Pianos
Cecil Ramirez started in the music industry in retail, at the Music Box in Lodi, California. He created a keyboard studio feel within the store in1983, which was an exciting time of technological advances in electronic instrumentation. Cecil remembered the early days of MIDI and the synthesizer...
Steve Judge is the president of Griggs Music in Davenport, one of the oldest music retailers in the country. Formed in 1903, the company has gained a reputation for staying power, which Steve points out, is based on several elements, including their customers and the ability and willingness to...
Phil Jost had a very interesting career in music as a musician before joining the sales team at St. Louis Music in 1974 and thus entering the music products industry. In his early days, being classically trained on the piano, Phil played keyboards and early synthesizers for dances, concerts and...
Jim Foster had worked for a few piano stores before opening his own store, with his wife Marilyn, in Bettendorf, Iowa. Foster Family Music focuses on piano and sheet music for pianos and has come to be known throughout the area as a center for musical events, recitals and a strong supporter of...
Marilyn Foster supported her husband's idea to open a music store in her home state of Iowa. From the beginning, she looked after all of the books and accounting for the store. She enjoyed the work and especially enjoyed getting to work with her husband and now, daughter Christi, on a regular...
Carma Lou Beck was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. She opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967, after working for a few other stores, including one owned and operated by the Wurlitzer Company. By the time Carma Lou's House of Music...
Melvyn Libman was a child prodigy and toured the world as a classical pianist. He performed in many of the grand concert halls in Europe and Town Hall in New York City. When he decided to settle down and start a family one of his business ideas was to open a music store. Libman Music, which...
Hitoshi Fukutome has enjoyed a long and interesting career at the Yamaha Corporation. He joined Yamaha in 1982 and has served in many roles for the company over the years including Manager of the Piano Division in Europe in 1990 and as president of Yamaha Music in Austria five years later. His...
Charles Anderson displayed his love for music education beginning at a young age. In fact, he was hired at the age of 15 to teach while he was still in high school. Over the years he expanded into group music lessons such as the work he has done with Yamaha over the years. As Director of...
Robert Schaeffer is the resident historian for Rice Music House in South Carolina. Having been in the store since he was a young boy, getting to meet with the founder and having worked in the store for several years, he fits the bill. As much as he knows the history, Robert walks and talks the...