Oral History - all
Peter Sides is the president and third generation of his family to operate the Robert M. Sides Music Center Pennsylvania. His grandfather opened the store out of his home, selling and repairing pianos in 1937, and later his parents ran the store. Today, Peter and his sister, Alysha, run the company... more
Carol Sides married into the Robert M. Sides Music Center family in the 1960s and soon became an important part of the company’s educational programs and music therapy activity. She worked long and hard to build up the local community bands and symphony orchestra as well as creating support for... more
Gary Myers is known within the music industry for his decades of retail service in southern California beginning in the 1980s with Sherman Clay. To record fans he is best known for a series of instrumental and vocal tracks beginning in 1962 when he was 19 years old. Gary played drums on several... more
Birth Date: April 19, 1944
Deceased Date: June 24, 2016
Bernie Worrell began playing classical music as a small child and it soon led to his life-long passion for music! He met George Clinton, who at the time was leading a Doo-Wop group called The Parliaments. As Bernie experimented with electronic keyboards and synthesizers he teamed with George to pen... more
Birth Date: July 3, 1942
Deceased Date: September 28, 2021
Dr. Lonnie Smith was among the well respected organists who endeared himself within the music products industry as a master of the Hammond B3, who often demonstrated his skills for fellow musicians. He was a regular performer at the NAMM Shows since the 1960s. Dr. Lonnie was born in Lackawanna, New... more
Hector Olivera was born in Argentina where he studied organ with his father, a noted church organist. In 1965 Hector studied at Julliard School of Music and soon after that began providing concerts within the music industry to demonstrate the latest electronic development for organ as well as... more
Won Jung Kim is the president of Shimro Musical Instruments Company in Seoul, South Korea. The company is a leader in manufacturing all levels of bowed instruments and in recent years has become a distributor in South Korea, carrying her brands as well as those supplied by the D’Addario & Co.... more
Nancy Groth-Kersten is the owner of the Groth Music store in Bloomington, Minnesota. The store is home to a full line of musical instruments, outstanding customer service and one of the most dedicated and family-oriented staff in the industry! Nancy cares greatly for her customers and her staff and... more
Scott Houston is known as The Piano Guy thanks to his long running PBS teaching show. During the programs long run Scott has encouraged thousands of people to become music makers, making him the ideal person to speak about the importance of Recreational Music Making (RRM). His passion for teaching... more
Alysha Sides-Greevy grew up in the music store that her grandfather established in 1937 and has enjoyed working in music retail along side her parents and brother. The Robert M. Sides Music Center began in Williamsport, Pennsylvania when her grandfather tuned and sold pianos out of his home. Alysha... more
Chuck Erikson is known as The Duke of Pearl! His business supplies luthiers and large guitar companies with shells and other in-lay products for instrument making. As a luthier, Chuck saw the need early on to provide high quality materials for small shops. The business grew to service larger... more
Marty Albertson began working at the Guitar Center in San Francisco when the small chain’s founder, Wayne Mitchell, was still active in the business. Marty was there to see the store locations expand and grow and was very much a part of the executive branch of the company when it was first offered... more
Gus Acevedo is the owner of the International House of Music in downtown Los Angeles, a store that first opened in 1902. Gus purchased the store from the Schireson Brothers and over the last thirty years he and his business partner, Oscar Naranjo, have focused a great deal of their energy and... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2011. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2012. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been... more
Sterling Ball’s great-grandfather was a successful songwriter in the golden era of Tin Pan Alley and wrote a series of hits such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and "Mother Machree” His father was Ernie Ball, the innovator and musician who revolutionized the music industry with his strings and in... more
Birth Date: March 1, 1924
Deceased Date: April 9, 2015
Georg Steinmeyer was the factory supervisor at the Estey Organ Company in Brattleboro, Vermont. He joined the company in the years following World War II when he moved from Germany to the United States. He worked to streamline the product costs within the company while ensuring the orders were... more
Jerry Scully is the grandson of the founder of Scully Audio and the inventor of the company's lathe. The innovative product was introduced in 1919 and became the lead product for the company for years until they also produced tape machines under the direction of Jerry's father. The company was sold... more
Tom Rhea was hired by David Van Koevering to sell Moog Modular Systems when the Minimoog was being introduced. As a result, Tom was there to witness the major impact that Bob Moog's products had both on the industry, and music as well. Tom was commissioned to write the Minimoog Model D Owner's... more
Birth Date: November 22, 1925
Deceased Date: June 21, 2015
Gunther Schuller said he always had a passion for music. As a small boy he was photographed playing a conductor, a position he would later hold for many symphonies around the world. However, his passion for music was not limited to the classics but also with jazz. So, when he combined the two types... more
Ned Phoenix of Townshend, Vermont, a reed organ player and restorer since 1970, is the founder of the Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro, Vermont. Ned is fond of saying, "This may be the only museum in the world where every visitor, regardless of age or ability, is encouraged to play all the... more