Fender Rhodes
Dave Rivard has thoroughly enjoyed his role at Roland Corporation as a sales rep. He has grown the role over the years and covered nearly every state, making connections, introducing new products to his retail customers and often outselling his teammates. Dave was there when many of the amazing...
Greg Mathieson spoke passionately about his career in music during his NAMM Oral History interview. He brought up some very interesting points, such as his views on working on the road vs in the recording studio, and his experiences of developing a true musical connection with the vocalists he...
John McLaren Jr. grew up in the music business as his father, John McLaren Sr., served as a strong leader for CBS Musical Instruments, which owned such brands as Steinway pianos and Fender guitars. His father was also the Senior Vice President for Yamaha Corporation. John Sr.'s involvement in...
Kevin Crossley studied as a classical pianist and technician before he started working for SIR (Studio Instrument Rentals) in 1974. While he was based in Los Angeles, he traveled often to work in San Francisco and New York City. The company always had a need for a tuner to ensure their Fender...
Roxie Hyatt was married to one of Leo Fender’s early sales representatives, Harold Hyatt. Harold first worked for his brother, Dale, who Leo hired in the late 1940s. After working for Dale for several years, Harold was officially hired as a salesman in 1965 and stayed with the guitar maker until ...
Chick Corea loved being a music maker! Nominated over 60 times for a Grammy, Chick was among the most high profile musicians we have been blessed to interview for the NAMM Oral History program, and yet he was also one of the most down to earth men we have ever met. Around the time of his two NAMM...
Les McCann began his musical career playing the Sousaphone in school. He later played drums before discovering the piano, which became the vehicle that launched him into the jazz world. He recorded with the Fender-Rhodes electrical piano and even tried his hand at a variety of electronic...
Don Airey is widely known as the current keyboardist for Deep Purple, a gig he has had since 2002. His career spanned the development of electronic instrumentation, which grew as his own career did over the years. In his early work with Gary Moore, Don played the Wurlitzer electric piano, which...
Dave Gupton has had a long career with a number of companies and a rather impressive list of innovators who helped pioneer our industry. Dave worked in retail with Karl Bruhn before joining Fender--before the CBS Musical Instruments buyout in the mid 1960s. As a result he was able to work with Leo...