Oral History - all
Bob Riskin started working for McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica just a few years after it opened in 1958. Before long the shop was abuzz with the folk music boom and later played an equally important role in the folk-rock craze that expanded the shop to include electric guitars for the first... more
Birth Date: November 27, 1928
Deceased Date: September 13, 2014
Yoshi Kobayashi began working for Yamaha Corporation of America in 1958. In the early days of his career he was tasked with supervising the import and export of the motorcycle division. As the musical instrument side of the company grew and expanded into the United States, Yoshi-san was placed in... more
Birth Date: March 21, 1943
Deceased Date: February 14, 2022
Clifton “Fou Fou” Eddie began his career as a big band and jazz drummer but soon discovered he has the skills for the blues and pop music. He has played with the likes of The Dells, Patti La Belle and Tommy Hunt, along with his dear friend Preston Epps. After moving from his native Chicago, Fou... more
Larry Dunn played a key role in the success of the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire! As the keyboardist for the group he added new sounds in the innovative era of electronic musical instruments. As Musical Director for the group he set high standards of creative and musical performances... more
DJ Tony G pioneered many scratches and tricks as a DJ in the early days of Hip Hop on the West Coast. The art of turntablelism began in New York, but before long the sound and the style made its way to California. Out in East LA Tony G spun the platters, scratched and MC’ed as well as hosted a... more
Eddie DeGarmo grew up across the street from Graceland (he has a great Trick or Treat story from 1960) and somehow always knew he wanted to have a career in music. As a member of a Christian hair-band of the 1980s he recorded 17 albums with that band and performed for many years with several... more
Ray Brooks grew up playing the blues in juke joints and small clubs all across the United States even before he was of age to drink. He toured with Freddie King and Gene Alison (among others) and developed his own style of playing that seemed to echo his roots while adding new colors and flavors... more
Michael Boddicker grew up in a music store, one his parents formed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and where his love for music began! His amazing musical career has covered many areas, although in Hollywood he is known for his film scores and composing. In the music industry he is well known as a pioneer... more
Birth Date: November 10, 1928
Deceased Date: January 8, 2022
Marilyn Bergman grew up very close to her future husband in Brooklyn, New York. This may provide some insight into their magical partnership both as a couple and as one of the most celebrated songwriting teams of all time. Together they wrote lyrics to classic songs that have won Emmys, Grammys... more
Alan Bergman and his wife Marilyn are among the most celebrated songwriting team of their time (and anyone else’s). They began writing together in the early 1950s and wrote the lyrics for such hits as “Nice ‘n’ Easy” for Frank Sinatra, “Yellow Bird” which has been recorded by hundreds of artists... more
Cliff Lange has been a dedicated volunteer for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music since his retirement from the Carlsbad Library. His long and interesting background in library science has served the museum well as has Cliff’s personal love of music and the arts. Cliff has been a... more
Wolf Marshall has an awful lot of insight into the styles and gear of rock and blues guitarists. It helps that Wolf is an amazing player –and teacher. It also helps that he is a fan of the music and can speak on the developments of styles and even the quintessential licks such as those made... more
Edgar Winter grew up in a musical family, his older brother being the blues legend Johnny Winter. Edgar played in several of his brother’s bands before forming his own bands, always with a focus on rock and roll. He pioneered the synthesizer in many settings and is the inventor of the keyboard... more
David Shearer is the youngest son of Andy and Rowena, the founders of the family business, Shearers Music. The first store opened in 1963 in downtown Hamilton, New Zealand. Since that time it has been a family affair with David and his siblings joining in the day to day operations. Over the years... more
Birth Date: July 17, 1925
Deceased Date: December 23, 2014
Andy Shearer along with this dear wife Rowena, opened Shearers Music store in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1963. The couple began with a modest inventory but grew to include top brands of musical instruments, a well-respected sheet music department and in the early days, stereo systems and records. ... more
Tim Pratt is the president and one of the three owners of Dietz Music located in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1927, Mr. Dietz established a small music store to help provide musical instruments and lessons for the local community. Over the years the company has focused on serving the needs of the... more
Jeff Millar-Sax began his association with the music products industry as a consultant while developing a family of friends and companies he has proudly worked with over the years. One of his themes during his interesting interview for the NAMM Oral History collection was “only at the NAMM Show... more
Lee Hargrove grew up in a musical home, one that not only produced Lee and his life long career in music, but also his sister, Linda Hargrove, who became a successful songwriter in Nashville (she penned hits for George Jones, Johnny Cash and others). Lee too wrote songs, although his focus was on... more
Ted Eschliman is the Director of Marketing and Forecast for Dietze Music located in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated in college as a band director, which was a bonus in his hiring at Dietze, because the store was looking for someone to head the band and orchestra department; a perfect fit. Over... more
Bryan Eagle developed a love for the blues at an early age, which ran as a thread throughout his life, first as a kid listening to early R&B records to college working for a concert production company. When he was approached to help direct the St. Blues Company, Bryan jumped at the chance to... more