Oral History - all
Steve Grindrod is the guitar amplifier designer who has pioneered the master-volume models for Marshall with design work on the JCM800 and Silver Jubilee lines as well as the Marshall JCM900. While working on his own amp line, Steve moved to China and partnered with IAG to establish Albion... more
Larry Cragg is sometimes called the guitar repairman to the stars! He established a repair shop in Marin County, California, to offer an extensive selection of rare and vintage equipment as well as instrument repairs. Since 1969, Larry has repaired guitars for such artists as Carlos Santana, Bob... more
Gene Cornish began playing harmonica at an early age and soon added guitar to his list of instruments, the very two he would make a full career from. As an original member of the rock band The Rascals, Gene performed and recorded on all eight of the band's albums and string of hit songs including... more
June Wang is very proud of her company, Pearl River. She is an outstanding spokesperson for the China-based piano manufacturer. In fact, it was Ms. Wang who assisted the NAMM Oral History team to conduct an interview with the then-chairman, Zhi Cheng Tong back in 2006. Ten years later, at the... more
Tom Van Hoose has become an expert on the Gibson 400 Series guitars and in fact even wrote the book on the subject. As a collector, Tom found himself surrounded by used guitars and decided in 1991 to open his own shop, Van Hoose Vintage in Carrollton, Texas. The business grew from attending the... more
Frank Simes was born in Tokyo, Japan and began studying guitar at the age of ten. During his fascinating career in music Frank has played guitar with the likes of Mick Jagger and Stevie Nicks; been a songwriter for Surreal McCoys, David Lee Roth and The Whizz Kidds as well as serving as musical... more
Todd Ostrander is the CEO at Tectonic Audio Labs in Woodinville, Washington, which specialized in flat panel sound reinforcement loudspeakers and technology. The company was established in 2011 and soon began designing and producing sound reinforcement systems that were later installed in a series... more
Dave Firestone joined the pro audio industry, thanks to his friend Greg Mackie. Greg asked Dave to help him with his mixer products and in fact was on the ground floor of Mackie Designs and helped launch the innovative products that resulted in the Mackie name being recognized around the world. ... more
Marco Ragni is the president of Fatar, which has concentrated on the development of keyboard actions for electronic musical instrument. The company products include keyboards for digital pianos, synthesizers, and organs as well as the furniture used in technopolymer for synthesizers and... more
Roman Perschon was born in Austria and developed a passion for sound equipment and audio as a child. While traveling around the world, Roman developed his idea of creating microphone products that could provide consistent sound quality in a variety of different environments. He launched his own... more
Frank Pampenella is the owner and president of PM Music Center in Aurora, IL and has worked in the music industry for over 30 years. He founded PM Music Center in 1982, when he transitioned his successful wedding consulting agency, and lesson studio into a full-service music center specializing in... more
Phil Moon was serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Lynx Studio Technology at the time of his NAMM Oral History interview. At the time he discussed his overwhelming success after taking advice from a friend to spend more money on advertisements. After heeding this advice, an early TV... more
Andres Mayo is a Grammy-winning audio engineer and producer who served as president of the Audio Engineering Society from 2014-2015. He began his membership with AES back in 2003 and has worked long and hard to expand the organization’s role within Latin America. He served as VP Latin America... more
Ziggy Haspod joined his brother-in-law in running a small music store before working for The Music Stand in Tucson, Arizona. It was at that store where Ziggy met with many traveling sales reps and was introduced to the idea of selling products to music stores around the country. He soon had... more
DW Fearn began working part time as an engineer for WPEN in Philadelphia while still in high school. His passion for audio grew and developed as he collected equipment. His goal was to create a recording studio with his gear, which he did in 1969 and he called it Veritable Recording Company. ... more
Michael Faltin wanted to discuss his views on customer service during his NAMM Oral History interview. The interview took place at the NAMM Show in 2016, when his store was awarded the “Best Customer Service” honor. Michael made the point that with such a large effort in marketing and social... more
Leslie Faltin earned a degree the University of Arizona in chemistry with a minor in mathematics and physics. She was selling radiation therapy equipment in Bellflower, California with a career in science before her. That was, until she met Michael Faltin, who had just finished his degree in music... more
Geoff Downes has seen the curve in technology throughout his musical career. Commonly known as a member of The Buggles, Geoff's successful musical career took off when he incorporated the changes of pro-audio and technology within his music. "Video Killed the Radio Star" not only catapulted the... more
David Dawkes is proud of his family's connection with the music industry. It was his grandfather who formed Dawkes Music. After losing hearing in one ear from playing in a band, his grandfather took to repairing instruments in his garage. This is where their family business began. From simple... more
Jon Dawkes talked about the long-term vision of music education promotion at Dawkes Music during his NAMM Oral History interview. With help from brother David, Jon puts great effort in to creating musicians within the local schools. One of Dawkes Music’s first promotional steps began with a... more