Keyboards

Alan R. Pearlman was nicknamed “ARP” as a kid growing up in New York City, so it seemed the perfect name for a company when he was later designing electronic musical instruments. The first instrument created by Alan was the modular synthesizer known as the ARP 2500. The monophonic product was...
Rob Castle is currently the managing director of KORG UK, having been tied to the company in one way or another since 1981. In his early days with the company, Rob played a role on the team that designed the world's first keyboard workstation, the KORG M1. The unit was ideal for all musical...
Gareth Hunt is the Managing Director of Soundcontrol, a musical instrument retailer located in England. As a young boy, he played in a traveling band on guitar. In fact, his father was his roadie and driver (after all, it was before Gareth could drive himself). As a player, Gareth could call on his...
Robert Hartford was originally hired by ARP in 1977 as the company’s janitor, but soon was promoted as a clever facilities manager who was the guy who “knew how to get things done.” His principal role over the years is not well known, but ought to be. He is one of those guys the team can depend...
Philip Dodds seemed to always be drawn to electric musical instruments as a teen, so it was no shock that he made a major contribution to the field of keyboard and synthesizer development over his long and successful career. He was hired by ARP in 1970 as the world was first being introduced to the...
Matteo Galanti and his family have been instrumental in the growth and development of the accordion and organ industry, both inside and outside the United States. Beginning in the 1950s, the accordion became one of the leading instruments in the industry; however, dealer relations were not yet well...
Floyd Hershberger along with his wife Joyce had the dream of opening their own small music store and running it as a family business. The store was established in 1956 in Nebraska and is now being run by their son Brad. Along the way they were witnesses to the good old days of the Beatles and the...
Joyce Hershberger and her husband, Floyd, established the Hershberger Music Store in McCook, Nebraska, in 1956. They have enjoyed watching the company grow and become an important part of the community, serving several generations and bringing music into the lives of many. Joyce is particularly...
Herbie Hancock’s career as a musician and performer spans six decades. He was a member of the legendary Miles Davis Quintet and gave the world “Head Hunters” (jazz’s first platinum album) and other crossover hits such as the Grammy winning “Rockit.” Interestingly enough, what Herbie wanted to talk...
Steve Porcaro vividly recalls watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan television program in February 1964 and having the sense that his life would never be the same. After forming several bands with his now famous brothers, Steve became a member of the band Toto, playing keyboards and...

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