Woodwinds
Amy Mao teamed with Dr. Paul Shelden in 2004 to create a new line of band instruments. With the growing technology available in China, Amy and Paul set out to produce the finest musical instrument possible within the setting of a manufacturing factory. With an eye for detail, Amy produced the...
Sheryl Laukat is passionate about the saxophone and the company she formed with her husband back in 1996. Tevis and Sheryl Laukat had the idea of creating a saxophone with acoustics that could be adjusted and modified even after the instrument was created. Their ideas and innovation led to the...
Tevis Laukat and his wife Sheryl formed Cannonball Musical Instruments in 1996 in Sandy, Utah, located just south of Salt Lake City. The couple set out to address some of the issues they and their musician friends were having with their instruments. As a touring performer with a host of jazz and...
Michael Cooney taught music in the public schools in Massachusetts for over 25 years. During the time of his teaching he also established a high-end flute company in the early 1970s called Northeast Winds. Over the years the company built a worldwide reputation for quality of product with a special...
Pete Valentino noticed that band instrument repairmen often had a difficult task in replacing worn pads on flutes and saxophones. He had burned his hands on many occasions and thought that there must be a better way. He soon made and marketed the Valentino Pad, a replacement product that later...
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...
Gerhard Keilwerth grew up loving the saxophone and dreaming of building his own line, which of course he did do to international success. The Keilwerth name has been synonymous with innovations in brass instruments for over 40 years. The company introduced the black finish on such noted products as...
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,...
Emilio Castillo plays second tenor sax, as well as providing background and lead vocals for the band he help establish in 1968 called Tower of Power! The year before Emilio formed a band called the Motowns, which became Tower of Power after meeting Stephen “Doc” Kupka. They began writing original...
Leonardo Baldocci is the President of EMD Music, Inc., a European music wholesaler and distributor that specialize in guitars, drums and percussion instruments, wind instruments, cymbals and accessories. EMD is located in Brussels and sells products to more than 2500 music retailers via two...