Pianos
Michael Mohr recalls Vladimir Horowitz coming to the house when he was a child, and he was just like a member of the family. The great maestro was a friend of Michael's father, who was trusted with Mr. Horowitz's prized Steinway piano. Michael grew up to work for Steinway & Sons, not only in...
Prenta Ljucovic immigrated to the United States from Yugoslavia in 1973. A friend from back home suggested that she seek a job with Steinway & Sons, especially given her pervious training with woodwork. Speaking no English, Prenta began working in the factory on Long Island assembling keyboard...
Wally Boot spent 52 years working in the Steinway & Sons piano factory on Long Island New York! As it turns out, Wally was born on Steinway Street, just down the road from the factory. All three of his brothers worked for Steinway and after Industrial Arts School, Wally joined them in 1962. He...
Bill Youse is proud of the fact that his grandfather, George, worked in the Steinway & Sons piano factory on Long Island as did his father before Bill joined the company in 1973. Bill's first job was actually the summer before when he would cut the grass. He was able to work alongside his...
Garth Hudson sat down at the piano and played several classical works as the NAMM Oral History crew set up the camera and lights. He began by playing, stopping every once in a while, to review his notes. Garth spoke about his love for music and his first teacher in Canada who impressed upon him the...
Brendan Murphy is the fourth generation of Murphys to hold an executive position with the M. Steinert & Sons Company, which follows three generations of Steinerts. For most of that time (back to 1869 in fact), they have proudly represented Steinway Pianos. Brendan played a critical role in the...
Ramsey Lewis had a monster hit record with his jazz version of "The In Crowd." The song, which is considered to be the quintessential instrumental jazz hit of the 60s, led to a series of other recordings including sessions with Earth, Wind & Fire. Ramsey began playing organ and piano in church...
Fred Rubin ran one of the most active and successful music stores in Miami. His father opened Ace Music in 1955 and Fred grew up in the store. When he took over the business, Fred continued the key elements that his father instilled in the business, namely customer service and quality products. ...
Lynn Sheeley Jr.'s father opened a small piano store in east Tennessee in 1908. After serving in D-Day during World War II, Lynn returned home to work in the store, which he later took over. Along the way, the business grew to four locations, two of which are in Knoxville and that Lynn managed for...
Frank Reda worked in the insurance business as a youth, where he credits the training on customer service and sales that he later applied to his work in the music industry. In the 1970s, he was hired by Wurlitzer to manage their retail stores in the Chicago area. While there, he helped train...