Standel Amplifiers
Danny McKinney is a fourth generation musician who grew up with a passion for music and a fascination with audio. As a kid, he recalls seeing Standel amplifiers and dreaming of owning one. He had no idea he would later own the company! Danny worked with Standel Founder, Bob Crooks, and in 1997 they...
Fred Rubin ran one of the most active and successful music stores in Miami. His father opened Ace Music in 1955 and Fred grew up in the store. When he took over the business, Fred continued the key elements that his father instilled in the business, namely customer service and quality products. ...
Dolores Crooks remembered her husband working in the garage at all hours of the night on a new sound he was after. He tooled his own guitar amplifier and took it down to country dances to show it off to the musicians. Before long performers such as Chet Atkins and Speedy West were not only buying...
Al Simpkins spent his career selling musical products. One of his former dealers was convinced Al could sell a block of ice to residents of the North Pole. His knowledge of the products and his attention to customer service were key elements in his success. He became an important part of his...
Johnny Davis had several key roles within the music products industry, which made his Oral History interview particularly meaningful for the NAMM collection as we seek to preserve our industry’s great history. For example, Johnny worked for the Barcus-Berry Company when both founders were still...
Wade Stewart entered the pro audio industry in the late 1960s when he worked along side Bob Crooks, the founder of Standel Amplifiers. In the early 1970s he formed Wade Electronics and focused on repairing Standel products, as well as most other brands of amplifiers of the day. When he created and...
Wayne Burdick’s pedal steel guitar made by Paul Bigsby graced the cover of the luthier’s first catalog. Wayne befriended Mr. Bigsby in the 1950s while Wayne was a member of the Tex Williams Western Swing Orchestra. Wayne’s pedal steel can be heard on hundreds of recordings and in fact the very...