Oral History - all
Birth Date: May 22, 1932
Deceased Date: February 9, 2013
Jerry Osiecki’s grew up in the music industry. His father started Osiecki’s Music store out of his parent’s home in the middle of the Depression. When he was little his father passed away but his mother kept the store open until Jerry and his brother Harry returned from service during the Korean... more
Lee Oskar played the famed harmonica lick in the classic 1970s hit “Low Rider” as a member of the band WARS. The success of this song led to name recognition within the music industry that resulted in the idea of designing and marketing Lee’s own line of harmonicas. Lee Oskar’s has been noted for... more
Birth Date: October 6, 1927
Deceased Date: January 7, 2012
Tom Ostrander was the founder of Colonial Music in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Now a string of stores, the retail company began with the simple idea of providing top quality instruments to the area school programs. He was born in Phoneton, Ohio, which is in Miami County, and was encouraged to play music by... more
Andy Preston has a great philosophy regarding his music store, “Our staff are all repairmen and women first, not salesmen. We want them to know all about the instrument before they begin selling. This makes for happier customers and a confident staff.” Today, Andy’s Guitar and Drum Shop is one... more
Birth Date: October 11, 1930
Deceased Date: July 6, 2019
Susan Brailove was the director of Oxford University Press and later formed her own music publishing company. With a tremendous understanding of the role of the music editor, Susan published a chronological history of the music engraver’s role. As a member of the Music Publishers Association she... more
Birth Date: May 14, 1917
Deceased Date: May 9, 2010
Dr. Richard Brittain was invited to a small gathering of music educators in the months following World War II. The original goal of the meeting was to provide a venue for the music educators to distribute new music scores, which were difficult to obtain. The year was 1946. The first Midwest Band... more
Birth Date: February 6, 1915
Deceased Date: May 12, 2011
Don Broman worked long and hard in the music products industry, striving to create quality products and dependable customer service to dealers around the world. When he joined the Lyon & Healy company in 1937 the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, yet Don worked hard with the... more
Birth Date: May 24, 1928
Deceased Date: September 14, 2018
Max Bennett was among the jazz world’s most percussive bass players. With a strong knowledge of drums, he explored and helped design the rhythm of jazz of the 1970's and 80's in the pre soft jazz era, a style he referred to as cool-whip. With his group, LA Express, he was able to showcase his own... more
Jack DeJohnette is a drummer’s drummer and yet, unlike many influential players, Jack is widely known among jazz fans around the world. With credits that range from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock, Jack has been a driving force on countless jazz and popular recordings beginning in the 1960s. As a... more
Roy Haynes knows jazz! His ideas and techniques have made him a legendary drummer who in many ways helped develop Bebop and Free Jazz, a form of post Bop jazz that was popular beginning in the 1960s. With graceful motion Roy brought a new feel to drumming and encouraged an entire generation of... more
Thomas Siwe served as president of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) in the early days of the organization. In fact, while serving on the board he took part in the expansion of the PAS chapters into Canada. He also played a vital role in the beginning stages of the PAS museum. As an educator and... more
Frank Waddy has been playing drums since he was a small child. During his long and creative musical career, he has played with artists such as James Brown and George Clinton. Frank has established himself as a solid and consistent player with an eye on innovative beats and styles. As a songwriter... more
Dan Mahoney is the president of Music Corp, a strong music wholesaler founded by industry veteran, Eddy Toporek. Dan came to the industry from the office supply world and brought with him a clear vision of the role Music Corp could and should play within the vastly changing world of the early 2000s... more
Birth Date: July 1, 1911
Deceased Date: October 18, 2010
Jack LeMaire took guitar lessons from the legendary Eddy Lang. Jack played on radio broadcasts and recordings with a number of top artists during the 1940s and 50s. He all but gave up the guitar due to suffering from an early onset of arthritis. He then turned towards acting and appeared in... more
Birth Date: November 20, 1932
Deceased Date: November 4, 2016
Richard Bridgeman was the Director of Product Management of Hammond beginning in the mid 1960s. Dick came to the company as the original B-3 organ production was coming to an end. He oversaw the introduction of the new semi-conductor organs. With his warm personality and detailed understanding of... more
Birth Date: July 25, 1917
Deceased Date: May 18, 2004
William Zeswitz was taught the violin by this father, who formed the Zeswitz Music Store outside of Redding, PA. Bill became president and a true leader in the industry. Over the years, he served on the NAMM Board, the AMC Board, was among the first Charter Benefactors of the NAMM Foundation’s ... more
Yuris Zeltins is the master luthier known worldwide for his artistic and engineering craftsmanship that is evident in each of his musical instruments. Yuris inspired a new way of thinking when he applied his creative skills and techniques to repair, elevating the task of repair to an art form and... more
Gordy Wilcher believes that with the right mixture of passion and knowledge, the independent music retailer has the strength to bring music to young students, build new brands within their stores and pass along a joy of music to those who walk in their doors. And every day Gordy and his staff try... more
Shenae Wilson loves providing a musical instrument in the lives of the young children who come into her store. She feels blessed that she and her husband work so closely with local churches and that they play a role in the worship music created in their customer churches. As founders of Keyboard... more
Johnnie Wilson has been involved with music in his church his entire life. He has performed at weddings and church services for many years. So, it seemed like a natural progression to open a music store to provide music to others. Johnnie and his wife are among the very few African-American music... more