Oral History - all
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2013 and early 2014. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2014. All moving images within this video indicate those who... more
Birth Date: February 1, 1934
Deceased Date: January 26, 2020
Bob Shane was among the most influential performers of the folk music boom of the late 1950s and 60s. As an original member of the Kingston Trio, Bob was at the cornerstone of the American folk explosion that helped define a generation and inspired millions to make music by picking up a guitar or... more
Tim Vear was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program in the months leading up to the 75th anniversary of the famous Shure microphone. Tim covered much of the history of this iconic product, as well as some of the reasons why it was such an important cornerstone for the company. He has been a... more
Birth Date: March 30, 1931
Deceased Date: April 10, 2019
Don Mozingo was a teacher in a small schoolhouse for over 20 years and among the topics he taught was music. His love and passion for music can be traced to his parents and, as a child, Don began teaching himself to play every musical instrument. While teaching, he began repairing instruments for... more
Jeff Mozingo cannot recall a time when he did not have music in his life! His father was a band director who opened Mozingo Music in the St. Louis area. Growing up, Jeff's love and sincere passion for music developed first, in the area of playing, then teaching and band instrument repair. Today... more
Ron Lorenz has enjoyed a long career in the music business beginning in the early 1960s. Ron worked in retail, as a road rep, owned his own music retail store, and was the founder of Rapco, a leading cable company. Ron played professionally once out of school, which served him well when he opened... more
Steve Judge is the president of Griggs Music in Davenport, one of the oldest music retailers in the country. Formed in 1903, the company has gained a reputation for staying power, which Steve points out, is based on several elements, including their customers and the ability and willingness to... more
Birth Date: September 8, 1950
Deceased Date: April 16, 2021
Phil Jost had a very interesting career in music as a musician before joining the sales team at St. Louis Music in 1974 and thus entering the music products industry. In his early days, being classically trained on the piano, Phil played keyboards and early synthesizers for dances, concerts and... more
Birth Date: July 26, 1939
Deceased Date: May 3, 2017
Casey Jones began his musical career as a Chicago-area blues drummer in the mid 1950s. He had only been playing a few years when he was encouraged to sing at a gig. He imitated Little Richard and the crowd loved it. Soon he began singing in bands around town and gained a reputation for himself... more
Birth Date: July 1, 1936
Deceased Date: February 6, 2022
Syl Johnson recorded a string of popular blues and R&B songs in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, which have been inspirational for generations of musicians. Soul, funk and Hip-Hop artists have cited Syl and his style of playing as influences including Jay Z. Over the years he performed with such icons... more
Birth Date: January 15, 1927
Deceased Date: August 7, 2017
Carol Holtz was hired by the Martin Band Instrument Company in Elkhart during World War II. She has many fond memories of working for the company and the family feeling it had. Speaking of family, Carol married the son of the president, Frederick Holtz (1885-1965) and enjoyed being a part of the... more
Willie Hayes is a Chicago blues drummer who found his style was suitable for a wide range of performers and media. He can be seen and heard in the movies and on the recordings of many top performers over the years. His passion and charming personality has made him one of the most sought after... more
Birth Date: December 23, 1926
Deceased Date: December 31, 2014
Bob Gand opened a music shop in Deerfield, IL in the early 1960s, which was an influence not only to the community but to his son Gary. Gary went on to open his own successful retail business. Bob fell in love with folk music in the 1960s and formed the Gand Family Singers, which included his... more
Christi Foster-Nunnally grew up in her parent's Iowa piano store and recalls with fondness getting paid a nickel to dust each piano. She became a buyer for a local chain department store and traveled frquently to New York for a few years until she decided she missed the music business. Christi... more
Marilyn Foster supported her husband's idea to open a music store in her home state of Iowa. From the beginning, she looked after all of the books and accounting for the store. She enjoyed the work and especially enjoyed getting to work with her husband and now, daughter Christi, on a regular... more
Jim Foster had worked for a few piano stores before opening his own store, with his wife Marilyn, in Bettendorf, Iowa. Foster Family Music focuses on piano and sheet music for pianos and has come to be known throughout the area as a center for musical events, recitals and a strong supporter of... more
Tracy Dean is a well-known and well-regarded independent rep based in the St. Louis area. He began his career in the industry at St. Louis Music where he began as a telephone salesman. After that, he was given a road rep position, the first such inside employee to go on the road. His many... more
Peter D’Addario is proud of his family’s long association with the music industry. In fact, his family’s string making goes back to the seventeenth century. Peter recalls going to the warehouse as a kid and helping with the shipping of musical accessories. His father, Richard, is the brother of... more
Birth Date: January 10, 1935
Deceased Date: June 1, 2018
Eddy Clearwater was a teenager when he left Mississippi to live with his uncle in Chicago. There he discovered his love for the blues. As a guitarist, Eddy became a sought after session player in the area. As a songwriter, Eddy added to the modern blues movement in the 1950’s with a string of... more
Birth Date: March 5, 1938
Deceased Date: January 4, 2021
Carma Lou Beck was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. She opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967, after working for a few other stores, including one owned and operated by the Wurlitzer Company. By the time Carma Lou's House of Music... more