Rock and Roll
Don McLean walked into the House of Music in New Rochelle, New York as a kid dreaming of owning a Martin Guitar. When he finally owned one, that instrument assisted him in writing several hit songs. The rock and roll anthem "American Pie" and "Vincent" were both written on his Martin, as were...
Mike Post wrote many hit television theme songs including "Law & Order," "Hill Street Blues," and the "Rockford Files." His theme for the show "Greatest American Hero" was also a number one hit song on the Billboard charts. Behind this amazing list of accomplishments is a rock and roll...
Chan Romaro played an important part in pop music in the late 1950s and early 60s when he blended his Mexican and Native American roots with rock and roll. He wrote and recorded several songs during those early years including the classic "Hippy Hippy Shake," which was later recorded by several...
Lol Tolhurst formed a rock band with some friends in high school that went on to revitalize and define music in the 1980s. The Cure enjoyed wide success with millions of albums sold, live performances around the world, and was among the first acts to chart hit records before alternative rock became...
Peter Asher teamed with his school friend, Gordon Waller, to form the group Peter and Gordon. The two hit the pop charts during the golden era of the British Invasion in the mid-1960s. They topped the charts both in America and England with several popular tunes, some of which were written by...
John Durrill has enjoyed a long and successful career in music, which ranged from performing to songwriting! In 1963, he was a member of the rock band The Five Americans, which enjoyed several hit records including Western Union and I See the Light. John later joined the instrumental band The...
John Kay was an original member of the rock band Steppenwolf, whose hit song “Born to be Wild” helped redefine hard rock in the 1960s. The band enjoyed several other hits including “Magic Carpet Ride” and a dozen top albums. John has been closely associated with the music products industry going...
Jerry Harrison recalled several memories of visiting local music stores as a young teenager, just as his musical career began. Growing up in Milwaukee, Jerry had access to several music stores, where he went to check out and purchase musical instruments and gear, all in the foreshadowing of his...
Brian Setzer nearly single handedly brought back the popularity of the rockabilly electric guitar sound that was first established by Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's first guitarist. Brian was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program within a month of Scotty Moore's passing in the summer of...
Jocko Marcellino and eleven college friends formed a doo wop group in the late 1960s called Sha Na Na. Their hope was to keep the doo wop sounds of the 1950s alive and well in the ever changing rock era. They performed at Woodstock in 1969, which led to recording contracts, a television series (...