Oral History - all
John Cavanaugh and his father bought the Super-Sensitive Musical String Company in 1967 and worked long and hard to bring the products into new and international markets. John created the research and development department for the company, designing new products such as the Old Fiddler line. John... more
Birth Date: August 25, 1945
Deceased Date: July 23, 2019
Ellen Cavanaugh brought her innovative business ideas and skillful communication and marketing concepts to expand the historic brands that make up the Super-Sensitive Musical String Company. Formed in the 1930s and established on the Red Label line of strings, Super-Sensitive was purchased by Ellen... more
Birth Date: July 31, 1935
Deceased Date: February 13, 2017
Curt Carter was in the right place at the right time. As a piano dealer, he watched the boom of the home market explode during the late 1960s and 70s. He pooled his resources, teamed with organ suppliers and established Organ Exchange. The chain of retail stores, particularly those which dominated... more
Richard Carlson spoke in a soft and sincere tone when he described the family feeling working at Wurlitzer in DeKalb, Illinois. Dick joined the company that proclaimed “Wurlitzer Means Music to Millions” as a sales representative in 1955. He traveled to music retail stores to fulfill their products... more
Sal Cardello has had a colorful career in music. As a musician he has played in dance bands, orchestras, and for years, in the Theater in the Round pit band. At the theater, he supplied music for all the acts that came to the venue, including everyone from Bob Hope to Sammy Davis Jr. As a sales... more
James Burton is a legendary guitarist in the world of rock music! In the early days of his career, James played influential licks on such 50’s hits as “Hello Mary Lou” with Ricky Nelson. He later toured with Elvis Presley as well as recording with the King of Rock and Roll for nearly a decade.... more
Birth Date: January 2, 1926
Deceased Date: January 31, 2019
Harold Bradley was one of the most recorded guitarists in the history of Nashville. Harold and his brother, the legendary producer, Owen Bradley, created a new feel in country music, a style known today as the “Nashville Sound.” Harold can be heard on classic recordings such as “Crazy” by Patsy... more
Deceased Date: March 2, 2010
Marge Levin was the secret behind the great success of Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center in Maryland, a fact Mr. Levin was proud to admit. Marge was born in Washington DC and met Chuck, then a young pawnshop owner, while she was on a date with another man. Within a short time they realized they... more
Bruce Zinky loves playing guitar, but even at a young age he realized he enjoyed modifying instruments for himself and his friends. The Fender custom shop hired him in the early 1990s to work on guitar amplifiers. With a few design ideas of his own, Bruce set out to create his own company, which... more
Birth Date: December 11, 1938
Deceased Date: October 12, 2021
Mel Wisniewski gave music lessons in a small music store in upstate Wisconsin and soon discovered he was interested in the idea of owning his own store. Not wanting to compete with his friend, Mel and his brother, Joe, moved to Southern Illinois where they established Wisniewski Brother’s Music in... more
Birth Date: August 7, 1963
Deceased Date: November 28, 2013
Vanetta Wilson was the fourth generation owner of her family’s music business. Chesbro Music began in 1911 as a music retailer and expanded over the years to become one of the largest music wholesalers in the country. Since taking on the Hoshino line of products in the 1970s, the company has... more
Agness Tsao earned her college degree in banking and always had a love of music, singing in choirs from a young age. After college she began working for KHS Musical Instruments, which had a retail store in Taiwan and its manufacturing in the country as well. Agness was only the fourth employee to... more
Birth Date: March 10, 1927
Deceased Date: May 16, 2020
Donn Trenner was one of the most successful pianists in the big band and Bebop jazz eras. He began his career with the popular Ted Fio Rito Orchestra beginning in 1943. He later played with bands led by Buddy Morrow, Charlie Barnet and Jerry Gray. As the Bop era developed, Donn played alongside... more
Csaba Toth was working in the hotel management business when, by pure chance, he had the opportunity to work in the music products industry. As a keyboard player in a local band, Csaba was a big fan of the Roland line of products. One day he noticed a hotel visitor was from Roland in Japan and... more
Birth Date: February 13, 1942
Deceased Date: February 21, 2019
Peter Tork was an original member of the Monkees and enjoyed great success on TV and the top of the pop charts during the mid and late 1960s. Years later, Peter admitted that the cast members of the TV show were not playing their instruments on the first recording, however Peter and Micky Dolenz on... more
Mark Terry always dreamed of being a recording engineer, even as a kid when he first discovered his love of music and technology. In time he would become just that, but along the way he discovered a deeper passion for rep work and in providing studios and performers with the gear they wanted and... more
Birth Date: February 12, 1925
Deceased Date: July 29, 2020
Bryce Taylor was one of the best known and respected bandmasters in the state of Texas. His school bands performed at the Midwest Band Clinic, TMEA, and the Texas Bandmaster’s Association (TBA) for several decades. His close relations with music dealers made Mr. Taylor a role model for up and... more
Richard Taninbaum grew up in a musical family. His father, Wolf, played saxophone for many top big bands during the Swing Era and later created his own mouthpiece company. So, it was no surprise that Richard’s drum studio career was highlighted with the creation of Rhythm Tech, a percussion... more
Birth Date: December 30, 1935
Deceased Date: December 4, 2012
William Stonier always stressed the importance of personal relationships when conducting business in the music industry because the passion for music was a very personal and very critical element for him. He grew up in a musical family and he played in school bands, nourishing a burgeoning love of... more
Birth Date: December 19, 1943
Deceased Date: October 27, 2014
Patrick Stansfield was the legendary stage manager who, along with Bill Graham of FM Productions, launched the modern music concert format by creating and popularizing the arena rock business. Over the years Patrick was involved with countless performers ranging from Neil Diamond and Barbra... more