Pianos
Dr. Albert Sanderson revolutionized the process of piano tuning by inventing the electronic tuner. Although the device was first questioned by the industry among fears that it would put piano tuners out of business, it proved to be a helpful tool for the technician who could then complete a job...
Julian Markson can tell the history of the piano industry in England because he and his family lived it. His grandfather was a piano tuner who expanded the business in south-east London with a small shop where two of his sons, including Julian’s father, began to work. After World War II, his father...
Denzil Jacobs provided detailed and insightful stories of the piano industry in England from the 1930s into the 1980s. With a gentlemanly manner, Mr. Jacobs provided historical information on the growth of the piano market following World War II and how the Kemble Company expanded and grew under...
Crane Bodine’s father, Elmer, was a piano man who formed a retail store in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1933. When Crane was 17 years old, he began working in the store. In 1962, he took over as president shortly after his father’s passing. Crane became a pioneer in the organ business, both as a...
Al Jensen began his musical career at the age of 13 playing clarinet in a Vaudeville show. That is, he played until his parents found out where he was playing. His band director convinced Al’s parents that if he switched to an oboe, he would never play such music again. As an oboist, Al received a...
Marie Jensen was born in Rosebud, Texas as the daughter of a Texas Ranger. She graduated college in Houston with a business degree before meeting Al Jensen on a blind date. The two were married in 1954 and had their only child, a daughter, in 1959. While raising her family, she helped Al in the...
Marshall B. Hawkins was the first African American to lead a US Navy band. He was also the first African American to serve not once, but four times, as president of the Piano Technician’s Guild. Yet, he shies away from being called a pioneer, “I just am doing what I love.” Marshall provided...
Dave Fletcher was born into a music family. His father developed the Fletcher Music Centers and his brother Robert (a NAMM Past President) expanded the business along with Dave to become one of the most significant forces in piano and organ sales in the decades following the great organ boom of the...
Robert Laube spent over 30 years as the top salesman for Kimball Piano and Organ Company. In fact, he may very well have sold over one million organs during the big boom of the early 1970s. This boom was marked with mall stores in many cities and clever marketing that resulted in over 25% of all...
Matteo Galanti and his family have been instrumental in the growth and development of the accordion and organ industry, both inside and outside the United States. Beginning in the 1950s, the accordion became one of the leading instruments in the industry; however, dealer relations were not yet well...