Oral History - all
Birth Date: May 27, 1935
Deceased Date: September 12, 2022
Ramsey Lewis had a monster hit record with his jazz version of "The In Crowd." The song, which is considered to be the quintessential instrumental jazz hit of the 60s, led to a series of other recordings including sessions with Earth, Wind & Fire. Ramsey began playing organ and piano in church... more
Birth Date: November 25, 1928
Deceased Date: January 31, 2022
Jimmy Johnson helped define the Chicago Blues of the 1960s and 70s with a series of live performances and recordings. Some of his best known songs were captured at Bob Koester's Delmark Records. Jimmy wrote several songs recorded by other artists and toured the world performing with the likes of... more
Paul Hamer has a fascinating background that includes giving guitar lessons for Bob Gand back in the late 1960s. Being surrounded by fellow guitarists and having design ideas to improve the instrument, Paul made his first guitar under the Hamer name a few years later. Having approached artists to... more
Rich Covas owned Modern Music store's three locations for thirteen years beginning in 1966. The locations covered band and orchestra instruments as well as guitar, keyboards, and drums. The company also offered music lessons and repair. In fact, providing lessons is how Rich first began working in... more
Birth Date: October 30, 1932
Deceased Date: May 12, 2021
Bob Koester was the founder of the Delmark label who began recording blues and jazz in 1953 in St. Louis. He later moved to Chicago where he helped define the music scene by recording artists such as Bud Powell, Donald Byrd, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Sonny Stitt... more
Rick Nielsen is among the very few rock stars who grew up in a music store! His story and background is perfect for the NAMM Oral History program as it ties together a professional career in music making with mom and pop music retailing! Rick's father purchased a music store in Rockford, Illinois... more
Shane Fontayne grew up in England and came to the United States for the first time in 1976. He has recorded and performed with a long list of musical greats including Joe Cocker, Van Zant, and toured with Bruce Springsteen during 1992-1993. Shane has been a regular musician for the Kennedy Center... more
Ivor Davis was working as the foreign correspondent for the London Daily Express when he was assigned to travel with the Beatles. He joined the Fab Four during the summer of 1964 in San Francisco and traveled with them as they toured the United States making their way to New York. His 2014 book, "... more
Birth Date: December 21, 1953
Deceased Date: May 10, 2020
Betty Wright was three years old when she was placed on a pile of phone books in a studio in order to reach the microphone when her family recorded gospel music. She began writing songs very young, many of which were performed by her siblings. In the 1960s, Betty made the move to R&B music and... more
Fred Rubin ran one of the most active and successful music stores in Miami. His father opened Ace Music in 1955 and Fred grew up in the store. When he took over the business, Fred continued the key elements that his father instilled in the business, namely customer service and quality products. ... more
Rob Roy was playing in a band and recording some of their songs when he met Tony Bongiovi who offered to help Rob. Tony had just moved from New York to Florida and was looking for a project. The two soon designed and established a new studio, Power Station Florida, which echoed the renowned studio... more
Tony Bongiovi opened Power Station Studios in New York in the early 1970s, which helped define a few eras of recordings. The studio, which became a mainstay in the industry, was created after Tony worked for Motown for several years and recorded the likes of Jimi Hendrix. Tony also designed several... more
Mark Begelman formed Mars Music after a career in retail sales of office supplies. The idea behind Mars was to create a big box retail company with locations around the country. To compete, Mark sought to include elements of music retailing that were not always found in chain stores at the time,... more
Birth Date: March 2, 1922
Deceased Date: March 3, 2020
Lynn Sheeley Jr.'s father opened a small piano store in east Tennessee in 1908. After serving in D-Day during World War II, Lynn returned home to work in the store, which he later took over. Along the way, the business grew to four locations, two of which are in Knoxville and that Lynn managed for... more
Murray Grodner, along with his first wife Leah, formed Lemur Music, Inc., a catalog business that specialized in the needs of the Double Bassist. His impressive background as bassist, professor and author was perfect for launching a business career in providing needs of his fellow bassists. He... more
Birth Date: March 28, 1927
Deceased Date: January 25, 2021
Frank Charles is perhaps best known for playing the organ during most hockey, baseball, and basketball games during the 1980s in Milwaukee. His riffs for the Brewers influenced many other organists in baseball with familiar musical phases such as "CHARGE" and polkas during the seventh inning... more
Tom Paxton spoke eloquently about the role folk music played during critical events in American history, such as the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s for which he was involved with. Tom marched, wrote songs, and played the songs of others, such as Pete Seeger, in order to bring about... more
Out in the village of Bubenreuth, Germany lays the incredible history of a group of independent luthiers who in reinventing themselves after World War II helped produce hand-crafted musical instruments that inspired music and music makers ever since. Within the NAMM Oral History collection we have... more
Rob Joly was playing in a surf band in 1966 when Leo Fender hired him to work at a teenage fair. The fair attracted young students and Leo felt the event would be great to introduce his new line of guitars. As a thank you gift for his help, Leo gave Rob a P-Bass! Just a few years later, Rob began... more
Sean O'Shea began front pumping the organ during the big boom of home organs in the 1970s. His first gig was for a music store when he was just 14. He grew up in the business and worked for many of the top names in the piano industry. Sean had his own store for years and worked in the wholesale... more