Oral History - all
Bob Knight came into the music industry right after World War II and watched instruments slowly make their way back into the music stores. He was hired by CG Conn and enrolled in their band repair school, which was filled mostly with former soldiers, as Bob recalled. The Conn Company asked Bob to... more
Anthony J. Cirone, the percussionist, author, composer and educator, stresses the importance of creating a strong work ethic to his students in hopes that it will prove an invaluable trait no matter the career. He notes that as an educator, it is vital to not only develop your students as... more
Birth Date: May 24, 1937
Deceased Date: February 1, 2021
Bill Hollingshead enjoyed a long and successful career as a concert and live events booking agent as well as a director and producer for many years. He worked for Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California as well as many other venues. He was there when rock and roll started and played a key role... more
Birth Date: November 3, 1926
Deceased Date: September 21, 2022
Ray Edenton played guitar on hundreds of recordings as part of the famed Nashville studio band known as the A Team. He grew up in a musical family with his grandfather playing fiddle and being encouraged to play music at a young age. In fact, he was performing in front of audiences by the time... more
Dave Coontz is a regular sight at NAMM Shows each year behind the counter within the Shubb booth and as it turns out, he played a big part in that company’s success. Rick Shubb was passionate about playing music since he was a child and as he progressed as a musician there were certain ideas he... more
Lalo Schifrin composed "Mission Impossible" for television and "Dirty Harry" for the movies (among others) and yet what seems to have brought him the most personal joy was his work and friendship with Dizzy Gillespie! During his childhood and music education in college, Lalo was a big jazz fan so... more
Patricia Maultra was the first employee hired by Learning Unlimited by its three founders, which included Keith Mardak. Keith went on to become Chairman of Hal Leonard Publishing and all throughout the early days, Patricia was there. She began working for Zeb Billings in his retail store in 1960... more
Troy Zeigler has a long association with McCabe's Guitar Shop even though he is a professional drummer. His passion for musical instruments is not limited to the drums and as a result, Troy has become a successful salesman for McCabe's. Drumming since he was eight years old, Troy studied music at... more
Birth Date: March 31, 1934
Deceased Date: September 21, 2016
John D. Loudermilk wrote several songs that became the biggest hit recording for the artist who performed the songs. This includes artists Sue Thompson (Sad Movies Make Me Cry) and George Hamilton IV (A Rose and a Baby Ruth). John was also a recording artist whose first versions of his songs... more
Ledward Kaapana grew up in Hawaii with his twin brother, surrounded by musical passion. His parents, grandparents and several aunts and uncles played and sang, and Ledward can recall his excitement when he was asked to play along with the ukulele. As he grew he played in several local bands and... more
Nancy Felixson remembers attending concerts at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica in the early 1970s. The store has a wonderful reputation for selling great instruments and gear as well as a stage that has hosted a very impressive list of performers since 1969. While at a concert in 1978, Nancy... more
Ray Stevens loves to tell the stories about how some of his hit records came about such as "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak." Equally interesting are the stories of how he came up playing in school bands and how his passion for music grew and developed over the years. Ray recorded many... more
Kevin Hedley proudly recalled the inspiration behind the name of his store, Uncle Ike's Music, which he opened with his brother, Art, in Iowa. Both were encouraged in music and in business by their friend Ike, not an uncle to them, but they loved the use of the word and thus the name was born. The... more
Art Hedley and his brother, Kevin, caught the music bug at the time of the British Invasion of the 1960s. They both played in bands and enjoyed witnessing the role music made in bringing enjoyment to people's lives. After working for Radio Shack and getting involved with retail, Art realized... more
Connie Smith is the Vice President of Ward-Brodt Music in Madison, Wisconsin. She grew up in music and enjoyed playing music as a young girl, going on to study music in college. While in college she applied for an internship at Ward Brodt Music, where she has been ever since! She worked her way... more
Albert Lee recalls the dreams he had while visiting a local music store as a young boy in England. The day he owned a guitar was the first step in making those dreams come true! His impressive career in music has always been closely associated with the music products industry. He has endorsed... more
J. Aaron Brown headed up Word Publishing in Nashville between 1970 and 1980. Before that time he had worked with several musicals acts, including the Oak Ridge Boys. As a songwriter himself, Aaron added his personal knowledge and passion for music to all of the projects he was involved with over... more
Michael Houser is the Chief Executive Officer for Cascio Interstate Music, which serves both as a brick and mortar store in New Berlin, Wisconsin as well as an internet store. The store was established by Frank Cascio, a professional accordion player, in 1951. Over the years the store has built an... more
Al Torre feels music was more than part of his life, it was the driving force behind it, like love and passion. He played drums at an early age and was a key part of the careers of jazz greats, Cal Tjader and Vince Guaraldi. Al joined the Cal Tjader Quartet and recorded the album, Jazz At The... more
Birth Date: May 15, 1939
Deceased Date: April 11, 2015
Denver Spence joined the music industry in 1968 after having been involved with his school marching bands and school band programs since he was in elementary school. He worked as a school road rep for Jenkins Music in Kansas City for two years before opening his own retail store in Ada, Oklahoma.... more