Oral History - all
Emma Lou Diemer has written classical, choral, and even hymns based organ music during her long and successful career as a composer. Her music has been published by over 40 different music publishers over the years, including several that requested she write method books and beginner music, which... more
Barry De Vorzon began writing songs as a teenager and had several hits during his long career. Among his top charters were two hit instrumental songs, the theme for the television show SWAT and the second, the theme for the soap opera The Young and the Restless, which was also known as “Nadia's... more
Bruce Johnston has been a member of the Beach Boys since the mid-1960s, first singing with the group on the hit "California Girls." He appeared on most of the groups albums, including the seminal Pet Sounds and toured with the group for decades. Bruce is also a songwriter who penned "I Write the... more
Denis Labrecque formed DeLab Consulting in 2015 after a series of positions in the synthesizer, computer music and digital signal processing fields. It all began with learning analog modular synthesis at Electronic Music Laboratories (EML), then working with the team from there that became Star... more
Roman Zajicek was born in Kolin in the Czech Republic, where for several decades the government made it difficult to do business as an independent luthier. In 2003, when he had the opportunity to open his own guitar shop he did. Based on his first name and his favorite wood to use for guitar... more
Birth Date: December 2, 1945
Deceased Date: February 13, 2019
Paul Hostetter’s career as a luthier dates back to 1963, although his passion for music may have been born when he was. He started by giving guitar lessons before he began building instruments. Paul played on recording sessions for Motown, including on hits with his personal friend, Marvin Gaye.... more
Don Edwards was raised on cowboy music despite being born in New Jersey, a fact he has joked about even in song. His easy going style led to a successful career as a traveling singer with albums such as Songs On the Trail and Goin’ Back to Texas. Don has also been strongly connected with the... more
Catfish Keith was proud to take part in the 40th anniversary of Santa Cruz Guitar Company in the fall of 2016. He not only performed on his favorite SCGC model on stage at the Rio Theater but also took the time to talk about his early passion for music and his introduction to the Santa Cruz Guitar... more
Darren Webb has played a key role at Santa Cruz Guitar Company since joining the team in the 1990s. With a focus on the service and repair of older Santa Cruz instruments, most importantly their lifetime warranty, he ensures quality and consistency in each instrument that is sent back to the shop... more
Adam Rose is a luthier and guitar designer for Santa Cruz Guitar Company and has worked with the company's founder, Richard Hoover since the 1980s. Adam's passion for the woods has been key to the construction and integrity of the instruments as well as the reputation of the company. Adam was... more
Guy Charbonneau, founder of the legendary Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio, has been recording music live for more than 40 years. A pioneer in the field, he was the first to create a mobile recording studio that soon helped set the gold standard for capturing great musical performances. A... more
Stephen Schmidt is a lover of music. His background in engineering, experiences with technology, and customer service lead him to his position as Vice President of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instrument Division. He, along with his team at Casio, have spent a lot of time working with organizations... more
Stanley Clarke was influenced heavily by music teachers he had as a young student and felt blessed that there was a neighborhood music store that he could explore. Stanley’s amazing career has covered many styles of music and he has witnessed the changes in acoustic and electric basses along with... more
Martin Shore began playing drums at the age of six and always found great comfort in music. When the idea of a documentary about Memphis music came up, Martin ran with the idea, which has become the award winning film Take Me To The River. The film was shown at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of... more
Charles Hodges and his brothers were regular session players in Memphis. Charles was among the early keyboardist for Willie Mitchell's band, which was the cornerstone for the Hi Records rhythm section. Charles can be heard on an amazing 26 gold records in a row, beginning with Al Green in the... more
Jerry Harrison recalled several memories of visiting local music stores as a young teenager, just as his musical career began. Growing up in Milwaukee, Jerry had access to several music stores, where he went to check out and purchase musical instruments and gear, all in the foreshadowing of his... more
William Bell began singing in doo-wop groups before signing for Stax Records in Memphis, which is where his first hit was recorded. In fact that song, "You Don't Miss Your Water" was also the first big hit for the newly formed record label that would go on to redefine soul music. William wrote... more
Cindy Bigeh, is the CFO and one of the founders of Audix in Wilsonville, Oregon. She came on board with the company just about a year after it was established by Cliff Castle and Fred Bigeh. Since then she has played a key role in the accounting and organization of the company as well as... more
Cliff Castle, along with Fred and Cindy Bigeh, is one of the co-founders of Audix. Cliff's strong suit is a deep understanding of the music industry and in forming strategic relationships. Located in Wilsonville, Oregon, Audix has become an important developer of professional vocal and instrument... more
Cal Perkins was the product engineer for a number of innovative products over his long and successful career. Cal's background and training on early amplification and audio technology resulted in his involvement with several key products for JBL, Mackie Design, and Biamp Systems, among others. ... more