Oral History - all
Birth Date: July 12, 1928
Deceased Date: October 1, 2013
Imero Fiorentino was considered by many the father of pro-lighting! He began his career just as television was coming into its own in the early 1950s. He worked on live broadcast with new cameras that were not tested with many light sources, causing more than a few issues to correct. Many of the... more
Bobby Feldman wrote three hit songs in the 1960s that are still being played and recorded today. His songwriting began at a desk in the Brill Building in New York City. He formed several singing groups that sang his songs, including the Strangeloves who waxed “I Want Candy.” He also wrote “My... more
Rodney Ethridge was the plant manager for the Baldwin Piano factory in Greenwood, Mississippi beginning in the early 1970s. He began working in the engineering department and rose to manager, overseeing several departments within the plant. The plant was considered by many in the industry to be a... more
Birth Date: October 20, 1923
Deceased Date: September 28, 2015
Richard Ellis was proud of the three main areas of his professional career; playing, teaching and selling musical instruments. As a teenager Richard traveled with a big band, playing dances during the Swing Era. He later taught music at several levels as well as directed the local community band.... more
David Ellis was greatly influenced by his father, Richard Ellis, the band director and music store founder. Growing up in the business, David developed a strong passion for music both as a retailer and as a player. In fact, the only two years David did not work for Ellis Music was when he was on... more
Daniel Dorff has been heavily involved in the music publishing industry for most of his professional life. He has worked for the Theodore Presser Company in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, since 1985. He worked side-by-side Arnold Broido who was an iconic figure in copyright and music advocacy that... more
Birth Date: October 28, 1936
Deceased Date: July 6, 2020
Charlie Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which reached #3 on the charts. The following year, "Devil" became a major crossover success on rock radio stations, after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie Urban... more
John D’Addario’s family history in the music industry can be traced back to the 1670s when Donato D’Addario worked as a “cordaro” – the Italian word for “string maker.”
Since that time the family has perfected the art of handcrafting strings as well as other music accessories. John’s father had a... more
Dick Christian has spent his entire career in the piano and organ business and has made many friends along the way. His support for the industry led him to the role as president of the National Piano Travelers Association. Having worked retail before joining the teams of Thomas, Baldwin, Wurlitzer... more
Bill Cooper is an independent sales representative whose background includes a great many experiences that have helped Bill best serve his dealers. Bill, who played French horn in school, taught college, owned a chain of music stores in Ohio and worked for St. Louis Music for 17 years before... more
Ted Chapin has many stories about the music industry, making his June 2010 interview fascinating. As president of Rodgers & Hammerstein Music since 1985 he spoke of the growth and development of Broadway publishing. As the son of a Steinway (his mother was a Steinway and her famous brothers... more
Birth Date: July 16, 1922
Deceased Date: September 28, 2020
Bugs Bower was one of the great characters of music publishing that helped re-direct the industry following World War II. Before and during the war, Bugs was a musician and arranger who played with dance bands on stage and on radio. After the war he continued arranging and was given a job at the... more
Dick Boak has served as Director of Artist Relations for the C.F. Martin & Company during the development of the popular signature series product line, as well as for such historic projects as Martin's One Millionth Guitar. Dick has been passionate about the company's important past ever since... more
Gayle Beacock and her brother are second-generation music storeowners with a flair for business and a passion for encouraging music making. Gayle’s parents started Beacock Music to build relationships with band directors, a position her father held for many years. Gayle brought new and creative... more
William Bartolini and his wife, Patricia, are among the world’s foremost experts on the science of acoustics. Their early publications on the subject in the 1960s and 1970s have since become standard reference materials on the subject of waveforms and acoustic sound patterns. Their names are... more
Birth Date: September 14, 1950
Deceased Date: July 27, 2020
Buddy Harman Jr. followed in the footsteps of his legendary father, Buddy Harman, one of the most influential studio drummers in Nashville history. Since his father’s passing in 2008, Buddy Jr. and his brother, Murrey, were active in several projects and programs that furthered the legacy of their... more
Brian Holland and his brother Eddie are among the most popular songwriting teams in the history of popular music! For decades they have created the words and music to Motown’s classic sound that has forever changed the way people dance, fall in love and celebrate life. The key to their success as... more
Eddie Holland gained worldwide fame as a Motown Record’s songwriter and music publisher along with his brother Brian. Eddie was also a recording artist who performed the chart-topping hit “Jamie” in the early 1960s. During the same time he penned a string of hits for some of the biggest names in... more
Mike Stoller always had musical ideas as a kid but never felt complete as a songwriter until he met Jerry Leiber. Together Leiber and Stoller redefined R&B and Rock & Roll with a long string of hit songs beginning in the early 1950s for performers such as Big Mama Thornton and Big Joe... more
Birth Date: April 25, 1933
Deceased Date: August 22, 2011
Jerry Leiber was one half of Leiber and Stoller, one of the most influential and successful songwriting teams of the 1950s R&B movement. They played a critical role in the early days of Rock and Roll penning songs for rocks biggest and earliest stars such as Elvis Presley, the Drifters, the... more