Oral History - all
Earl Matzkin was arrested by the East German Army in 1985 for trying to pass the Berlin Wall that divided the country without the needed visas in order to visit the Petrof Piano Company. Earl had high hopes for exporting the piano to the United States, but was unaware of what was required to enter... more
Liz Beloff and her husband, Jim, formed Flea Market Music to promote all things ukulele, and together they have played a big part in the resurgence of the instrument. The company is widely known for creating and publishing the "Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele" songbooks, including the "Daily Ukulele". They... more
Birth Date: January 20, 1930
Deceased Date: July 7, 2018
Arne Berg always thought of himself more as an inventor than an engineer, but nevertheless, his forward thinking and creative designs led to a number of successful products in the pro audio market for Concertone, Fostex and a company he helped establish called TASCAM. Arne’s passion for music... more
Mark Wentling is the CEO and President of Ashly Audio in upstate New York. As an engineer Mark established himself within the industry as a creative and passionate contributor to such companies as MXR, Fender and the Music Man. The amp products he worked on in those early days continue to... more
Gail Warnaar started a double reed camp for high school band students in the Michigan area, which lead to her involvement with the music products industry. In 1981 Gail formed the Double Reed Shop to provide accessories to her camp students, but soon the business grew as did her need to expand. ... more
Rick Valentine is the founder and president of Valentine’s House of Music, a retail store dedicated to piano sheet music and method books. Over his career, Rick developed not only a true love of sheet music but a wonderful relationship with many of the key piano teachers and music educational... more
Jim Trimper, Sr. is the president of Denton, Cottier & Daniels, a chain of piano and organ stores in the upstate New York area. The company was formed in 1827 and thus has a long history in each of the communities of their store locations and a dedication to service that Jim has continued... more
Birth Date: October 30, 1930
Deceased Date: August 24, 2017
Bill Price was active in the band instrument business after being involved with other industries and as a result has a very unique and positive perspective on the music industry. Bill was hired to join CG Conn by his longtime friend Bill Cordier. Together they had an interest in purchasing the... more
Jerry Olson purchased a small music store in the early 1950s after teaching along-side his wife in their home town. Soon the store grew and other locations throughout Minnesota were established, all using the name The Music Store. Their location in Willmar was at one point the third largest store... more
Birth Date: November 7, 1954
Deceased Date: September 2, 2020
Dave Olsen’s passion for music began when he was eight years old and his mother, who also played, gave Dave lessons. He later played French horn for the school band and piano for the high school jazz band, which included Duffy Jackson on drums. After college he learned about Alfred Reed’s music... more
Birth Date: April 29, 1927
Deceased Date: September 16, 2018
Big Jay McNeely was there when the emotions of rhythm and blues gave birth to rock and roll. His honkin' sax style gave raw and bold tones to the feelings behind the R&B and Jump Swing styles of the early 1950’s, all of which played a key role in the popular musical trends that would follow. ... more
Birth Date: March 5, 1924
Deceased Date: November 19, 2013
Art Kubera began taking accordion lessons when he was eight years old growing up in Buffalo, New York. His love of music continued to develop and within a few years he was playing in school bands and later his own bands around town. After years of playing professionally, he realized there was a... more
Birth Date: May 7, 1924
Deceased Date: July 5, 2016
Paul Monachino grew up in the Rochester, New York area during the big band era. He played trumpet and set out to see as many of the dance bands as he could including his hero Harry James. After serving during World War II, Paul was hired by the American Piano Company in 1946, the same year he was... more
Paul Musilli opened his drum shop in upstate New York called Buffalo Drum Outlet. The year was 1980 and as Paul recalled in the early days his customer base grew as a direct result of his service and attention to details, a key element of the business today. Paul’s business also covered the... more
Barbara Meeks fell in love with music at an early age and played flute all though school and into college where she majored in music education. While working at Buddy Roger’s Music in Ohio, she developed a passion for sheet music. She later worked for Mannerino’s Music for a decade before joining... more
Bob Lynch is a pioneering independent representative in the era when many manufacturers were slowly phasing out the inside rep. Bob began playing trumpet at an early age and even provided music lessons at Wallace Music while still in high school. Bob played in several concert and dance bands... more
Birth Date: August 4, 1936
Deceased Date: April 15, 2017
Dave Luce grew up in a musical home and in fact wrote his doctoral thesis on the analysis of musical instruments back in 1959. As an interesting side note, that thesis was sponsored in part by NAMM. Dave set out to study nuclear physics when he saw a bulletin board listing for a research study on... more
Jay Leonhart's long and often celebrated career as a bassist has included recording and performances with Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon, Sting, and Gary Burton, among others. His first album as a leader, "Salamander Pie" with pianist Mike Renzi, became an instant classic for its clever titles and... more
Michael Laiacona wanted to create a guitar box with special effects just for himself. In fact, when he first showed it to the members of Taj Mahal in 1971, Michael didn't even have a name for it, nor did he think at the time it would be a product someone else would buy. When the band ordered... more
Michael Kubera grew up in the music store his father established in Buffalo, New York. Kubera Music was a full line store that specialized in the big name brands as well as the hard to find items. The store became a hub for the local musicians as well as many who would launch their own musical... more