Oral History - all
Francois Kloc earned a degree in oboe and bassoon performance at the Beauvais Music Conservatory, which became a foundation for his deep and passionate exploration of these musical instruments. When he joined the Buffet Crampon Company in 1995 he was able to bring his knowledge to the process of... more
Philip Leader is a freelance content programmer for electronic musical instruments, with a background in piano, organ and keyboard sales, following in the footsteps of his dad Alec Leader, who was a Concert Artist for Lowrey, Thomas, Hammond, Kimball and Roland, through the 70s and 80s. Alec had... more
Birth Date: June 15, 1940
Deceased Date: June 23, 2017
Bruce Johnson began his career in the music industry working in the accounting department for Wurlitzer in DeKalb, Illinois. While on the job he began outlining a computer program that could help with the company’s retail stores. The more he worked on the program, the more he saw the need to code... more
Sue Collier-Lewis played piano as a young girl and loved singing, a passion that has continued with her all throughout her career as a music teacher and music advocate. After earning her master’s degree in music education she opened her own studios, which lead to her relationship with the Yamaha... more
Yoko Leader learned to play as a student of the Yamaha Electone school, but later graduated university with her major in Mathematics. When Yoko was picked up from graduation by Matsushita Electric, her interest in music steered her towards joining the Electronic Musical Instruments Division, which... more
Jerome Perrod was appointed the CEO of the Buffet Group in 2014, an opportunity he was both honored and excited about. Given his background and interest in management and developing processes, Jerome was a great catch for the pioneering company. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique College with a... more
Birth Date: December 1, 1933
Deceased Date: October 16, 2018
Giorgio Giannini proudly recalled the beginning of his family’s involvement in the music industry as part of his interview for the NAMM Oral History collection. Mr. Tranquillo Giannini was a well-respected luthier in Italy who had the vision to set up his work shop in South America. In 1900, he... more
Joe Carducci remembers with a smile sitting in front of his parents black and white television set on a Sunday evening in February when he watched the Beatles storm America on the Ed Sullivan Show. He recalls falling in love with the guitar George Harrison was playing and even combing his hair... more
Walter “Wolfman” Washington has been a staple on the New Orleans music scene since first picking up a guitar in the 1950s. After some minor correction on technique and tuning, Wolfman hit the ground running by joining Lee Dorsey’s band after which Wolfman went on to form and front a number of his... more
Birth Date: January 14, 1938
Deceased Date: November 9, 2015
Allen Toussaint represented one of the quintessential New Orleans sounds. Toussaint’s compositions and songs seamlessly blend blues, jazz, ragtime, R&B, and funk to create an amalgam that is unique and readily identifiable to New Orleans. Starting on piano in the 1940s and initially influenced... more
Ted Kornblum has a long legacy in the music industry. His grandfather started St. Louis Street Music and his father started Crate amplifiers and Alvarez guitars. Not content to rest on his laurels, Ted gained experience working both inside and outside his family’s music business before starting on... more
George Porter Jr. has proven himself to be one of the bedrocks that make up the foundation of the New Orleans music scene. While starting out briefly on guitar, George quickly transitioned to bass where he really hit his stride. After some prompting from Art Neville, George became an integral part... more
Jaime Valle started out playing top 40 hits, but before long grew tired and was looking for something new when he happened upon jazz. It was a match made in heaven. After studying with Howard Roberts among others, Jaime went on to forge a top flight repertoire leading to multiple San Diego music... more
Duncan Moore moved to San Diego from Iowa in 1977 and quickly established himself as the go to drummer for gigs and sessions. Playing with all the top names in San Diego, including Peter Sprague, Jaime Valle, Mark Dresser, and Mundell Lowe, Duncan shows a rhythmic drive that supports and pushes... more
Ernie Vincent played a key role in expanding the role New Orleans played in music on a national and international level. As a songwriter he wrote the funk based songs "Dap Walk" as well as many others based on the blues and zydeco. "Dap Walk" proved that New Orleans was not just about jazz and the... more
Branford Marsalis has a deep passion for music that reflects not only in his playing but his music education as well. Branford attributes his skills as a musician through dedicated practice in real life band situations, continually reassessing where he is in his practice and development. This... more
Herb Holt has thoroughly enjoyed his life in music, both as a musician and as a sales rep! In 1968 he formed the Music Marketing Company to represent the Ovation Guitar line in Minnesota. The company quickly expanded to cover a long list of products for retail stores Herb called on in and around... more
Tess Taylor is the president of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), which is one of the largest music business networks in the world. Tess formed the association in 1998 to bring the industry together and to serve educational and professional needs around the world... more
John Wright Jr. grew up in the piano business. His father and his uncle, Dan Hall, formed the Hall Piano Company in 1958. The store is currently located right on David Drive in Metairie, Louisiana, not too far from the first location, which John recalled running around in as a small child. Like... more
Lynn White may downplay the role she has played within their family’s music store business, but for all those who have been to White House of Music, her spark and passion for music are very evident. Her husband’s cousin opened a small music store in Waukesha, Wisconsin back in 1955 in order to... more