Oral History - all
Birth Date: February 7, 1942
Deceased Date: March 15, 2020
Barry Zweig played jazz guitar professionally since he was a teenager. His passion for music was as clear as the smile on his face, and the great style he contributed to music has graced recordings and live performances since the 1960s. Among his most noted gigs were recording with Buddy Rich, Herb... more
Dan Levenson wrote the book on banjo playing, in fact six books. His love of old time music and his great talents as a musician have made him a well known and respected player, teacher and historian. For decades he has traveled the country with banjo and fiddle in hand to present the rich history... more
Birth Date: January 22, 1929
Deceased Date: January 11, 2021
Tomcat Courtney was raised in a cotton field outside of Marlin, Texas. When he was ten years old he saw Bill Bojangles dance in a traveling minstrel show and Tomcat was hooked. He left home at the age of 14 to dance in the circus where he also sang and learned to play the guitar. His style of... more
Birth Date: September 28, 1936
Deceased Date: November 1, 2021
Emmett Chapman was studying guitar when he began playing a two hand tapping style. As he researched the idea he found that he could create a unique instrument and style of playing that would later be explored by musicians of nearly every musical style. The Chapman Stick has become one of the most... more
Birth Date: December 16, 1933
Deceased Date: January 18, 2021
Ron Anthony can be heard playing his jazz guitar on several classic recordings of George Shearing as well as on the top selling album, Frank Sinatra’s “Duets.” His love of music goes back to his childhood and the very first time he held a guitar. After taking just a few lessons he began playing... more
Bob Willcutt still loves repairing guitars. The nice view of downtown Lexington from his repair bench doesn't hurt. Initially working as a social worker, Bob repaired and rebuilt vintage folk instruments as a hobby starting in the 1960's. After repairing and mentoring at a local music store, he... more
Mary Luehrsen is a music advocate dedicated to music education and promoting support for music education. As Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for NAMM and a former music teacher and professional musician, Mary has helped NAMM and its partners with policy issues and legislation... more
Trev Wilkinson began painting cars as a teenager and soon there after painted his own guitar, which started him on the road to guitar restoration and building. His long and fascinating interest in guitar design has resulted in many musical product innovations including the Wilkinson Brass Roller... more
John Tarpley likes to echo the message his great-grandmother lived by when she established the family business over 100 years ago: the customer is most important. Since taking over the business, along with his cousin David in the 1990s, John has strived hard to do just that. Running four locations... more
Alan Levin is the eldest child of Chuck and Margie Levin, the founders of Washington Music Center, which began as Chuck Levin’s Music Center. Alan was a child when the 1968 Washington DC riots destroyed the music store. The event gave way to one of the industry’s best examples of resilience and... more
Steven Wasser grew up in a very musical family and played reed instruments as a child but really dreamed of owning his own business. After graduating from Harvard Business School, Steven worked in several industries before having the chance to combine his interests of business and his passion for... more
Fred Walecki grew up in a musical family. His father was an expert on the violin who established a rare instrument dealership in Southern California back in 1946. Fred worked with his father until his passing in 1967, at which point Fred continued in the business. Fred’s focus in the industry was... more
Yohsihiro Doi joined Yamaha in 1980 and worked in retail for the company for two years before transferring to the wholesale department within the musical instrument division. Doi-san worked with the Yamaha school programs as well as with the labor union before moving to Yamaha Corporation of... more
Manuel Rodriguez Jr. learned as his father did, the deep rooted tradition of building a classical guitar. He is very proud of his father and grandfather, as well as the time-honored craftsmanship and skills required to make a fine Rodriguez instrument. Unlike so many others consumed by the... more
Johnny Tillotson had a music television program as a teenager in Florida before landing a string of hit recordings including his smash hit “Poetry In Motion” in 1961. A year later Johnny wrote the song “It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’” which was not only a top ten hit for him but later recorded by... more
Robert Tall is among the most successful and popular organ salesmen in the music industry –historically and presently. He earned his masters and doctorate in music performance and began working in the music industry as salesman for a Southern California retailer in the late 1960s. Over his career,... more
Stefan Stenzel has been a passionate music maker since he was a child. When he had the chance to combine his love of music with his technical skills, to begin working for Waldorf Electronics, he was thrilled. The first project Stefan worked on was the now famous Wave synthesizer, which was... more
Hidesato Shiino’s great-grandfather formed a music business in Japan, which gave young Shiino-san a strong background in the industry. He also had a passion for playing musical instruments, which he and others in his country were unable to obtain in the years following World War II. Over time he... more
Birth Date: April 17, 1930
Deceased Date: April 27, 2021
Al Schmitt’s career as a recording engineer covered more than 60 years of innovations in pro audio development in nearly every musical style. Al was the recording engineer for many musical legends from Frank Sinatra and Sam Cooke to Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones. He worked on over 160 Gold and... more
Elliot Scheiner was hired by famed record producer Phil Ramone of A&R Recordings in the fall of 1967 to assist with engineering. The career path seemed perfect for Elliot and he soon developed into one of the most noted recording engineers of his time. During his career he earned several Grammy... more