Pianos
Lynda Garcia is first and foremost a music teacher, which was not only her background but her life’s passion. As she taught, Lynda developed methods and materials that assisted individuals as well as groups learn and develop as musicians. Teaming with other educators, notably Brenda Dillon, she...
Jeff Chafin worked side by side with his father, the founder of Chafin Musiccenter for many years. Jeff learned many key elements to the business that has served him well since taking over the company. Among the lessons he learned, nothing is more important than service! And service seems to be...
Sue Chafin brings an honest smile and warm greeting to all those who walk into Chafin Musiccenter in Lake Worth, Florida. After marring Jeff, the son of the founder of the store, she worked in a doctors office for several years. When the opportunity came to join her husband and father-in-law in...
Robert Birmingham teamed with his brother to purchase Steinway & Sons from CBS Musical Instruments in the early 1980s. The Birmingham brothers were committed to restoring the high quality the piano maker had earned its reputation on, while focusing on serving its dealer base around the world. ...
Leo Saleh was the very first person from Indonesia to be included in the NAMM Oral History program, which was an honor for us! His father enjoyed playing piano and Leo recalls music all around him as he grew up. Leo’s sister began teaching piano and had more than 80 students when their father...
John Riley grew up playing music and earned a business degree in Boston. He applied for a job at the Wurlitzer retail store and was hired by a man named Bob Fletcher. When Bob moved to Florida to open a Lowrey Organ retail store, John joined him. Bob later established the Fletcher Music Center...
Bernie Capicchiano was coached from the Accounting world to manage a new music retail store for the Brash Group in Australia in 1973.His long career in the industry includes a strong relationship with the Hammond-Suzuki Company as well as Johannus Organs, Schimmel, Hailun and Bernstein Pianos....
John Waltrip began being involved in music as a small child and in fact, became the main pianist for his church as a teenager. He played in the school bands and studied music in college. He taught music after college before being drafted. Even in the army, John sang in the choir group, which...
Kevin Rindlisbacher is a passionate music maker who has enjoyed his role in music retail providing musical instruments to bring music into the lives of others. He was a kid when his father opened a small repair shop in the chicken coop in the backyard. As the repairs built into a store business,...
Thomas Austin was a key part of the Sherman Clay team for over 40 years! The store chain focused on pianos; however, Thomas recalls the home organ boom in the 1970s as the company was a Hammond Organ dealer. The company was formed in San Francisco in 1870 and grew to be the biggest (for a time)...