Oral History - all
Stephen Yu pioneered conga making in Thailand before it was common and popular. He also created a long list of items, beginning with guitars, for a number of other companies. When it was time for him to branch out and create his own name product line, he found his operations were already up and... more
Christopher Willcox was once a classical actor on the British stage. He was a teacher and writer, but feels his favorite job is that of piano salesman. For well over 35 years, he has done just that. Mr. Willcox stated, “Providing music in someone’s life is a pleasure because I know it will brighten... more
Birth Date: September 17, 1912
Deceased Date: November 22, 2011
Himie Voxman was a band director nearly all his life. He studied chemistry in college but fell into music because jobs were hard for chemists to find in the days of the Great Depression. Since he had studied clarinet beginning when he was eight, he felt he could teach. Over his extensive musical... more
Jay Valle began working in the organ industry in the 1950s and has witnessed some rather amazing changes. He was part of the organ boom of the 1960s and 70s that brought the instrument into shopping malls as an impulse item. Jay has watched the change in technology, which has greatly benefited the... more
Birth Date: April 30, 1928
Deceased Date: April 28, 2012
Lester Wagner began in the woodworking and sanding department of the C.F. Martin & Company before World War II. He moved from the North Street Plant in 1964 to the bigger manufacturing plant in the current location on Sycamore Street in Nazareth, PA. Lester was assigned to the ukulele... more
Lyndell Thompson was delighted when her two sons, Phil and James, came to her and her husband with a new idea for their Nashville-based leather company. The year was 1978. Until that point the company had made horse accessories, a market that was slowly decreasing. The boys suggested making... more
Phil Thompson enjoyed working in the leather company his grandfather formed in Nashville. As a teenager Phil made himself a leather guitar strap in the shop, although the business at the time was devoted to horse accessories. When Martin Guitars asked if the company could make a series of straps... more
Charles Urban knows horns! As the former president of American Plating, he has worked with all of the top brass instrument makers in perfecting the art of plating instruments. Chuck is also very proud to have been in the music products industry, having made many friends along the way. He is also... more
Marcellus Trach recalls with a smile the many rules a wood worker had to follow in the C.F. Martin & Company when he was first hired after World War II. He also expressed the pride so many of his co-workers felt over the years towards the world-class musical instruments they were making each... more
Birth Date: October 15, 1917
Deceased Date: February 5, 2013
Paul Tanner joined Glenn Miller's newly formed band in 1938 and recorded all of the band's hits including "In the Mood" and "String of Pearls." He often said "Everything the Glenn Miller Orchestra did from 1938-1942, I did." When Glenn signed on to lead the military band during the war, the... more
Harold Stone served the music products industry in many ways over a long and celebrated career. After working in a music retail store (Mays Music), Harold joined the CG Conn Company where he stayed for 27 years developing a business and marketing plan as well as creating the sales training for the... more
Ursula Seiler is president of the piano company formed by her late husband’s family. The Seiler Piano Company of Kitzinger, Germany has an extensive history of producing well-respected and innovative products. The family traditions continue within the company with Ursula’s daughter, Manuella,... more
Poncho Sanchez has the heart and soul of his Latin music roots and the love and feel for funk. The result of these passions is the unique style that has helped establish him as a talented and innovative conga player and songwriter. During the interview he recalled how his love of music developed... more
Art Risavy Sr. has always been fascinated with music. He had the idea of converting an old bowling alley into a music store in southern Illinois in the 1960s and Swing City Music was born. Fitting enough, his son and future partner was born a few years later. The store became “the place to go”... more
Art Risavy Jr. studied business in college and worked in a bank before returning to work in the music store his father had formed just a few years before Art was born. Working alongside his father, Art Sr., he helped the store grow and oversaw the expansion of the church and pro audio departments... more
Al Rich, the former president of Pearl River Pianos in the United States seems to have pianos in his blood. He grew up in DeKalb, IL, the home of the mighty Wurlitzer Corporation. Al’s father owned a music retail store where Al recalls meeting the many traveling salesmen with a celebrity like... more
Tom Rhodes was a Texas bandmaster who felt strongly about the need for sheet music dealers to work closely with school band directors. Along with two partners, Tom established the RBC Music Company in 1988. Within the year, they had created a small music publishing company under the same name. His... more
Birth Date: March 30, 1920
Deceased Date: November 11, 2015
Delores Rhoads began teaching music in 1939. Seventy years later when she was interviewed by NAMM, she was still teaching. After World War II Delores and her husband opened a small teaching studio and retail shop in North Hollywood, California, called Musonia. Over the decades she taught thousands... more
Birth Date: April 2, 1928
Deceased Date: August 27, 2017
Earl Remaley began working for the C.F. Martin & Company before World War II. His long career with the company included nearly every phase of production and assembly. During the 1950s Earl worked on the Martin ukulele products and he later worked his way up to plant manager. Following in his... more
Birth Date: June 19, 1932
Deceased Date: November 18, 2013
Bennett Reimer’s name is familiar to millions of music college students who have read his books, A Philosophy of Music Education and the Silver Burdett Music book that he co-authored. The text book and its four editions have pioneered music education and brought to prominence the concept of... more