Oral History - all
Ron Middlebrook is passionate about the history of the music industry. Over the years his music publishing company, Centerstream, released a series of books on products and companies within the industry, in addition to the method books and DVDs his company produces. Along the way he has collected... more
Birth Date: January 31, 1925
Deceased Date: October 27, 2014
Robina Miller opened Swing City Music with her husband, in London, England, in the days following World War II. During the time of the record shortage in the UK, Swing City offered American music, beginning with service records known as V-Discs (Victory Discs). In order to make a few extra dollars... more
Antonio Monzino VII followed in his father’s footsteps. Antonio Monzino VI was a well respected violin maker and expert who began the exportation of Italian musical instruments to several key countries that had ports not previously open to Italian products. Antonio VII expanded the family company,... more
Doug Moody was a long time record producer who was not afraid to embrace new music and groups. As a result he helped usher in the teenage girl groups of the 1960s with hits such as “My Boy Friend’s Back” for the Angels. Some years later, he introduced millions of people to punk and skateboard music... more
Diane Moore witnessed the need for a store that was dedicated to sheet music and the needs of local music teachers. After investigating the idea she decided to open her own retail store there in Anchorage, Alaska. The Keyboard Cache has enjoyed the support of both school and private teachers. It... more
Birth Date: March 26, 1918
Deceased Date: February 2, 2017
David “Bud” Morgan opened his music retail store in 1957 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Since that time Morgan’s Music has become a critical part of the community and the local school music programs. Built on a devotion to music and music making, Morgan’s Music followed the mission to serve the music... more
Birth Date: November 4, 1939
Deceased Date: September 1, 2017
Ed Murphy clearly enjoyed his career in the field of music publishing! With a big grin, he recounted marvelous stories of songwriting legends for which he became acquainted while serving on the ASCAP Board as well as industry icons he worked with on the Music Publisher’s Association (MPA) Board. As... more
Warner Paige grew up in the music retail business. As a kid Warner would sweep up the store after school and on weekends. As he grew he enjoyed the business more and more and eventually took over the store when his father retired. Along the way Warner took great pride in being involved with the... more
Birth Date: July 8, 1933
Deceased Date: March 23, 2013
Art Ritchie grew up in East Rochester, New York in the same part of town that Elmer Brooks grew up. Elmer would later hire Art becoming one of his mentors in the music industry. After serving in the military, Art returned to East Rochester in 1960 and joined the sales team at Aeolian Piano Company... more
Frank Huang joined the Hohner Harmonica Company along with his brother, famed Chinese performer Cham-Ber Huang, to design a specialized harmonica. Frank’s understanding of the developmental process of musical instruments and his vast knowledge of Chinese/American relations led to the establishment... more
Wu H. Hsieh is the president of KHS Musical Instruments. KHS was named for the Chinese words Kong for contribution, Hsue for school and Sheh for society, therefore clearly stating the company’s goal of contributing to school and society. KHS produces a long line of brands such as Jupiter, Mapex,... more
Martha Hilley was a young piano teacher in the 1960s when she had the idea of expanding her ideas of group lessons. She contacted the Wurlitzer Company, well known for their dedication to music education. The company was so impressed by her concepts that they hired her as an educational advisor.... more
Robert Hill became the president of the Organ Exchange shortly after it was established by Curt Carter. Together the two men worked long and hard at creating a business model that would forever change the organ boom of the 1970s in America. The chain, largely based in Southern California, drew upon... more
Birth Date: August 13, 1951
Deceased Date: August 30, 2016
Hoot Hester was a regular on the Grand Ole Opry and the Nashville recording studios as one of country music’s top violin (or perhaps “fiddle” is most appropriate) players. Hoots passion for his instrument also led him to study the long history of country fiddlers, and their styles. Hoot was also a... more
Joyce Hershberger and her husband, Floyd, established the Hershberger Music Store in McCook, Nebraska, in 1956. They have enjoyed watching the company grow and become an important part of the community, serving several generations and bringing music into the lives of many. Joyce is particularly... more
Birth Date: December 16, 1928
Deceased Date: April 30, 2020
Ray Hennig opened Heart of Texas Music in the early 1960s after years of repairing guitars for friends. He built homes in Texas and was happy with that line of work, but his passion was in music –and so he did both. Over the years, he had been awarded many honors from the city of Austin and from... more
Robert Heller worked in the music industry as a teenager in retail and discovered that he was drawn to the industry with his passion and love for music and music making. Bob was hired by Yamaha Corporation of America in the piano division, where he worked for 20 years before transferring to the... more
Terry Hope and Simon Gilson represent more than the new era of powerhouse music retailers in the world, they represent a refreshingly new approach to old and standard methods of selling. As founders of the Professional Music Technology (PMT) chain of stores, Simon and Terry speak with pride about... more
Birth Date: February 23, 1926
Deceased Date: March 14, 2019
Bob Hazard was a very familiar face in the Memphis music retail market for over sixty years. His piano and organ business played an important role during the boom of home organs during the 1960s and 70s. Bob’s knowledge of the Hammond product line was renowned across the entire industry as was his... more
Jeff Hasselberger has played a very important role in the development of music makers! His ideas of conveying statistical material to music educators to assist in saving school programs led to the widely successful Einstein Kit. Jeff’s eye for detail and understanding of the music industry has also... more