Full Line Music Store
Art Risavy Jr. studied business in college and worked in a bank before returning to work in the music store his father had formed just a few years before Art was born. Working alongside his father, Art Sr., he helped the store grow and oversaw the expansion of the church and pro audio departments...
Linda McDowell proudly watched as her father was installed as president of the NAMM Board of Directors in 1970. It was a time of change and, under Robert McDowell’s leadership, programs were created with a goal of increasing the number of music makers. Since her father's passing in 2007, Linda does...
Jim McDowell was one of the first presidents of NAYMM (the National Association of Young Music Merchants) and served on the NAMM Board of Directors just as his father, Robert McDowell, had done for over two decades. Jim also ran the St. Louis based retail store, which was first established by his...
Robert Averwater’s father, M. J. Averwater taught music, wrote a method book and opened up Amro Music in Memphis, TN, with a fellow music teacher. Robert recalled some of the challenges of the store in the early days after World War II. The inventory needed to be reestablished as instruments and...
Gloria Guido studied classical music and opera before meeting her husband, jazz man Joe Guido. Together the couple opened Guido’s Music in Chicago, Illinois, in 1958, the same year they were married. When Joe would go on the road to perform, Gloria operated the store and eventually grew the lesson...
Richard Webb’s grandfather opened a pawnshop in England and his father, Sydney, developed a small music division within the shop some 20 years later. the From the age of 12, Richard thought of nothing else but to be involved with the family business. Richard enjoyed the music business and was...
Arthur Knopp is the founder of the music retail shop in Germany that carries his name (Musihaus Arthur Knopp in Saarbrucken). His passion for the industry has not only made his own store a success, but has resulted in many positions in a variety of organizations that have assisted in the growth and...
Dick Rumore has done it all in the music products industry. He has been a retailer for over 40 years, forming Paragon Music in Tampa, FL. He has been a wholesaler, inventor (he holds two patents for the saxophone), promoter and founder of the Rock School program to encourage young musicians. Dick...
Fred Theriault recalls the first time he set foot in Long & McQuade’s Music Store. He was still a teen and bought a snare drum from Jack McQuade; ironically Fred later was hired and has spent nearly 50 years with the company. Jack Long hired Fred in the store and soon put him in charge of the...
Pete Gamber, the president of Alta Loma Music in Southern California, has been one of the leaders in educating music retailers to provide successful and profitable lesson programs in their stores. His passion has led to a regular column in Music Inc. and his widely successful NAMMU sessions during...