Oral History - all
Neville Marten has enjoyed a long career as editor of Guitar Techniques, one of the magazines represented by his firm Future Publishing. Prior to that, he was editor of Guitarist magazine for 14 years. As a blues based guitarist, he writes about what interests him the most as a player; pioneering... more
Clive Roberts has wonderful memories of his parent’s passion for music. His mother played piano and his father performed his own songs on the ukulele-banjo for the troops during World War II. Clive picked up on their love of making music and set off to do the same. While interested in playing... more
David Marshall grew up in a musical home and played piano and cello at an early age. As part of the Wessex Youth Orchestra he played in many prestigious concerts including the Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall and later studied music at City University in London as his interest in electronic... more
Anthony Macari is the Managing Director of the music shop in London, England named by his father. Macari’s Musical Instruments first opened in 1958 and was established by Joe and Larry Macari. Anthony’s father, Joe, played a key role in the growth of the shop, which today has two locations (one... more
Alun Hughes grew up in Wales, which has a very much musical community, which he became very active and interested. Playing saxophone, flute and clarinet, Alun realized at an early age that he wanted to have a career in the music industry. His first job within the industry was in the factory of... more
Genett Gamber was passionate about music making from a very young age. She recalls her mother arranged to have a piano teacher come to the house and being so excited about learning as much as she could. That desire and passion only grew over time and by the time she graduated from college; she... more
Hartmut Willms is the President of Piano Willms, a firm established by his grandfather and his two brothers back in 1912. Hartmut’s grandfather enjoyed building pianos and created the Willms brand of instruments as well as manufactured other brands over the years. After World War II, Hartmut’s... more
Lutz Wentscher spoke of the long history of Tonger Music House, one of the most traditional publishers in Germany. As CEO, Lutz has helped guide the company in recent years, yet looks back fondly on the many achievements of the Tonger Company since it was first established in Cologne in 1822. ... more
Linda Vincent worked for a short time at the NAMM headquarters, which is where she met her husband, the late John Vincent, who at the time was Director of Trade Shows. We missed our chance to interview John for the Oral History program as he passed away in 2013. However, Linda was thankfully able... more
Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser grew up in the music business and proudly followed in his father’s footsteps in leading the engineering of the company his father, Fritz, formed back in 1945. Sennheiser Electronics has been an industry leader with a string of innovative products and advances in the field... more
Paula Simmons wanted to create a shop where good quality instruments could be accessible to all those who came in the store. As a teacher, Paula was very interested in providing lessons for students of all ages. She tied both needs together when she and her partner, Kevin Smith,opened The Violin... more
Kev Rones received his first instrument experience when a musician on his block recognized Kev’s passion and allowed him to use the Fender in his garage. That early influence really directed him towards music, which has been his life’s passion ever since. In fact, Kev is the Pied Piper of... more
Dan Rodowicz was encouraged at an early age to play music. His parents arranged piano lessons, which led to trombone, which was the instrument of his beloved uncle. Dan was influenced by the music around him growing up in Philadelphia, which inspired him to play the organ. In 1976 he won a local... more
Lee Rocker formed a punk rock style group that just happened to play rockabilly. The Stray Cats had a host of hit records, first in England and beginning in the early 1980s in the United States. Uniting their sound and the three members was their friendship since they were in grade school and... more
Gordon Grubbs grew up in a very musical home. His mother was a professional pianist and was very encouraging to Gordon when he was three and wanted to play. Gordon was later guided by a very influential teacher, which was an experience that forever cemented his own direction in music. He studied... more
Lori Frazer’s mother taught piano and organ, which was the foundation for her own passion for music. When Lori was a small child, her mother purchased a piano for the home, which later would serve Lori for her own training. Like many people in Northern California in the 1950s and 60s, Lori and... more
Birth Date: July 3, 1952
Deceased Date: March 16, 2015
Andy Fraser took part in the second wave of the British Invasion in the late 1960s as a member of Free. He joined the group as a teenager and in fact was instrumental in the writing of their big hit, “All Right Now,” which has since become a rock anthem. Andy was involved with several other bands... more
John Fitzgerald focused on making creative music ever since his education at Cal Arts in the late 1970s. As his career developed, all of his experiences brought John directly to Remo Belli’s programs for Recreational Music Making (RMM). Remo helped pioneer music wellness programs and the many... more
Stephen Wick, whose father is a well-regarded classical musician, grew up in a very musical home. What he discovered as a child that remains to this very day is that his father’s passion for music, transferred nicely over to him. Together they work in the company his father, Denis, established to... more
Louise Harrison is the older sister of George and in fact played an important role in the Beatles’ success in America. In 1963, the year before the Beatles arrived, Louise was living in the United States when she was asked by her mother to bring some of the records George made with his new band. ... more