Women in the Music Industry

Sharon Dunckle runs the music retail store her son, Mike, established when he was just 12 years old.  Mike's Music is located in Eagle River, outside of Anchorage, Alaska.  Mike saw the need to open a store as he bought old instruments to repair with his dad and then resold to his friends.  His...
Gloria Stone was the book-keeper and the office manager for the Record Plant.  Her husband, Chris, and Gary Kellgren opened the recording studio in 1968 in New York City.  The company expanded to a second location and then a third in California (Los Angeles and Sausalito, near San Francisco).  All...
Gina Schock has an energy about her that is extremely infectious and brings a smile to the faces of those around her. Gina grew up in Baltimore and after trying and discarding the guitar and piano, Gina hit her stride with drums, learning by playing along to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Before...
Rose Mann-Cherney had a passion for music since she was a little girl listening to records while her parents would dance around the house.  While in her native Chicago, Rose was hired by a booking agent to help arrange concerts with the likes of Curtis Mayfield before she decided to move to...
Sharon Brown was a teenager when she first began working for Ted Brown Music.  While in high school she met and began dating the founder’s son, Warren.  Soon she discovered she had a real love for both Warren and the music business.  She ran the record department and after marrying Warren, she...
Julie Jurgenson is among the pioneering women in the band instrument repair side of the music industry.  She was trained at Red Wing and worked for a couple of shops before opening her own in Rochester, Minnesota. All along she wanted to service a large number of instruments and found it possible...
Nancy Vernon and her husband, Gene Monnig, own and operate Cadenza Music in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Nancy is very active with the music teachers in and around the area and works hard to build those relationships so the store can best serve the needs of teachers and students alike. The store, which...
Lynn White may downplay the role she has played within their family’s music store business, but for all those who have been to White House of Music, her spark and passion for music are very evident.  Her husband’s cousin opened a small music store in Waukesha, Wisconsin back in 1955 in order to...
Marty Baxter entertained the troops during World War II as a member of a singing quartet.  While with bands, such as Frankie Master’s Orchestra, she not only sang but arranged the four part harmonies. When she met and fell in love with the band’s piano player, Eddie Baxter, her life in music would...
Ella Jenkins earned the title The First Lady of Children's Folk Songs and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to bringing music to children.  She began collecting and writing folk songs as a summer camp counselor, which years later tied nicely with her college studies of child...

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