Rico Reeds
Mimi Piper was looking for a part time job after raising her three boys when a neighbor told her of an opening at Rico Reeds in Los Angeles. She joined the company as an assistant in 1974 and remained with the company until it was sold in 2005. During her career with the company she worked...
Jean Francois Rico had an early interest in news photography, but following his grandmother’s passing, Jean began working at the company his grandfather had established, Rico Reeds. The company dominated the reed industry for many decades with a powerful sales force around the world and a steady...
Dave Gupton has had a long career with a number of companies and a rather impressive list of innovators who helped pioneer our industry. Dave worked in retail with Karl Bruhn before joining Fender--before the CBS Musical Instruments buyout in the mid 1960s. As a result he was able to work with Leo...
Marvin Snyder became president of Rico Reeds in 1976, after managing the cane plantations, which were used to make the reeds. His father worked with the Lockie family, who owned a chain of music stores in Southern California and brought the Rico Reed products to the United States. As a teenager,...
Dick Knaub served as president of the Rico Reed Corp. during the 1970s. He oversaw the reed manufacturer’s expansion into magazine advertisements and the company’s return to industry events such as the NAMM show. Dick was a proud supporter of the American Music Conference and served as president of...
William Carpenter has an incredible understanding of the music business. Having developed and marketed a percussion accessory, Bill was hired in 1976 by Remo to assist in sales and product development. After 12 years working outside the music products industry he then returned to Remo in 1994 as...
Jim D’Addario has worked long and hard within the research and development arm of D'Addario & Co., along with his brother John Jr. Headed by Jim, the engineering department has accumulated many important manufacturing and product patents in the field of music strings and musical accessories. He...
R. Thomas Lockie’s grandfather started a small music store in downtown Los Angeles in the 1920s. The store was later owned and operated by Tom’s father who played “keep the store in business” during the Great Depression. Tom’s father was a movie studio musician who specialized in playing the piano...