Oral History - all
Birth Date: March 21, 1940
Deceased Date: October 10, 2010
Solomon Burke’s amazing career in music included a number of important landmarks! His early recordings, which combined gospel and the blues, have become important and influential material for generations of soul singers. Known as the King of Rock and Soul as well as the Bishop of Soul, his shows... more
Steve Porcaro vividly recalls watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan television program in February 1964 and having the sense that his life would never be the same. After forming several bands with his now famous brothers, Steve became a member of the band Toto, playing keyboards and... more
George Petersen has a very interesting perspective on the music products industry. As editor of MIX magazine, George has not only written about the changes in the industry, he has been front and center as an expert witness to such developments as home recordings, MIDI and the Internet. As a... more
Jerome Murphy III, the vice president of M. Steinert & Son’s piano dealer in Boston, provided insightful stories on the rich history of Steinert’s musical history. Jerome told of Morris Steinert’s first store, which opened a few years after he emigrated from Bavaria to Savannah in the 1860s.... more
Airto Moreira has gained international recognition as one of the world’s leading Latin percussionists. He has introduced an innovative approach to playing percussion as well as teaching clinics. A fixture of the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) annual meetings, Airto was... more
Birth Date: March 24, 1931
Deceased Date: November 2, 2013
Bill Lawrence was known for his pick-up design and his long career as a German based guitarist. In fact, when visiting the Framus Museum in Markneukirchen Germany, you can learn of his influential musical career when he was known as Billy Lorento. Always interested in electronics, he applied his... more
Dan Kobida was first interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program back in 2004 during the Wurlitzer company reunion in Oak Brook, Illinois. Dan was not only a respected former employee of the now defunct company but also a key player in the organization of the reunion, which was as much of a... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2007 and early 2008. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2008.
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2006 and early 2007. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2007.
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2005 and early 2006. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2006.
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2004 and early 2005. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2005.
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2003 and early 2004. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2004.