The NAMM Foundation's Museum of Making Music
Bud Reglein’s uncle formed a small mouthpiece company in Elkhart, IN and named it J.J. Babbitt as he felt it sounded better than Jessie James Babbitt. Bud took over the company in 1939 and, in the 1940s, engineered a custom facing machine to ensure each mouthpiece made could be consistent, thus...
Larry "Link" Linkin began his career in the industry as a salesman for the G. Leblanc Corporation and wound up the C.E.O. of NAMM, retiring the year that the organization marked its 100th anniversary. Link not only helped grow NAMM into an international association with ever-growing trade shows,...
Chubby Jackson was the 1947 Down Beat magazine’s reader poll winner for the best bassist of the year. When the Kay Music Company of Chicago told Chubby that they would be presenting him with a new bass to mark the occasion, Chubby had one request – add a fifth string. Jackson played that bass...