Oral History - all
Jacinta Brunkala grew up taking piano lessons, without even owning a piano. She would use a friend’s piano when she could, but would often pretend with a set of keys she made out of cardboard to practice. When her parents purchased an upright piano a few years later, Jacinta was hooked to the sound... more
John Tedeschi started playing music again when his son took up the saxophone in the school band and needed someone to practice improvisation with. John had been playing the guitar since high school for fun, and playing with his son gave him the itch for more. He began buying more gear, practicing... more
Françoise Dahod was born and raised in France, and remembers classical music often being played around the house. In her 20s, she came to the United States and was first introduced to new types of music. Her daughter played the clarinet, piano, and sang, which showed Françoise how important music... more
Marilyn Shepard taught music in public schools for thirty-five years. Ever since she was young, she was involved in making music, along with her twin sister, as well as collecting instruments from different cultures. After she retired from teaching, the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music... more
Trish Gapik has been volunteering at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music for quite some time now, and could not have wished for anything better. Her aunt was a singer during WWII and has her picture displayed in Gallery 3 of the museum. Trish has great memories of her aunt singing, as well... more
Joyce Schmauder says that her favorite part about volunteering at the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music is the people. From the young kids to the seniors, Joyce enjoys interacting with all of them and talking about making music. She has always liked music and remembers listening to her... more
Elliot Easton often visited Grayson's Music in Long Island, New York as a kid. He ordered his first custom left handed electric guitar from Mr. Grayson, who always treated Elliot with kindness. Years later, after Elliot's rock band, The Cars, had notoriety, he reunited with Mr. Grayson at a NAMM... more
Ray van Straten began his love of music when his parents bought him a kids piano when he was four years old. He went on to study classical piano performance, as well as jazz arranging with Manny Albam, a highlight of his music education. Ray has memories of playing in rock bands throughout his... more
Gina Bergmann was introduced to music at a young age, and attended a music school while growing up in Chicago, Illinois. When a Sam Ash music store opened up in her neighborhood, Gina got a job, which was her introduction to the music industry. She went on to work for both Mars Music and Guitar... more
Adriana Flores proudly represents the third generation in her family to run Alamo Music in San Antonio, Texas. The store was established by her grandfather Alfredo Flores Sr. (1908-2014) back in 1929. Her father, Alfredo Flores Jr., took over the business from his father and later served as... more
John Carpanini worked side by side with Robert Wilson at Sound Technology for just over 18 years. Perhaps considered a baptism of fire? The job was John’s introduction to the industry and one that grew with love and passion for music. John is a talented guitar player and has studied music for many... more
Ron Losby was classically trained on the piano and began his love of the music industry by providing free lessons at Sherman Clay’s retail chain. He later worked within the Wurlitzer music stores where he was trained on the “Wurlitzer Way” of doing business. Those classes provided a foundation for... more
Karl Winkler began playing the viola in the fourth grade and got accepted into the local youth orchestra two years later. His first job in the music industry was working for Howard Beaver at Beaver's Band Box in Arizona while in college. He later took over the keyboard and recording department of... more
Ralph-Joerg Wezorke became active in the pro lighting industry in 1975. He is the founder of pro-lighting company Lightpower. The company was formed in 1978 in Paderborn, Germany and soon became an important rental house for touring acts as well as stage plays and smaller rock and roll performances... more
Jim Washburn took on a writing assignment as a journalist for a newspaper about the electric guitar, which led to a series of books and articles that has documented a significant chapter of the music products industry. While writing these stories, Jim was able to meet and interview a long list of... more
Birth Date: December 4, 1932
Deceased Date: June 23, 2022
Tommy Morgan played a significant role in elevating the importance and reputation of the harmonica in television, recordings, and motion pictures. Over his 63 year career, Tommy contributed to over 7,000 projects. He played, arranged, and composed music for several television programs and movies... more
Kevin Mitchell wrote the MMR cover story in 2009 dedicated to the NAMM Oral History program and has been a strong advocate and supporter ever since! His background in music (he played the piano as a child and would graduate from UMKC’s Conservatory of Music) and his love of journalism (he feels his... more
Billy J. Kramer took part in the British Invasion, coming to America and performing a number of his hit songs on the Ed Sullivan Show, just like four of his friends from Liverpool did a few months earlier. In fact, several of the songs he performed were written by Paul and John, who wanted to write... more
Daniel Ho happily participated in the ukulele boom of the early 2000s. He grew up playing Hawaiian music and studied composition at the Grove School of Music. When given the change to help design a ukulele with luthier Pepe Romero, Daniel proudly added his thoughts and ideas to the design and... more
Birth Date: October 9, 1945
Deceased Date: November 26, 2021
Barry "Foz" Fasman wrote over 30 songs for the NBC television series FAME, which resulted in the sale of over 4 million records and opened the doors to several other successful projects. As an arranger and conductor, Foz worked on several top selling recordings including Melissa Manchester's “Don’t... more