Idaho
Kelly Wheeler and her husband Dorsey run a music retail business in Idaho with several locations. Dorsey Music was established in 1969 and just three years later Kelly walked through the doors looking to buy a guitar. She soon began working in the store before they were married a few years later....
Dorsey Wheeler attributes some of the success of his music store to the training and ongoing support he has received from companies such as Peavey Electronics and Cannonball Musical Instruments. Having a strong relationship with his suppliers has been a key element for his business, as is attending...
Mark Dunkley is the president of Dunkley Music Inc. in Boise, Idaho. In fact this is just one of three locations that are situated along southern Idaho. Mark's parents opened the first location in downtown Boise, where Mark remembers going to as a small child. After earning a business degree and...
Paul Winther took over his parent’s music store in Boise, Idaho, which was opened in 1943. Paul enjoyed the selling side of the business, especially selling pianos and organs. Paul took great pride in the fact that his son Greg came into the business and would run the store after his retirement...
Gary Bennett entered the music products industry in 1964 working for Chesbro Music in Idaho. At the time of his NAMM Oral History interview, taped during the NAMM Show in January 2012, Gary was still proudly working for Chesbro. During the 1970s Gary played a vital role in their becoming the...
Vanetta Wilson was the fourth generation owner of her family’s music business. Chesbro Music began in 1911 as a music retailer and expanded over the years to become one of the largest music wholesalers in the country. Since taking on the Hoshino line of products in the 1970s, the company has...
Dorothy Dunkley co-founded Dunkley Music Stores in Boise, Idaho, with her husband Bill. She took over the store while Bill was on the road selling pianos door to door in the early years of the store. The Dunkley’s were widely known in the industry as great advocates of music making. Along with a...
William Dunkley and his wife Dorothy co-founded Dunkley Music Stores in Boise, Idaho. In addition to taking the trade of organ and piano sales out of the store and into the truck to their customers, the Dunkley’s were widely known in the industry as great advocates of music making. Along with a...
Greg Winther’s grandfather opened the Winther Music Company in downtown Boise, Idaho, just before World War II. The near-by streets would soon be covered with competitors, a fact Greg, who took over as president of the store in the 1970s, found to be healthy for business. Greg branched out into...