Fender Musical Instruments Corp
David O'Loughlin joined his mother in the wholesale company his father had formed to import Fender guitars into Australia. He grew up in the business and recalls with a smile his college years when he and his sister would put together guitar packs in the family's car park. He also recalls attending...
Owen Ray recalls his father buying him a ukulele when he was a kid and his passion for string instruments began! Owen played a vital role in the Australian guitar market when he started repairing guitars as his day job while gigging with his band, the Countdowns, at night. While repairing Fender...
Brad Townsend always had a love for music and remembers growing up with music all around him. He opened a retail music store/lesson studio and also had an extensive career at Fender Musical Instruments for 18 years. While at Fender Brad dealt with domestic and international sales as well as...
Susan Carson opened her first music store, Taylor Guitar Shop, at just 18 years old in Johnson, Tennessee. Taylor Guitar Shop became the local hangout spot for bluegrass pickers and those looking to jam every Saturday. Susan sold the store when she married her husband, Bill Carson, and he took a...
Jimmy Johnson helped define the Chicago Blues of the 1960s and 70s with a series of live performances and recordings. Some of his best known songs were captured at Bob Koester's Delmark Records. Jimmy wrote several songs recorded by other artists and toured the world performing with the likes of...
Rob Joly was playing in a surf band in 1966 when Leo Fender hired him to work at a teenage fair. The fair attracted young students and Leo felt the event would be great to introduce his new line of guitars. As a thank you gift for his help, Leo gave Rob a P-Bass! Just a few years later, Rob began...
Joe Phelps started playing drums in the 7th grade. While in college, as a marketing major, he opened an off campus concert hall, played in bands, and ran a recording studio for the music retailer, Ben Jack, in Arkansas. In 1975, he moved to Los Angeles and formed a small ad agency, which has become...
Larry Barnes recalls his early childhood growing up in his father's music store in Leavenworth, Kansas just outside of Kansas City. The store, which was known as the Leavenworth Music Store, opened in 1955, closed when his dad retired in 1985, and never had a phone! The family home was right next...
Jack Schwarz is the founder of Desert Sons Musical Instruments based in Phoenix, Arizona. The company specializes in custom guitars from a small group of luthiers, all of whom Jack, himself, helped train. As a luthier, Jack worked for Fender, beginning in 1982. He was one of the first employees at...
Jeff Cary grew up in Rochester, New York playing guitar and started his career in the music industry by working at House of Guitars. He also developed a passion for audio gear and the recording industry. Jeff worked for the pro audio company, ART, as well as in a recording studio (for over 12 years...