Oral History - all
Dominique Agnew has been dedicated to the music industry, serving NAMM for over 25 years -- most notably as the Associate Director for Trade Show Sales. She bore witness to the growth of the Anaheim Show in the late 1980s and played a vital role in the expansion of international exhibitors over the... more
R. Thomas Lockie’s grandfather started a small music store in downtown Los Angeles in the 1920s. The store was later owned and operated by Tom’s father who played “keep the store in business” during the Great Depression. Tom’s father was a movie studio musician who specialized in playing the piano... more
Birth Date: January 13, 1923
Deceased Date: December 14, 2014
Bob Sperzel’s grandfather and father were both mechanical engineers working in their own shops creating machine parts for several industries. As Bob learned from them he discovered on his own a real need for machined parts to be improved for turning keys for guitars. Bob witnessed first hand how... more
Jerry Pellegrino wanted to own a business ever since he was a kid, so when the opportunity arose to start his own music store, he jumped at the chance. With a small loan and the help of several local school band directors, Jerry started serving the orchestra programs in the Canton, Ohio area. Over... more
Barbara Paulsen is one of the joyous and passionate people our industry is lucky to have in great numbers. Barb entered the music industry as the director of national and global sales for That Corp. in Massachusetts in 1986. Within ten years she would meet her husband and move to Illinois where... more
Rob Palmer served as president of UMI (United Musical Instruments) in the final years of the company before the brands it manufactured were sold to other companies. UMI played an important role in the transition of several products in Elkhart, Indiana, during the 1990s and early into 2000. At the... more
Birth Date: March 11, 1922
Deceased Date: March 22, 2010
Jackie Mills as a drummer put down the beat for jazz and big band stars such as Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. As a record producer, he played a critical role in the careers of Janis Joplin, Irene Kral and Bobby Sherman. As the co-founder of Choreo Records (later... more
Birth Date: January 26, 1925
Deceased Date: November 8, 2012
Don Loeffler combined his love of music with his engineering skills to make several modifications to the percussion instruments he used throughout his career. He made his own vibraphones from PVC pipes and the clever square drum kit in which each drum fits inside each other for easier carrying. His... more
Birth Date: October 13, 1945
Deceased Date: November 10, 2015
Michael Kropp loved folk music for as far back as he could remember. As he grew up and played in various bands in the 1960s and 70s he also became involved with the music industry. After owning his own music store for several years in New England, Mike became friends with Stewart Spector, Hap... more
Thilo Kramny is one of our industry’s creative minds that has established published material that has been innovative and resourceful for the music industry. He began as a musician who wanted to create magazines for musicians. He formed Sound Check, a small magazine in German, back in the 1980s,... more
TK Keckler moved to Memphis at an early age and began playing with local bands, which is when he met Mike Ladd. Mike was a musician who opened a small guitar shop in town and would later become a strong force in the electric guitar movement of the 1970s, including the reissue of the Gibson Le Paul... more
Gez Kahan, on a whim, offered to be the musical director for his college’s production of Tommy. The experience lit a fire under him and soon he was exploring all of the latest gear, especially electronic keyboards and synthesizers. In 1983 he was hired as a freelancer to demonstrate the first... more
Gabe Ireland joined the Coast Wholesale Company while in high school. After college he continued to work for the company as the rock and roll boom began and the entire industry began to change. He stayed with the company after it was purchased by Kaman Music and worked his way up the corporate... more
Paul Freehling was brought up in the music retail business as the son of Art Freehling, the legendary music man of Montgomery, Alabama. Art’s incredible knowledge of business and music not only resulted in a successful store; it also made him a local hero and a beloved salesman. Paul’s role in the... more
Maxine Eastman-Jackson met her future husband, Bud, in school when they were 14 years old. The year they married, 1953, they moved to Provo, UT, where Bud worked at Modern Music by day and gave guitar lessons that Maxine would schedule, each night. In 1966 they moved to San Jose to operate the... more
Mervyn Davis began working full time as a guitar luthier in 1978. Located in South Africa, Mervyn had unique access to materials he used in making his instruments and because he was in an area with few guitar builders he was able to create a strong and loyal customer base. Over the years he has... more
Paulo Caius played music as a child and enjoyed each chance he had to work with fellow musicians. When the chance came to open his own music store, Paulo jumped at it. Caius Music, located in Portugal, opened in 1980 and launched Paulo into the music industry. However, as he later discovered, he... more
Monica Burdex grew up enjoying music of many styles and having a real interest in research and library science. She combined her passions becoming the music librarian for California State University at Northridge. During her long career she also worked tirelessly to help re-establish the Southern... more
Robert Bromberg has had a long career in the music products industry, as did his father. In fact, his father designed the mirror piano, which helped keep the industry alive during World War II. Adding mirrors to used pianos helped to make them more sellable, as all-new pianos were not being made... more
Steve Oppenheimer grew up playing music, as did his younger brother, known as Larry The O. Steve was seven when he made his TV debut singing “Big Rock Candy Mountain” on a children’s show. After high school he toured with several bands before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. His... more