Oral History - all
Birth Date: December 28, 1930
Deceased Date: January 13, 2010
Ed Thigpen, known as Mr. Taste for his remarkable touch and feel as an innovative drummer, had a few (hundred) tricks up his musical sleeves when it came to brush work on the snare drums or speed on the high-hat. As a jazz drummer, Ed played with just about everyone everywhere. And yet, he was a... more
Paul Youngblood has become the expert of the BOSS effects pedal products due to his longevity with the Roland company. He has witnessed first hand, and took great part in the development and growth of the innovative BOSS products. Paul has been proud of the teams that were formed at Roland and how... more
Roberto Weingrill Jr. spoke during his Oral History interview about the early days of his family’s business and the many changes that have occurred over the years. His great-grandfather moved to Brazil in the 1890s to establish his own instrument company. Weril Instruments was established just a... more
Rob Walker has been a leader in the global music products marketing that seemed to shift into high gear in the mid ‘90s when he was CEO of the Australian Music Association (AMA). Rob was instrumental in growing the Association’s influence and valuable relationships and creating programs and special... more
Pete Sides has a great passion for the music industry; in fact it is in his blood. On his mother’s side a piano tuner can be traced back to the Mayflower and on his father’s side, his grandfather was a piano tuner who formed a small retail store. His father opened Robert M. Sides Piano Service in... more
Jim Norris grew up in music. He played a trumpet in grade school and continued playing throughout high school. He later formed a rock and roll band named Sea Dog that gained a good following and recorded several hit albums. Jim was also interested in publishing and worked in the magazine... more
Aidan McCullough grew up in the music business. His grandfather was a piano tuner who established a small store in Ireland that grew over the years. The store expanded in 1967 when Aidan graduated from college and came into the business full time. Over the years he saw a need for a new... more
Alois Mayer formed his own brass instrument company in 1988 with the hope of bringing high quality hand-made musical instruments to the finest orchestras in the world. In a very short time Alois did just that. His brass instruments, including the famous line of trumpets, have been played in... more
Chris Bristol was a music retailer in Southern California when a salesman came in one day to show him some gear from a new company called Roland. Chris took to the products right away. With his background as a musician and engineer he could understand the dedication that was put into the products.... more
Helga Kasimoff and her husband established the Bluthner piano dealership in Pasadena, California in 1963. Since that time many Blüthner grand pianos have been restored in their workshop such as those owned by Jerome Kern (1922), Prince Esterharzy (1903), and King Johann of Saxony (1860). Helga and... more
Birth Date: March 8, 1950
Deceased Date: July 14, 2014
Danny Rocks was associated with music publishers for many years. He served at Alfred Publishing as vice president and was a large part of the RPMDA. By all who knew him, he was the RPMDA historian. Having made music his entire life, Danny was dedicated to helping others do the same. In 2005, he... more
Bob Popyk knows enough about the music industry to write about it! Bob had several music retail stores before selling them in 1979 to form a sales and marketing strategies business. Since that time he has been active writing columns for Music Trades magazine and providing sessions at several NAMM... more
Birth Date: May 8, 1941
Deceased Date: April 26, 2018
Vincent McBryde picked up the saxophone at the age of 5 and played in bands throughout high school and into college, where he studied music with the hopes of becoming a band director. After a year of teaching he fell into the music products industry where he became a leader and visionary. After... more
Jack Long co-founded the Long & McQuade music stores in Canada beginning in 1956. At the time, there were few supplier/dealer relations between Canada and the United States. Establishing these relations was something Jack helped to pioneer. He also helped establish his country as a legitimate... more
Robert Dove joined Steinway & Sons at a time of global change and development. He helped establish the Far East division of the piano company and for many years assisted with the company’s growth in the US and in Asia. He helped to develop the company’s two OEM brands, Boston and Essex and... more
Skip Daynes is proud of his heritage and the fact that he operates the oldest family- owned music store in the United States. Daynes Music in Salt Lake was also one of the first Steinway Piano dealers west of the Mississippi River. The store remains a vital part of the industry with pioneering... more
Willy Vassilopoulos joined the Ovation Guitar Company in New Hartford Connecticut to follow his love of woodworking. He soon took part in the production of the instrument, which was originally introduced by Charles Kaman in the 1960s. The Ovation Guitar was unique for its round back made out of a... more
Michael Tobias is well known as a gifted and knowledgeable guitar luthier. The Tobias bass, now made by Gibson, has often been praised for its playability and unique sound. Mike is also among the country’s leading authorities on American guitars, having been a guitar repairman since he was 23 years... more
Jeff Rona played a critical role in the coming together of the minds and companies that would agree on the MIDI specs back in the 1980s. The meetings took place at NAMM shows over several years and included Dave Smith, members of Yamaha and Roland to name a few. Jeff was the founder and past... more
Richard Hoover is the founder of Santa Cruz Guitars and a noted luthier known for his methods that demonstrate traditional guitar building is possible even in the modern era of technology. Richard’s vision of his brand of guitars focused on the instrument’s sound and look as well as its playability... more