Full Interview
Hirokazu Kato took part in the innovative engineering team at Yamaha in Japan who utilized FM Synthesis to create an electronic musical instrument, first the TRX prototype and then the revolutionary DX7. Kato-san began his career with Yamaha in 1965 when he helped design the company's first...
Anthony Macari is the Managing Director of the music shop in London, England named by his father. Macari’s Musical Instruments first opened in 1958 and was established by Joe and Larry Macari. Anthony’s father, Joe, played a key role in the growth of the shop, which today has two locations (one...
Rikki Farr has been an active member of the audio engineering community most of his life and as such has been involved in countless innovations along the way. With Rikki’s incredible career in mind, it would take a page just to list the fields he has been involved with such as concert promotions,...
Larry Graham fondly recalls stepping out onto stage to perform at Woodstock! He remembers the sea of people and the energy in the air as he performed as a member of Sly & the Family Stone. Larry recorded many of the band’s big hits in the 1960s and early 70s before he formed his own funk band...
Elvin Bishop was inspired to play the guitar because as an early teen he noticed that the girls at the dance seemed to always hang out with the guitarist! When he discovered the blues, he was hooked, as he had found the style of music he felt could best express his feelings. Over his long and...
Ralph Johnson joined Earth, Wind and Fire in 1972. That was an important year for the band as founder Maurice White changed the line-up to include singers Jessica Cleaves and Philip Bailey, keyboardist Larry Dunn, guitarist Roland Bautista and Ronnie Laws on flute and saxophone. The newly reformed...
Lenise Bent, as an assistant or chief recording engineer, has been associated with some of the most successful and creative albums in rock history. Her passion for music and her incredible talents to bring out the best in musicians have been key elements in a career that includes such projects as...
Bill Hollingshead enjoyed a long and successful career as a concert and live events booking agent as well as a director and producer for many years. He worked for Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California as well as many other venues. He was there when rock and roll started and played a key role...
Sheila E sat down for her NAMM Oral History interview to discuss the importance of music and music education, as well as her early musical experiences. She has always believed her earliest exposure to music, such as watching her father and his friends, proved integral in her development as an...
Glenn Snoddy was working in the recording studio in Nashville, when a short on the control board caused Grady Martin's guitar to take on a new sound. The engineers and producer looked at one another and asked if they heard that fuzzy sound. That sound was later requested by other artists who...