Music Manufacturing
Daniel Mari followed in the footsteps of his father in running the Mari String Company in New York City. While serving as president of the company, Daniel worked hard to expand the product line as well as open the company up to serving the growing global market. In addition to exhibiting at NAMM...
John C. Hall’s father purchased a guitar company from Adolph Rickenbacker, who was a cousin of the famed fighter pilot, Eddie Rickenbacker. The Rickenbacker Guitar Company made and sold Hawaiian guitars in the early 1930s including an electric model now known as the Frying Pan and historically the...
Kenny Chilton was deeply passionate about the electric organ. While working at a piano and organ retail store in the Los Angeles area in the late 1960s, Kenny was approached by a research team working with the Mattel Toy Company. After answering a series of questions over several days he was asked...
R. Thomas Lockie’s grandfather started a small music store in downtown Los Angeles in the 1920s. The store was later owned and operated by Tom’s father who played “keep the store in business” during the Great Depression. Tom’s father was a movie studio musician who specialized in playing the piano...
John Galante was the accountant for the Story & Clark Piano Company beginning in the late 1950s. John oversaw the growth and development of the piano industry during those years and witnessed first hand the powerful team at Story & Clark as they worked to compete with the home organ boom,...
Lowell Simpson spent his entire life in music. As a child he played music as well as sang and in fact, continued to sing over the decades even after working as a sales manager for several industry manufacturers. From 1965 until 1978 he served as a sales rep for the Wurlitzer Company. He traveled to...
Richard Bennett served many roles during his long career in music, perhaps most notably as the sales rep for Wurlitzer towards the end of the 1960s. His involvement in retail and his philosophy on customer service have had a lasting effect on his success and the success of the dealers he would call...
Ted Krumwiede was a veteran of the piano industry working for Kimball and Story & Clark in the important re-birth of the piano business following World War II. Ted had training and a real passion for marketing and found success telling the great stories of the companies we worked for. Ted was...
Scott Anderson was among the renowned sales representatives at Wurlitzer during the iconic company’s heyday. When Wurlitzer “meant music to millions” (to use their famous slogan) Scott had established long-lasting relationships with many of the top selling dealers for the company. 1954 was the...
William Fuller began working as a salesman for the Wurlitzer Company in 1953. His original idea was to gain some sales training and look for a job in the office, which was based in his hometown of DeKalb, Ill. William really enjoyed traveling to dealers throughout his territory, which changed...