Michael Jackson
Jerry Greenberg began his long and successful musical career in 1957 when his band Jerry Green and the Passengers began recording. Within a few years he had established Seaboard Distributions to provide a way to promote recordings to radio stations and record stores. While working in the recording...
Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett grew up in New Orleans and used the style he developed in clubs, starting at the age of 10, to create a unique place in music history. His first significant recording in 1979 of “Don’t Stop the Music” by Yardbrough & Peoples led him to an introduction of the Jackson...
Orianthi is an Australian born guitarist who, as a young teen, experienced what most aspiring musicians can only dream of. She had opened for her hero Steve Vai, traded solos with a guitar legend Carlos Santana, and soon after, backed Carrie Underwood at the Grammy Awards. Later, she toured...
Rick Peale is the Sales Manager for Saied Music in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began working for the company in 1991 and managed a store outside of Tulsa before moving to the main branch and running the combo department. His rich background in music served as the perfect foundation for his position in the...
Morris Diamond sat down with us for his NAMM Oral History interview at the age of 97 and recalled his career in music which started when he was 15 years old. He was hired to be the “band boy” for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra one month after the famous bandleader hired a then unknown singer by the...
Michael Cotten was the original keyboardist for the band the Tubes, which took full advantage of the innovations in synthesizers of the 1970s and 80s. Michael experimented with electronic sounds and the latest keyboards within the early recordings of the band. After his time with the Tubes, Michael...
Betty Wright was three years old when she was placed on a pile of phone books in a studio in order to reach the microphone when her family recorded gospel music. She began writing songs very young, many of which were performed by her siblings. In the 1960s, Betty made the move to R&B music and...
Alan Sanderson cut his teeth as a recording engineer while working for Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, California. The opportunity gave Alan key skills in working in a large recording studio, which came in handy when Michael Jackson was looking to record a full choir for his HIStory album. Along...
Bruce Swedien was working with Quincy Jones when Michael Jackson asked the two if they would work on his upcoming album, entitled “Thriller.” It became the biggest selling album on the planet and in some ways has overshadowed Bruce’s amazing career before and after “Thriller.” As a recording...
Greg Phillinganes reminds one of a chameleon with his innate ability to perfectly blend into any musical situation or setting. While still a teenager, Greg had the opportunity to join Steve Wonder’s Wonderlove band. This opportunity would help shape Greg’s musicality, giving him exposure to and the...