Pandemic of 2020
Pastor Dave Brown developed a rich and meaningful appreciation for music when he began playing cornet in his high school band. He attended many concerts as a teen (namely at Cafe Au Go Go and the Fillmore), developing a deep appreciation for the blues music he encountered. As he grew up he also...
Chris Arent is the instrument repair technician for Ted Brown Music in Tacoma, Washington, a position that is near and dear to him. Chris has always been closely associated with band and orchestral instruments, especially the saxophone for which he has played and taught throughout his career. Chris...
Stephanie Howe and her sister Whitney run the chain of music stores their grandfather established in 1931, Ted Brown Music. Stephanie followed in his footsteps to run a business that supports local musicians, especially focused on the school band programs in Washington and Oregon. She moved to...
Wayne Thompson has always felt lucky that he had a musical mentor in high school and attributes that leadership and inspiration for his long career in the music industry. Dee Wiggins was the band director at Jefferson High school in Oregon where Wayne played in the band. Mr. Wiggins instilled...
Steve Hall has become a master at mastering! The art of mastering engineering (the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from the final mix to a data storage device) has developed over the years, especially influenced by the change in technology for which Steve embraced throughout...
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...
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....
Jack Bruno was just 16 when his rock band, Apple Pie Motherhood Band, landed a record deal with Atlantic. The band was based in Boston and drove down to New York to record there, and even after the two albums were completed Jack decided to stay. He later moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s where...
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...