Oral History - all
Crystal Morris started in the music industry as a child working with her dad at his booth at the NAMM show. In 2000, Gator Cases was launched at a NAMM Show when they saw a need for cases utilizing different materials. Gator recently expanded into manufacturing stands and the team has continued to... more
Summer Pittman began taking piano and voice lessons at Contemporary Music Center when she was seven years old. After studying with many teachers, Summer also started playing guitar. She helped her father with designing that layout of the store, and focused on bringing a vibe to the rooms, and... more
Menzie Pittman is the founder and owner of Contemporary Music Center located in Virginia. Menzie was inspired to to pursue music after he saw The Beatles perform live on Ed Sullivan. After graduating high school, Menzie decided to do music full time, and began playing in some higher profile bands.... more
Susan Carson opened her first music store, Taylor Guitar Shop, at just 18 years old in Johnson, Tennessee. Taylor Guitar Shop became the local hangout spot for bluegrass pickers and those looking to jam every Saturday. Susan sold the store when she married her husband, Bill Carson, and he took a... more
Andy Allen established the custom shop within the Maton Guitar Company in Melbourne, Australia. The company was created by Bill May back in 1946 along with the help of his brother Reg. Since that time, the company has built a respected reputation around the world for acoustic and electric guitars. ... more
Tommy Emmanuel played bass to his brother's lead guitar as a kid and knew playing music was his calling. Tommy has become a world renown player and songwriter who realized early on the importance of finding the perfect guitar. For him, the best guitar is the one that you can't put down, the one... more
Laura Whitmore’s passion for music began at a young age, learning to play guitar and writing songs as a teenager. She attended Hofstra University where she earned a B.S. in Music Merchandising and an MBA in Marketing. Laura worked for CBS Records and Korg, where she rose through the ranks of... more
Clint Strait was born in Austin, TX and is the 3rd generation to work for the Strait Music Company. Clint is carrying on his family’s tradition of great customer service and selection to provide the community with a one-stop store for all their music instrument needs. Always looking towards the... more
Artie Kornfeld was originally a trumpet player in symphonic orchestras. As a Rock and Roll fan, Artie eventually switched to guitar and performed with several groups before landing a job at Capitol Records as an executive. Artie wrote over 75 Billboard charting songs including the Crispian St.... more
Neal Pomerantz developed a passion for music at a young age. He started on the guitar and had aspirations to become a rockstar. In 1988, Neil took a job at a local music store to make some extra money while playing, but he never thought it would turn into a career. Neal is now the Vice President of... more
Evan Skopp is the president of Inside Track International, which is a boutique sales & marketing firm that works with luthiers and guitar manufacturers. He started out in music at an early age, playing the piano, cello, and guitar. After relocating to Santa Barbara for a job at a law firm, Evan... more
Jim Phiffer accepted a position at Pearl Drums which would lead him to a 20 plus year career in the music business. While at Pearl, Jim was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, eventually making his way to President and CEO of the US division. Jim shared his talent for selling and his love of... more
The piano sticker represents a NAMM program of the early 1900’s until World War I and again briefly in the 1950s. The sticker program was an effort to authenticate dealers and pianos in a time when there was stenciling (counterfeit branding) of pianos and some disreputable dealers. Unfortunately,... more
Robert Christie grew up listening to classical music at home and naturally gravitated towards percussion instruments. When he was five years old he began to play drums in church, and later on continued his studies in school. He went to Valparaiso University in Indiana where he was one of the first... more
Terry Bissette began playing drums as a kid in South Florida, where he lived through the heyday of live music in the 1970’s and 80’s, performing six nights a week at various clubs. He took an interest in music retail, especially with drum kits and percussive instruments. Terry became the main drum... more
Mark Gooday is the founder/owner of Ashdown Engineering. As a young bass player in England, Mark idolized the tone and style of John Entwistle of The Who and wanted more sound from the bass amps he was using. He approached Trace Elliot and helped make their amplifiers sound bigger for less money. ... more
Dale Wentworth put himself through college by teaching music lessons in the back of his father’s lighting store Kelowna, British Columbia. After finishing college, Dale realized that his lessons along with some instrument sales were surpassing the income of his father’s business. He sat down with... more
James Hall saw his sister’s flute and wondered if he could make one out of glass. He bought a glass tube from his university’s science supply and used his brother’s blow torch to make finger holes in the tube. His first flute wasn't completely in tune, but James knew he was on to something new and... more
Birth Date: November 3, 1911
Deceased Date: January 2, 1990
This audio only interview was conducted by Bruce Duffie and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Vladimir Ussachevsky was a classically trained composer who worked in the field of electronic music. In fact, with the use of electronic musical instruments, such as the Moog, Vladimir was the... more
Brad Townsend always had a love for music and remembers growing up with music all around him. He opened a retail music store/lesson studio and also had an extensive career at Fender Musical Instruments for 18 years. While at Fender Brad dealt with domestic and international sales as well as... more