bands he thought the future for him would be in selling instruments so he began...
Ndugu Chancler cut his teeth as a jazz drummer but later expanded his scope to include the blues, pop, soul, and funk. As a jazz drummer, he worked with an incredible line up of artists over the years including Miles Davis, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Gerald Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Thelonious...
Dave Weckl was proudly inducted into the Modern Drummer Magazine's Hall of Fame in 2000. The award was extra meaningful to Dave given the list of previous winner who inspired his playing when he was a kid. Dave grew up in Missouri and studied Jazz in Connecticut before moving to New York for his...