Oral History - all
Chris Pelonis is a well-known studio designer, engineer, producer, speaker builder, studio and live guitar player and band leader/guitarist for the likes of the Jeff Bridges band. His energy and passion for his work seems to be a driving force behind his designs and innovations, which often are... more
Diane Magagna has been a pioneering woman in many ways within the music industry, including international sales of guitars. She has worked with many of the top luthiers and manufacturers over the years and has provided growth for each by expanding the reach of their products into new markets and... more
Tom Yeager’s father opened the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California in 1959, which not only became the location of many family memories but his first job sweeping up. After a successful career as an auto mechanic, Tom joined the family business to work with his parents, Bob and Dolores... more
Birth Date: November 18, 1928
Deceased Date: April 18, 2016
Dolores Yeager was the CEO of the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California, which her late husband, Bob, opened in 1959. Bob teamed with Chuck Molinari to establish a store that would provide gear for the working musician in and around Hollywood. The store soon became the drummers hang out... more
Birth Date: May 29, 1923
Deceased Date: December 30, 2020
Eugene Wright can be heard playing bass on the classic jazz song “Take Five” as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but what most people may not know is that Eugene fronted his own band for years before joining Dave. Eugene was the leader of the Dukes of Swing and enjoyed a remarkable career in... more
Otis Taylor can remember saving long and hard to purchase his first banjo from a small store in Denver, Colorado as a child. The instrument led him on a career path of playing blues and roots music that has supported him most of his life. He picked up the guitar and harmonica and toured the... more
Lee Ritenour was exposed to jazz music in Los Angeles as a youth thanks to his parents. He developed a great knowledge of guitar techniques having watched and or worked with many of his guitar heroes. When he was 16 years old he accompanied jazz singer Lena Horne, which opened up many doors for... more
Stan Keyawa has grown up in the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California. He and his two brothers run the store that his step-father, Bob Yeager, opened in 1959. What makes the store unique is its personality, which was crafted from the family that runs it and the gear they sell, as well... more
Jerry Keyawa loves to tell stories about the many amazing customers who have shopped at the Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, California. He and his two brothers run the store that his step-father, Bob Yeager, opened in 1959. The team provides a deep knowledge of everything in the store and... more
Alan Kay has always had a love for music and in fact often found himself thinking in terms of a musician when he was designing computers and computer code. Alan is a computer science pioneer who spent a decade at the famed Xerox PARC helping to design and engineer personal computers, computer code... more
Les Harrison is the president of Hollywood Sound Systems in Hollywood, California. The company provides sound system and designs both to purchase and to rent and has been an innovator in the field since 1960. The company has provided systems for recording studios, the film industry and for... more
Sylvia Cunliffe was working for the City of Los Angeles when she created and produced a series of large public events that brought music to millions over the years. The Los Angeles Street Scene and Country Scene were among her most notable events, which provided over a dozen stages that showcased... more
Connie Czerwinski was the president of Cerwin-Vega, the company her father established in 1954 and worked with her father and the team he assembled, which provided many innovations in pro audio. Among the products the company became known for were speakers, the world's first solid-state "... more
Gary Chen is the owner of Stein On Vine, the historic horn and string shop in Hollywood, California whose customer list reads like a who's who of jazz and film music. Gary was hired by the founder, Maury Stein, the brother of famed songwriter Julie Stein. Maury had developed a wonderful... more
Stephen Shorney grew up in the music publishing business that his great-grandfather established with a partner--Hope Publishing, which focused on church music. The family has continued to focus on church music having started off printing and publishing hymnals and expanding to purchasing songs and... more
Carter Schuld's father purchased an accordion for him when he was just four years old. Thanks to church, Carter took a liking to the organ, which his father noticed and purchased a home organ when Carter was just seven. He became more interested as television shows like Lawrence Welk fuelled the... more
John Pollard first walked into Swords Music in Fort Worth, Texas as a customer. In fact he took music lessons in the store before he was told of a position to work in the store. The store owner and founder, Logan Swords, opened the retail shop in 1969. At the time of the taping of John's... more
Rick Walters transcribed popular sheet music when he first joined Hal Leonard. Over the years he grew within the company to manage the classical and vocal publications. The growth within the classical division has been vast considering the G. Schirmer and Boosey and Hawkes deals that Hal Leonard... more
Nancy Ubick is quick to point out that her mentor in business has been Mary Vandenberg, the pioneering Business Affairs executive for Hal Leonard. In fact it was Nancy who succeeded Mary as the Vice President of Business Affairs, which handles the contract and licensing rights for the company. ... more
Mary Vandenberg started at Hal Leonard as the sole licensing administrator in the Milwaukee office and eventually became the Vice President of Business Affairs. In that role she dealt with copyright, trademark and other intellectual property issues and was the liaison with music rights owners and... more