Oral History - all
Julie Lewis has been surrounded by music her entire life, and knows first-hand the power it has on those who experience it. As a child she sang in choirs and played the cello, and can recall the happiness on the faces of those around her. As a nurse she often sang to those she cared for and... more
Birth Date: June 28, 1946
Deceased Date: October 3, 2021
Jim Widner was given a very special opportunity to join his grade school’s orchestra, which provided him an instrument to play. His love of music was fostered years later when he became a student of his highly influential high school band director. These early experiences set Jim on his path in... more
Bob Snyder enjoyed his 40 plus years in the music industry, driven by his passion for music. His father was a professor of music and instruments of all kinds seemed to be everywhere in his home growing up. His sales career started at a Hammond Organ dealership where he would perform on the organ to... more
Jamal Batiste grew up in a very musical family and when he saw his brother’s drum kit at 3 years old, he fell in love. Raised in New Orleans he was surrounded by what he calls the gumbo of music, playing all styles and in many different settings. Throughout his career he has played alongside groups... more
Flavio Giannini is part of the third generation running Giannini Musical Instruments alongside his brother, Roberto. One of their most well-known designs is the Craviola, which is designed to be a smaller and therefor more comfortable instrument to play. As they introduce new products, they strive... more
Roberto Giannini is part of the third generation running Giannini Musical Instruments alongside his brother, Flavio. Their company has thrived on being innovative and working around issues. During WWII when supplies were cut off, they began making their own strings and then between the 1960-1990s... more
Ned Augustenborg is a multiple Emmy Award winning producer and director in the categories of Entertainment, Documentary, News and Sports. He has worked on projects for ESPN, HBO, FOX Sports, MSNBC, CNN and the Canadian Sports Network. Being introduced to NAMM’s Museum of Making Music in 2001, Ned... more
Tony Agnello always had music being played in his house growing up and credits his great teachers for helping him discover his love for science and math. Starting when he was a teenager, he would go to shows at The Fillmore and see amazing acts such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, King Crimson and... more
Don Cromwell realized music was his passion when was playing in bands with his friends at a young age. His sophomore year of high school he switched from guitar to bass and never looked back. After graduating high school and attending college, Don started playing with better musicians and started... more
Bobby Fernandez grew up surrounded by music and developed an interest in film music at a young age. He always felt drawn to the film industry and more specifically the recording side of the business. In order to make his dreams a reality, Bobby applied for a mailroom job at Warner Brothers with the... more
Tosin Abasi is the founder and lead guitarist of the group Animals as Leaders and has a style of playing that is often unmatched. Tosin grew up in Washington, D.C and has memories of trying guitars out at Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center. He took the leap to create music professionally and... more
Will Friedwald is an author and music historian who has the skills and knowledge to write about everything from the Blues to the roots of Rock and Roll. The era in between seems to be his specialty, with works on jazz singers, the big bands, radio pioneers and even Warner Brother cartoons. During... more
Mutter Slater played harmonica, flute and sang as a member of the influential British band Stackridge beginning in 1970s. Although often categorized as a progressive rock band, their sound included themes of folk, the blues and psychedelic rock. Among the bands successful albums were their self-... more
Tony Ferguson has had an amazing career in music! He began playing guitar at a young age growing up in England, touring with bands such as Unit 4 + 2 and Christie before switching to the record industry as a producer, manager and as Artist & Repertoire (A&R) for over 20 years. While working... more
Richard Factor is the founder of Eventide and has invented and designed numerous innovative products over the last fifty years. He played synthesizers and theremins when he was young and developed a passion for electronics. After attending Cornell University and receiving a degree in economics,... more
Dennis Spragg is a music historian and author who has become an expert on the bandleader Glenn Miller. He is the senior consultant for the Glenn Miller Archives and the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as the historian for the Glenn Miller Birthplace... more
Lynda Smith started on the piano early in her life and was always fascinated by the instruments at her local record shop. Her love for classical music led her down the path of studying music education and music therapy. While teaching K-8 music classes and working at the same music store she grew... more
Ed Polcer grew up in a world filled with music and the older people around him were supportive and encouraging. As a result, all throughout his career, Ed sought to do the same for younger musicians. His musical career began when he was a child playing xylophone and his sister sang, the act was... more
Daniel Weiss grew up in Switzerland with a passion for music and electronics. He played the electric violin (one that he built himself) as well as bass, before developing an interest in building and playing synthesizers – something that he learned from a magazine. He started to build his own amps... more
Mary Jo Papich has dedicated decades to creating programs to assist music teachers! As co-founder of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and as a former band director and arts director administrator, Mary Jo wanted to provide meaningful engagement, educational resources and connections that would be... more