Oral History - all
Tom Pistone has been a dedicated member of the NAMM Show family since 2002. His role behind the scenes during the trade shows is one of safety and security. As a former New York Police Officer, Tom has the background and experience to plan out the security of the trade show while keeping the safety... more
Jade Yu has always treated her employees at Tycoon Music like family. She has worked as Managing Director with the company her husband started since the beginning, and is often called the mother of the company. Her kindness and caring nature is the reason why many employees stay with Tycoon for... more
Carl Verheyen is a noted studio musician who has been a member of the popular rock band Supertramp. While in the studios, Carl has recorded with a long list of artists and for several movie soundtracks. Along the way he contributed articles for music magazines which led to authoring the method book... more
Birth Date: December 30, 1942
Deceased Date: December 10, 2021
Michael Nesmith is best known as the woolen hat-wearing member of iconic television pop band the Monkees, which enjoyed massive global success during the 1960s. Outside of the Monkees, Nesmith has gained kudos as a solo artist and songwriter, particularly with his group First National Band, which... more
Bo Engberg was asked by a guitarist friend if he would please build a better amplifier. That one request from a friend change the direction of his career because Bo soon discovered he really enjoyed the inner workings of the amp and thought of a few ways he could improve on the design and... more
Betty Comer has owned and operated Gibson’s Music in Corbin, Kentucky since 1969. When asked about the store, Betty fondly describes Gibson’s as “the Mom and Pop store but just with the Mom” as Betty has single-handily ran the business since it opened its doors. Betty sat down for her NAMM Oral... more
Orianthi is an Australian born guitarist who, as a young teen, experienced what most aspiring musicians can only dream of. She had opened for her hero Steve Vai, traded solos with a guitar legend Carlos Santana, and soon after, backed Carrie Underwood at the Grammy Awards. Later, she toured... more
Willie Bam Bam Parker’s mother has said that at birth, her son came out swinging and she knew even then that he was going to be a drummer. At age 3 his love of drums was rewarded his with his first kit, a Smurf drum set. By age ten Willie was playing in a variety of different church groups,... more
Steve Sykes found it easy to answer one of the biggest questions in a NAMM Oral History interview; “Did you have music in your house growing up?”. Steve’s mom was a booking agent in the 1950s which led Steve to early encounters with the likes of Art Blakely, Nina Simone, Jimmy Smith, and Buddy Rich... more
Chris Adamson worked as an engineer’s apprentice where he saved up enough money to purchase a van. This van led him to carve a strong friendship with guitarist Mark Ronson (who later went on to play with David Bowie) and Chris developed a knack for helping out local bands. After finding some... more
Ellis Hall is a man of many talents. This singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and composer may have lost his sight at the young age of 18, but he quickly found inspiration by looking to Ray Charles. After moving to Boston at a young age, Ellis started piano lessons despite knowing that... more
Bob Glaub is a respected American bass player and session musician who has performed with an incredible amount of high profile artists including; Journey, Steve Miller Band, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, Dusty Springfield, Aaron Neville,... more
Adriana Balic is a vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter, producer, bandleader, and educator, covering styles from classical to pop/rock and jazz. From 2003 she served as keyboardist and vocalist to the Grammy Award winning artist “P!NK” on tours in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She... more
Nate Watts grew up in Detroit, Michigan when Motown was in full swing, and it proved to be a major inspiration for the bass legend. In 1974 Nate was summoned by Stevie Wonder to join his band and his first recording session with Stevie was on the classic album Songs In The Key of Life. Nate has... more
Carmine Appice looked up to drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich as he honed his talent and became an extremely successful rock drummer. Working with names like Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Rod Stewart to name a few, Carmine has served as a drum and percussion inspiration to a generation of rock... more
Yvan Miron is from a long line of craftsman, a family trade that he traces back to the mid-1600s. Born in Quebec, Yvan started playing guitar when he headed off to college and after he finished his studies he traveled extensively, crediting this experience as one of the key factors that help him... more
Patrick Nettesheim was a Milwaukee based guitar instructor when a life-changing meeting occurred in 2007 with Vietnam-era Marine, Dan Van Buskirk. Dan had always wanted to learn how to play guitar but felt that the scars left from his service would hinder his ability to learn - cue Patrick. Patrick... more
Omar Quezada is a singer and songwriter from the Dominican Republic whose music is defined by its Latin essence and rhythms. His solo career began in 2016 with the release of his first single, "Sé que me extranas" (I know you miss me). He has performed on all types of stages, from intimate acoustic... more
Tom Thompson first heard an organ in a small church as a child and knew at that moment that somehow, someway, that instrument would be a part of his life. He was right! His first job in the industry was dusting organs and pianos in a small store, where he was able to play on all the latest models.... more
John Hood was working music retail in the Sacramento area at a very heady time. The California capital was booming with innovative rock and pop bands in the 1980s and 90s while John was at K&K Music to sell the musicians their gear and meet some very talented people. It was also a great time to... more