Oral History - all
Mark Ragin jumped from working at the retail level of a music store into wholesale when he realized there was a real need for a band instrument and accessory distributor geared toward the specific needs of music stores that calls on band directors. Mark established U. S. Band and Orchestra... more
Jerry Proctor worked for the Alvarez Guitar brand, owned by St. Louis Music, almost from the very beginning of that product. St. Louis Music owner, Gene Kornblum, was looking to create a new acoustic guitar line for his company to supply its dealers when he decided to create his own. After... more
Birth Date: February 24, 1933
Deceased Date: October 20, 2013
Andy Moseley was right next to his brother's side when they took a loan for $500 to start a guitar company they called Mosrite! The legendary guitar brand became a vital part of the boom in sales following the rise of rock and roll. A large part of the brand’s popularity was related to a special... more
Stan Morgan became the president of St. Louis Music after Mark Ragin purchased the company from LOUD Technologies in 2008. The new St. Louis Music retained its strong combo products for its dealers as in the past, along with band and orchestra products thanks to Mr. Ragin's own U. S. Band and... more
John McMurray's father opened a music store in the years following World War II in St. Louis. John joined his father in business after attending college and working for a few other music companies including Stanton Music in Georgia. Under John's leadership, McMurray Music expanded and was able to... more
Glenn MacRae had an exciting musical career as the saxophonist and singer in a Canadian formed rock band that lived and recorded in England for two years in the mid 1960s. That exciting time led to a job in a music store in Winnipeg that would later be purchased by Jack Long, the founder of Long... more
Birth Date: July 26, 1931
Deceased Date: February 20, 2019
Fred Foster is a legendary name in Nashville music history. His role first as a record promoter then producer helped the careers of many performers and resulted in hundreds of hit recordings. He began working for Mercury Records in 1955 and played a vital role in the early careers of Roy Orbison... more
Birth Date: January 24, 1944
Deceased Date: December 16, 2020
Jim Eaton became a professional cellist and played often with his brother. He played in several orchestras and symphonies as well as small groups. Jim’s passion and knowledge of string instruments made him the perfect buyer for St. Louis Music. His role within the company expanded over the years,... more
Birth Date: May 25, 1947
Deceased Date: March 23, 2012
George Douglas's grandfather opened a small music shop in Canada, which his father managed following his military service during World War II. The small store chugged along over the years and served as a training ground for George as a salesman. As a teen he often stood on the show floor selling to... more
Birth Date: July 17, 1939
Deceased Date: August 25, 2016
Jim Broadus was a true fan of the Gibson guitar he purchased as a kid growing up and chasing his dream to be a rock star. He was overjoyed in the early 1970s when he had the opportunities to work for the company. He traveled as a sales rep for Gibson before working in music retail in downtown... more
Peter Suzuki's career parallels the rise of Yamaha and the highly successful Yamaha Music Schools in Japan and the United States. Mr. Suzuki started with Yamaha in 1962 as a retail keyboard salesman in Tokyo. Faced with ever-increasing Electone Organ production, Mr. Suzuki realized the Electone to... more
Toshio Akiyama is an internationally renowned figure widely known for his contribution as the "father of the Japanese wind bands." Having received his education at the famous Eastman School of Music, USA, Mr. Akiyama returned to become the Vice- President of the All-Japan Band Association from 1961... more
Joe Berger knows sound! Joe has been mixing sound for over 30 years and he stopped counting at 35,000 bands! Also a virtuoso guitar player with his own definitive, unique playing style and “ear”, Joe has jammed with the likes of John Entwistle and Jack Bruce. He has also been a fixture at music... more
Dr. John Benham’s area of expertise is saving and restoring music programs in the face of budget cuts. With over 30 years as a music educator and six years on a school board, his personal knowledge and experience has provided a unique understanding to help teachers and parents go before a school... more
Chuck Wackerman always enjoyed making music. As a child he took trumpet lessons and later fell in love with jazz. Chuck joined the United States Air National Guard after high school, and later graduated from USC to become a music teacher and band director. He began teaching in 1957 at McGaugh... more
Chuck Silverman began playing drums at an early age and realized he had a passion for playing as well as teaching. He enjoyed explaining his Afro-Caribbean rhythmic-centered style and soon found that he was being asked to teach this style to others. Over his career he has written several important... more
Victor Salazar is the founder and president of Vic’s Drum Shop, which is located on Loomis Street in Chicago, Illinois. Vic’s love of music and drumming began as a child and developed over the years, including gigs with Big Electric and The Chinese Professionals. While gigging around, Vic noticed... more
Birth Date: September 11, 1942
Deceased Date: July 8, 2017
Tadamichi Fukuda was the Chairman for the Global Corporation, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1975 based on the repairing of musical instruments, especially violins. Fukuda-San soon expanded the company to become the exclusive supplier of many brands in Japan... more
Yuichiro Yokouchi was once referred to as "the world's largest guitar maker" by a music magazine, a tag line he has liked to use over the years. His OEM guitar factory in Japan was responsible for over 15,000 guitars a month at the peek of the Beatle boom of the 1960s. He attended his first NAMM... more
Chieko Nakamura is the CEO for Jujiya Musical Instrument Company in Ginza, Tokyo. The harp and flute retailer is also known by the shorter name Ginza Jujiya. The company was established in 1874 by her great grandfather. The company's early focus was on reed organs and in fact they produced their... more