Yamaha Corporation of America
Robert Heller worked in the music industry as a teenager in retail and discovered that he was drawn to the industry with his passion and love for music and music making. Bob was hired by Yamaha Corporation of America in the piano division, where he worked for 20 years before transferring to the...
Paul Calvin feels that his experience as a music retailer, including several years with Schmitt Music in Minnesota, has been helpful in his role as Vice President and General Manager of the Keyboard Division of Yamaha. Having a background in retail plays an important part in working with music...
Jay Schreiber is the General Manager for the Band & Orchestral Division of Yamaha Corporation of America. It is a fitting position as the horn player worked for some 12 years as a traveling sales rep for the company after working in the music retail segment for several years. These experiences...
Tom Sumner grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where he not only played guitar in local bands but also worked in area music stores. While attending college Tom worked in music retail as well as in the general retail segment. These experiences were a helpful foundation for Tom, especially when he...
Ralph Grierson’s father was a sawmill operator who loved playing music after work and on the weekends. As Ralph grew up, his father encouraged him to develop a career in music. After college, while playing in several bands in the Los Angeles area, Ralph was asked to record a film score. Over the...
Takuya Nakata is the Director and Executive Officer for Yamaha in Japan. During his NAMM Oral History interview he provided details about the development of Yamaha’s electronic musical products beginning with the D-1 organ in 1959. Mr. Nakata also related the stories of the GS-1 digital keyboard in...
Ron Raup was among the first commercial members to serve on the NAMM Board. His long career in the industry has been highlighted by his incredible vision and marketing skills for the MakeMusic company. MakeMusic, Inc. is a world leader in software and systems for music educators and musicians....
Akira Jimbo, a drummer out of Japan, has been playing drums since he was 17. Akira has released over 10 solo albums throughout his career and has demonstrated a passion for education through his instructional videos. In his 2008 interview, Akira talks about his unique playing style and how others...
Tommy Aldridge doesn't mind being compared to the wild Muppet named “Animal." As Tommy puts it, both have crazy hair and crazy drum styles! Tommy's playing career has included gigs with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, and Black Oak Arkansas. Being a fan of jazz, Tommy used Louis Bellson's...
Tony Verderosa was inspired by Bill Bruford's use of electronic percussion units to write new music in real-time. After graduating from the Crane School of Music, Tony began working with a number of innovative drum products. He debuted the DTS70 Triggering Module for Yamaha and sought new ways to...