Music Publishing
Charles J. Dumont’s grandfather and uncle opened a sheet music distribution company in 1945. The company, Charles Dumont and Son in Philadelphia, became one of the key jobbers within the industry. At the age of 13, Charles J. Dumont ran errands for the company. After his uncle’s untimely death in...
Ruth Sibley Bensinger wrote a song called “So Long Sweetheart” when she was a teenager. The song was about lovers split by war. Members of her musically inclined family thought the song was quite promising. Ruth decided to walk the song over to Fred Waring’s home, whom she had met once through...
Hawley Ades was hired by Irving Berlin in 1932 to assist the legendary American songwriter with musical arrangements. Hawley stayed with Berlin for five years before being hired by choir master and bandleader Fred Waring. He joined Mr. Waring at the time the bandleader hoped to launch his own...
Kurt Anderson, along with his sister and brother, took over the music publishing company formed by their parents and more importantly kept the flame of their father’s extraordinary music legacy alive and well. In 2009, upon the centennial of Leroy Anderson’s birth, Kurt wrote several articles and...
Eleanor Anderson helped establish Woodbury Music Company with her late husband, Leroy Anderson. The company is managed by their three children (Kurt, Rolf and Jane) with a third generation very active in music as well. As composer and arranger, Leroy Anderson published popular classical music...
Walter Ehret was the music arrangers’ equivalent to Mel Blanc – the man with a thousand voices. Walter was the man with a thousand pseudonyms. Under his various names, he arranged for most of the major publishers over a career that spanned over 50 years. His work was mostly centered around...
Tom Catalano opened his music retail store in New Hyde Park, NY after years of teaching and playing guitar professionally. In fact, he was being paid to play guitar professionally while still a teenager. Opening in 1961, Catalano Music became a powerhouse for band instruments sales and a popular...
Marlene Parker teamed with her husband, Drew, to move from Canada to South Carolina to take over a small town music retail business, Separk Music, which had been established by a band director who had since passed away. Drew and Marlene felt compelled to continue to achieve the original mission of...
Drew Parker has traveled a remarkable musical journey as musician, Canadian band director, publisher, and music retailer. Along the way, he earned the reputation as a dedicated music educator. With his wife Marlene, he bought Separk Music in North Carolina. Drew has remained active in the music...
Don Stewart was hired in 1957 by the famous composer Roy Harris to copy music – by HAND. Back in those days, the cost for plate engraving was too high and the music typewriters were not yet sophisticated enough to handle the scores. Don developed his own unique style in musical notation and soon...