Oral History - all
Peter Bunetta’s first passion was the drums and it was that instrument that brought him into the music industry. After forming local bands and playing clubs, Peter found himself in the record studios playing drums for several artists including Johnny Mathis and Darlene Love. His passion for music... more
Pat Bovenizer, the current Vice President of Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc., gives credit to some “Irish Luck” as he discusses his growth with the company. Beginning part-time work at age 16 while continuing his high school education. Pat soon became submersed in sales and trade shows;... more
Cris Behrens began working with Summerhays Music Center at the age of 19. He earned a degree in band instrument repair from Red Wing Technical College and spent his first five years at Summerhays repairing instruments. After catching the sales bug, Cris attended Utah Valley State College for... more
Jennifer Batten is often found at a NAMM booth checking out the gear or providing her feedback on products she has played over the years. Washburn Guitars released a signature model that she took part in designing, which she has proudly played on recordings and on tour. While working with Jeff... more
Jason Miles is the musician and composer who took advantage of the developing synthesizer technology in the 1970s and 80s to create unique sounds for such artists as Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin. In the 1980s, Jason played an important role within New York recording studios by... more
Paul Peterson has served as band manager, promoter and producer for such bands as the Ozark Mountain Daredevils as well as a rep and promoter for RainSong Guitars. Paul has also played a vital role in the expansion of the NAMM Oral History program by arranging interviews with key performers... more
Mark Frink has been providing well respected and well attended sessions within the Tec Tracks programs during the Anaheim NAMM Shows for several years. His background in audio engineering and touring has given him the ideal background to relate to those seeking to improve their skills on the road... more
Graham Nash has been an outspoken advocate for music education, especially with regards to programs that provide instruments to young students. He has often mocked the thinking that allows school budget cuts to affect the music programs. As a result, Graham has worked with NAMM on raising the... more
Michael Hampton is also known as Kidd Funkadelic thanks to his long association with the funk band Parliament-Funkadelic. He joined the band at the tender age of 17, having impressed the band members for his soulful guitar licks and feel. Michael performed on each of the recording sessions and... more
Michael Bradford grew up in Detroit and found he had a deep passion for the electric bass. After playing for local bands before and after school, Michael met guitarist Earl Klugh and the two began playing jazz together. Michael later developed into a well-rounded musician having had the... more
Ed Tree enjoyed his touring days with the Spencer Davis Group, which led to a series of bands and special gigs throughout his career. Ed played lead guitar for Rita Coolidge, Juice Newton, Al Stewart and his band, The Bum Steers, among others. Along the way Ed began endorsing the Big Joe Stompbox... more
Vernon Reid was among the founding members of the cutting edge and influential rock band Living Colour. The band helped break the color line in hard rock music by showcasing an all-black band can perform heavy metal rock with the best of them. Vernon’s career has covered a wide range of musical... more
George Pajon Jr. is a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas and the musical producer and director for Fergie, Carlos Santana and Los Lonely, among others. His music career began as a guitarist and over the years he has been active within the music products industry. Among the companies he has... more
Silvan Küeng was born in Switzerland and began a friendship in school as a young boy with Pirman Giger. The two share a passion for music and guitars and began talking about how they would make changes to their electric guitars if they could. By the early 2000s, the two launched their own company... more
Pirmin Giger is the luthier who partnered with Silvan Kung to form Relish Guitars. Located in Switzerland, the company creates electric guitars based on the “sandwich” design of several materials in order to produce the sound Pirman has in mind. In 2010, they worked on the Jane series of guitars... more
Nathan East began playing the bass following his introduction to soul music, which his uncle and father often played on the radio and from records. Over his storied career, Nathan has been active in supporting music education programs, such as those created by NAMM. In 2015, he was inducted into... more
Will Champlin grew up in a very musical family, his father Ben is the songwriter and founding member of the band Chicago. Will studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and launched his musical career as a songwriter. In 2010 he won a Grammy for writing the song “Ordinary... more
Obie Bermudez is the Grammy winning singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico who combined his passion for lyrics with his interest in musical instruments. His first album, Locales, released in 1998 showcased his own songwriting skills. His recordings also have always contained more instruments and... more
Dick Lippin is the president and founder of The Lippin Group, an international, strategic entertainment/communications public relations and marketing organization with wholly owned and operated offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. Dick has over 30 years in the industry, specializing in... more
Scott Page, the CEO of Ignited Network, played saxophone with the likes of Pink Floyd, Toto and Supertramp. His father was a well-known musician in his day having played with Judy Garland and Lawrence Welk. Being raised in such a musical family, Scott realized early on that music was in his blood... more