Oral History - all
Brad Smith is the Senior Sales and Marketing Manager for Hal Leonard. During his career as a writer and industry historian, he worked for MIX Magazine before joining the Hal Leonard team. Among his many tasks is overseeing the publication of books dedicated to the history of musical products such... more
Jimi Schutte first played drums as a teenager and went on to perform and record with a host of blues legends such as Luther Allison, Jimmy Dawkins and Lonnie Brooks. He toured with The South Side All Stars in the late 1970s and early 80s, which featured Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Shaw and... more
Michael Sweeney has been heavily involved in all aspects of music education over his career in the music industry. Originally a public school band director, he’s been a full-time employee of Hal Leonard Corporation since 1982, serving as director of band publications, composer, arranger, clinician... more
Jeff Schroedl wrote and published a guitar book in his late teens, which led to being asked to join his publisher, Hal Leonard, to be involved with future projects centered around guitar music. Hal Leonard has been dedicated to music publishing since first being established in 1947. Along the way... more
Jim Paulsen's father opened a small music store in Kenosha to focus on his instrument of choice, the accordion. When young Jim encouraged his father to expand into guitars, they started off slow, but soon began to grow. The Music Center today is a well-established retailer that covers the combo... more
Tom Merritt is the general manager for The Music Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the right hand man for the company's president, Jim Paulsen. The two have worked side by side for several decades and both feel their main goals in business are to serve those who walk in the door. Customer service... more
Doug Lady is one of those guys who will give you the shirt off his back. As the Senior Vice President of Sales for Hal Leonard, he has created a team that echoes his strong and sincere feelings towards customer service. Doug has also been active within several elements throughout the music... more
David Jahnke's smile can be spotted at nearly every NAMM Show and RPMDA convention! The man loves what he does and often goes out of his way to help those he wants to serve. His many customers are those related to his job within the sales department at Hal Leonard, but he is also focused on... more
John Higgins manages many of the recordings created for the Hal Leonard Corporation. As a former instructional director, arranger and composer, John oversees the studio recordings that are included in the publisher's products, such as sheet music with accompanying music or instructions within... more
Brian Douglas enjoyed a career as a touring musician and songwriter both in rock and in house music, which gives him a unique perspective in understanding several facets of the needs of performers. As president of Cream City Music outside of Milwaukee, and an owner, he is able to provide that... more
Emily Crocker focused on teaching middle school choir when she was a teacher right out of college. The experience was a wonderful foundation for her as it would lead her to work for Hal Leonard Publishing for many years. While a teacher she wrote several pieces that were geared towards middle... more
Sue Collins is proud to mention that her mother was the very first employee of the Milwaukee division of Hal Leonard. Once Keith Mardak and Art Jensen formed the division, Sue's mom was hired to help run the office. The office manager for Hal Leonard is much different from the early days,... more
Dan Bauer recalls with pride working with the three founders of Hal Leonard back in the 1970s when he joined the company! He was there when Keith Mardak took over the business and played a role as CFO in the expansion of the company over the years. When the accounting department switched over to... more
Maribeth Barrons is one of the most energetic sales reps you will ever meet! With great knowledge of the Hal Leonard catalog and an honest interest in helping her customers, Maribeth has served music stores both in the United States and throughout Canada. Over the years she has established new... more
Frank Whetstine was working late in his musical instrument repair shop when he got to thinking about the unique way George Benson holds his guitar pick. Frank tried a few ways and finally took his pliers and twisted the end of the pick. He looked at the twisted pick and said out loud, that is a “... more
Bob Dingley felt lucky that he fell into the industry, which became his passion and his life-long career. On his way to a trumpet lesson he stopped by the local music store to pick up some sheet music and was asked by a school mate if he wanted a job. From retail to JW Pepper Music Publishing, Bob... more
DeAnn Diller grew up in a small Kansas town, picking up piano at the age of 5 years old. In the small town she found she was able to be involved with many aspects of music including band and choir. She studied music education with thoughts of being a band director, while teaching piano as a... more
Birth Date: September 28, 1947
Deceased Date: August 12, 2017
Chris Climer wanted to play the piano and organ when he was 16 years old. He did not have the money to purchase an instrument so he made an arrangement to work in a music store in Arkansas to earn the money to make the payments –and he has been in the industry ever since! He learned to deliver... more
Birth Date: February 11, 1924
Deceased Date: June 20, 2020
Ed Caustin was the nephew of guitar pioneer George Beauchamp. Ed recounted several stories about his very creative uncle, who Ed looked up to as an inspiration. In fact, Ed later worked as an engineer in aerospace and with the space program. At times, he used audio and sound waves in his work. ... more
Marilyn Brown grew up in a home full of music, thanks in large part to her father’s career as a band director. She was hired by the Yenny Music store for 25 years, which was in fact the store her father called on for many years. After the store was sold she was hired by the Music Centers Inc. for... more