Oral History - all
Boo Mitchell was born in Memphis, TN to a very musical family. Hi father, Willie Mitchell, ran Royal Studios and was VP of Hi Records. He began working with his father at a very young age, and got to work along amazing artists such as Al Green, KC & the Sunshine Band, the Doobie Brothers, and... more
Matt Ross-Spang is a Grammy award winning engineer, mixer, and producer. His first brush with greatness began at only 14 years old, when he received 2 hours studio time at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN for his birthday. He went on to intern at Sun Studios when he was 16 and really learned what it... more
Jim DeStafney is the co-owner of Blues Angel Music in Pensacola, Florida. After completing a 24-year career as a Navy fighter pilot, Jim opened the shop in 1997. Blues Angel Music has been named a NAMM Top 100 Dealer for six consecutive years, and continues to show excellence in the music retail... more
Chuggy Carter has performed drums and percussion for a number of top performers over his long and fascinating career. Equally noted to his musicianship by those who worked with Chuggy is his smile and approachable personality. “Part of my job is to create a relaxing situation for the performers... more
Jerry Andreas has ben leading the Pro Audio/Video division at SKB for more than 10 years. Before that, Jerry spent a large part of his life working as the Director of Marketing for the Pro Audio and Combo Division of the Yamaha Corporation of America. Jerry also holds a degree in Music Business... more
Tony James hosted the popular Disney Channel series “Out of the Box” for seven years. The show exposed the young audience to music and music making, which is why he continues to be stopped and thanked by those influenced by the show. Tony, a multi-talented performer, with worldwide acclaim as a... more
Gil Griffith began his career in the music industry on a whim. While out to eat at a restaurant he began talking to Gene Fresco, who was then a stranger to him. Gene went on to offer Gil a job as a sales rep for Sunn Amplifiers. Later in life, he went on be VP of sales for Eventide, Inc., and also... more
Lauren Haas Amanfoh started answering phones at age three and began writing rental contracts at age 10. She grew up in a music store, and went on to receive her degree from Ohio State University. She professionally performs on the French horn at major venues such as Carnegie Hall, and is now the... more
David Huff formed Huff Recording Studios, where he has engineered sessions with a string of country, pop and rock artists. His career began when he formed a Christian rock band with his brother called Giant. Over the years he has produced many recording projects as well. David has been active... more
Sonny Curtis is thought to be the first person to have recorded a rock and roll song using the Fender Stratocaster. The recording date took place in Nashville with his friend Buddy Holly a year before Buddy recorded his first big hit called “That’ll Be the Day.” In fact, it was Buddy’s guitar... more
Vince Gill attended his first NAMM Show when he was nineteen years old and living in Los Angeles, California, back in 1977. Over the years, Vince has supported many music retailers and suppliers and has developed long lasting and meaningful relationships, which is why he is always excited to... more
Emmylou Harris is a 13-time Grammy award winning American singer-songwriter. Over the course of her career she has released numerous popular albums and singles in the folk/country genre, and has worked with multiple big names such as Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, and many more. She is also... more
Jozef Nuyens founded The Castle recording studios in 1982. The Castle is one of the best known recording facilities in the world. About 450 gold and platinum artists from all genres of the music industry have recorded there over the years. It was one of the first digital recording facilities in the... more
Tim Hinkley has been an active studio musician in both Los Angeles and Nashville for most of his career. As first-call keyboardist, Tim has recorded with George Harrison, Pete Townshend, The Who and the Rolling Stones. Tim also recorded with the Memphis Horns, a group founded by Wayne Jackson,... more
Steve Nathan is among the top studio musicians in Nashville. Although his recording career began in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Nashville studios have been requesting his musicianship non-stop for years. Each year, Music Row Magazine charts all of the hit records and which performer is on each hit. ... more
Scott Nelson would often think that “if you can sell an organ, you can sell anything,” and it got him far in his career. He started selling organs and pianos at a young age in music retail and worked his way up to regional sales manager for the Baldwin Piano Company. Later in life, he rerouted his... more
Rob Ickes is a world class Dobro player who was a founding member of the contemporary bluegrass band Blue Highway. He was named Dobro Player of the Year for the thirteenth time by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association), and puts on a 4-day Dobro camp every year for aspiring players. ... more
John Walker’s career in music all began with guitar lessons at six years old. This lesson studio’s focus was on ensemble performance, which allowed John to start playing gigs at 11 years old. He furthered this passion by owning his own music club at age 26 and eventually ending up in Nashville... more
Chuck Tennin began his career as a recording engineer's assistant, which led to his own engineering gigs beginning in the 1960s. Along the way, Chuck learned firsthand the importance of a good song and in encouraging and protecting songwriters and their craft. As a result, Chuck formed the music... more
Herschel Blankenship’s love for music all began when he saw Buddy Holly on the Ed Sullivan show as a kid. It sparked his interest and led him down a path filled with performing and touring. After working for many years in the music industry, he became a founder of Schecter Guitar Research – a... more