Oral History - all
Jorma Kaukonen played guitar in two classic rock bands of the 1960s and 70s, Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna! His passion for the blues helped create his style, which was in such demand by up and coming players that Jorma started a fantasy guitar camp to teach his style. The Fur Peace Ranch:... more
Phil Jones grew up in the UK in the 1960s and, like many of his schoolmates, he wanted to be a Beatle! He played guitar and his first guitar was one he made, and later a bass. He created his own sound reinforcement company to assist local bands and soon discovered he loved PAs and building... more
Chloe Chafin is an Australian Sheppard who helps run Chafin Music in Lake Worth, Florida! Her main job is to look good but she really does so much more. Chloe puts people at ease and helps make them feel at home whenever they visit the store, which some people do just to see Chloe. She was born... more
Kevin Rindlisbacher is a passionate music maker who has enjoyed his role in music retail providing musical instruments to bring music into the lives of others. He was a kid when his father opened a small repair shop in the chicken coop in the backyard. As the repairs built into a store business,... more
Mathias von Heydekampf enjoys the pro audio side of the music industry. He was working part time in his father’s car hifi company when he discovered his passion for the pro Audio business.He worked for Bose were he felt he received a great education in Marketing. After having worked many years as... more
Joseph Gomes is a partner with his brother in the music company their father purchased in 1953. BX Furtado & Son opened in 1865 in India, having a small part of their store dedicated to musical instruments. That focus expanded over time, and by 1953 the store was well known for service and... more
Smokey Robinson! The man changed popular music! He brought a common, streetwise approach to his lyrics, which were embraced by millions of people the world over who related to his messages of longing, love and second chances. Smokey conveyed in words and music what many of us felt and wanted to... more
Jeff Lee is the president of Resurrection Drums in Hollywood, Florida, a mecca for percussionists for miles around. Jeff is one of the most passionate members of the music industry you will ever be lucky enough to meet! After years as a studio drummer, Jeff began teaching at Resurrection Drums... more
Masahiro Iijima enjoyed working as an engineer in the music industry and was hopeful to one day create his own company and brands. He worked for KORG in Japan for 5 years, which is where he developed a strong friendship with the associate, who established the company together, Mr. Michi Nozokido... more
Bill Hughes is a hero among musical gearheads for his innovative amplifier designs throughout his career. He was hired into the industry by Jess Oliver (interview class of 2005) at the Ampeg Company. A year after joining the company in 1964, Bill worked on the SB12 bass amp, which led to a series... more
Alex Hsieh is the CEO of P.Mauriat Paris, a brass instrument maker in Taiwan that specializes in saxophones, trumpets and accessories. Their saxophone line of instruments are inspired by the late French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat (1925-2006) who was known in America for a series of pop... more
Stu Hamm attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he credits a good deal of his understanding for creating his own style as a bassist. During that time Stu met several musicians who were key to his early career including Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. His impact on the bass has been... more
Birth Date: July 20, 1927
Deceased Date: December 28, 2021
William Cordier remembered piling in the family car for a road trip to their favorite lake northwest of their home in Ohio. Each and every trip included a detour into Elkhart, Indiana where his father would pull over and show off the large sign announcing the "World's Biggest Musical Instrument... more
Sue Chafin brings an honest smile and warm greeting to all those who walk into Chafin Musiccenter in Lake Worth, Florida. After marring Jeff, the son of the founder of the store, she worked in a doctors office for several years. When the opportunity came to join her husband and father-in-law in... more
Jeff Chafin worked side by side with his father, the founder of Chafin Musiccenter for many years. Jeff learned many key elements to the business that has served him well since taking over the company. Among the lessons he learned, nothing is more important than service! And service seems to be... more
Birth Date: November 9, 1917
Deceased Date: January 27, 2015
Hy Babit can be viewed on the 1966 TV tour of the NAMM Show in Chicago, which highlighted several key exhibitors to the show that year. Hy provided a review of the art of piano roll arranging. At the time of the filming Hy was working for QRS. Fast forward to 2014, Hy was once again in front of... more
Gerard Garnier is the president of ALGAM in France and likes to say with a proud smile that he started in the music industry with only one thing, a Black & Decker drill! He began making wooden flutes with his drill and soon expanded to 50 employees. He then began to import musical products... more
Dave Froker began playing guitar as a teenager and after working in another industry saw an ad in Guitar Player Magazine for a job opening at DigiDesign. He enjoyed his work with that company and the team before starting a small company with Peter Gotcher called Topspin. While the company did not... more
Harry Fleishman is the founder of Fleishman Instruments located in Northern California and has become among the most noted luthiers of his time. His passion for music developed in part by hanging out at his local music store, Fife & Nichols, beginning at the age of 12. As a result of being... more
Michael Falkenstein grew up in a very musical family. His father was repairing musical instruments when Michael was a small child. Michael watched his father work in the music industry and took great joy in hearing his father play his favorite instrument, the Hammond Organ! Michael learned the... more