Music Retail
Trish Montgomery is the Accounts Manager for Amro Music, a 100-year-old music retail store in Memphis, Tennessee. She began working for Amro in 1990 when Chip Averwater, the grandson of the founder, hired her to do data entry as the company updated their computer programs. The position soon grew to...
Jim Armstrong worked in the music publishing industry for many years, both for Charlie Hansen and Columbia Music. His music career began at the famous music retailer in southern California, Wallich’s Music City in 1968. He soon switched to working for innovative publisher Mr. Hansen in Florida,...
Jim Palenscar opened up his small shop, Steel Guitars of North County, in Oceanside, California back in 2000. While in college, Jim heard the steel guitar on Jackson Browne’s recording of “Redneck Friend” which soon led to a lifelong interest as a player and repairman of the instrument. When asthma...
Nick Averwater is part of the fourth generation of the Averwater family to be working at Amro Music in Memphis, TN. Nick fondly remembers his time as a kid running around the store and working odd-jobs for extra money. After obtaining his MBA with a focus in finance and completing an internship...
Robert Estrin grew up studying piano alongside his sister with their father who was a noted concert pianist and teacher. He was first exposed to the French horn while in school and learned that instrument as well - a challenge that improved his musical ability overall. He would go on to attend the...
Clyde Fitch provided the help and support to his wife, Bonnie, which was greatly appreciated when opening her music retail store in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1981. Her passion for music and education brought them both to the decision that she could serve students and teachers alike with strong customer...
Bill Hesterman has always been fascinated by the pipe organ. He studied piano and organ as a child, and with the good fortune that one of his teachers was an organist for the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, young Bill was exposed to extravagant organs at a young age. With his technical...
Jimmy Edwards grew up in a musical family. His father was a singer in a rock band and Jimmy began playing drums by the time he was five and later picked up the guitar. After serving in the United States Air Force, Jimmy was hired to work in the loading dock at Marshall Music in Lancing, Michigan....
Randy Blevins studied engineering in college and soon after landed a three-year position at Audio Consulting Inc, which was an MCI dealer. Randy began installing the MCI consoles including the 500 series in recording studios such as Malaco Records in Jackson, Mississippi. When MCI decided to have...
Robert Yates is known as Uncle Uke for a very good reason - he plays, builds, and sells ukuleles. Robert opened his own store, HUG Ukulele, on the big island of Hawaii with his wife Patricia which began as a handmade jewelry store with a few ukes and has evolved into primarily a ukulele store with...