Oral History - all
Bob Hackett worked for Ampeg on the company’s amplifiers. As a professional bass player, Bob was able to provide vital feedback in the design and sound of the bass amps for Ampeg. During his time at the company he worked with several other key engineers and employees including Roger Cox. Bob... more
Richard Gore’s father was a band director who expanded the school’s bookstore into a music store in Denton, Texas. As the store grew, Richard’s passion for music grew, as did his interest in the sheet music sold in the store. Richard’s parents, Harold and Betty, welcomed him into the business in... more
Robert Fleming has been a long time member of NAPBIRT, missing only a few annual meetings during his long career as a repairman. He worked with Pete Valentino on how plastics could be used in instrument pads such as the flute. Patrick’s Music hired Bob as their repairman, which he enjoyed very... more
Peter De Luke Sr. taught music in the public school system in New York for over 25 years. His zest for encouraging young students to make music has been a strong focus of Pete’s even after his formal teaching days were over. In addition to his teaching career was a very impressive performance and... more
Kevin Cranley grew up in the music industry and has a passion for all elements of the music business, as if it were in his blood. As a young man he completed odd jobs around the Willis Music store and helped his father with the publishing side of the business. Years later Kevin took over the... more
Steve Bosse served as president of the Artley Flute Company in the years after his father, Richard, led the company. Richard and Steve worked together to expand the company and relocate the main manufacturing from Elkhart, Indiana to Nogales, Arizona. During that time Steve also ensured the... more
George Benson played trombone during school and studied piano during college. It was during that time that he began working for a local music store. He worked for Hoover Music in Jackson, Michigan and later for Schroeder Piano before James Mixter hired him as sales manager for the Baldwin Piano... more
Birth Date: February 3, 1933
Deceased Date: December 30, 2016
John Edmondson and Anne McGinty worked together at Charles Hansen Publishing, where they met. Together they freelanced as composers and arrangers until they decided to form their own firm, which they called Queenwood Publications. They built a solid catalog within the company, which was well-... more
Birth Date: September 26, 1926
Deceased Date: May 17, 2014
Jeanne Dukoff married the swing saxophonist and mouthpiece maker Bobby Dukoff. Bobby suffered a stroke just before his scheduled NAMM Oral History interview and in true “Bobby Dukoff Spirit” Mrs. Dukoff rose to the occasion, sitting alongside her husband and answering the questions for him. Sadly... more
Birth Date: August 11, 1946
Deceased Date: April 24, 2021
Lee Donais may be the only industry member who played piano (as part of the Navy Band) for three United States Presidents: Johnson, Nixon and Ford. After his career with the Navy Band, Lee was hired by Gordon Keller to help run His string of piano stores on the east coast. Lee moved to Florida... more
Birth Date: April 14, 1936
Deceased Date: January 13, 2012
Johnny Davis had several key roles within the music products industry, which made his Oral History interview particularly meaningful for the NAMM collection as we seek to preserve our industry’s great history. For example, Johnny worked for the Barcus-Berry Company when both founders were still... more
Chuck Dadisman grew up on a farm and went to school to become a school music teacher, which he did for five years before moving to Omaha, NE, where he worked in piano and organ retail. It was at that store that he met one of the mentors in his life, Dick Carlson. Dick was the road rep for... more
Pete Ceo grew up in a musical home, thanks in large part to his band-directing father. When Pete was a child his parents owned a small music store in Wheeling, West Virginia. Pete grew up in the store and fell in love with the band instrument business. When Pete took over the business, he... more
Craig Anderson is the General Manager for Allied Supply in Elkhorn, WI. Allied is the largest supplier of parts, tools and cases to the band instrument repair business and has been a cornerstone for the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT), which was... more
Birth Date: July 17, 1940
Deceased Date: February 27, 2020
Bob Scheiwiller taught music for three years before landing a job at a music store; the very first store he would later purchase. Bob bought and opened several music stores over the years beginning in the early 1970s, with a strong focus on band instruments. Also beginning in the early 1970s, Bob... more
Ede Kidder was teaching full time when her husband came home from his job at a music store with the idea of owning their own store. Luckily for Jim, Ede jumped in with her many skills to make the store a success. She took over as the book keeper and played a vital role in the growth and... more
Michael Skinner grew up in jazz and cut his teeth as a musician at Berklee School of Music. He was a band director right after college and designed several music programs including some for the Detroit public middle schools. Michael left teaching to get his masters in composition in Florida... more
Birth Date: January 21, 1923
Deceased Date: August 25, 2012
Janet Gratsch began working at Willis Music when she was 17 years old in the Choral Department. She remained with the store until she retired and even after her retirement she would be called by the staff and hummed a song for her to name, and she would. Janet was hired in 1940 and recalled with... more
Birth Date: October 11, 1918
Deceased Date: May 3, 2012
Bobby Dukoff was a big band saxophone player during the swing era when he looked for ways of improving his own sound. While working for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bobby began playing his own mouthpiece, which showcased his style. Soon other musicians were asking for the mouthpiece and the Bobby... more
Wayne Tanabe is a pioneer in the band instrument repair field who has helped create and improve several methods for instrument cleaning using ultrasound and cryogenics. Looking towards ways of cleaning band instruments without harming the horn, Wayne began experimenting with deep freezing the... more