Oral History - all
Gunter Schmalfuss has taken great pride in working on one instrument most of his career, the tuba. Since 1961, Mr. Schmalfuss has studied, built and designed tubas in addition to teaching the craft of repair. Following a great tradition of handcrafted work, he has played a vital role in the... more
Wesley Schaum’s father wrote and arranged music with the hope of serving school band programs in a meaningful way. He wrote several important scores including the noted Schaum Piano Method Books before joining forces with his son Wesley in 1959. Together, father and son formed Schaum Publishing Inc... more
Birth Date: August 8, 1928
Deceased Date: November 16, 2008
Dr. Albert Sanderson revolutionized the process of piano tuning by inventing the electronic tuner. Although the device was first questioned by the industry among fears that it would put piano tuners out of business, it proved to be a helpful tool for the technician who could then complete a job... more
Birth Date: May 3, 1921
Deceased Date: December 12, 2008
Bonnie G. Rowe did not seem to mind much when people thought he was a woman because his given name was Bonnie. For 87 years he corrected people and never gave much thought to using his middle name of Gordon. “Mother and father wanted me to be known as Bonnie, so that is it” he once said. “All I... more
Birth Date: October 7, 1926
Deceased Date: December 25, 2008
Manuel Rodriguez Sr. was very proud of his ancestry as a classical guitar luthier in the deep tradition of his native Spain. With honor, pride and passion, the art and craftsmanship has been handed down from his father and in turn he has taught the skills to his son, Manuel Rodriguez Jr., the... more
Jean Francois Rico had an early interest in news photography, but following his grandmother’s passing, Jean began working at the company his grandfather had established, Rico Reeds. The company dominated the reed industry for many decades with a powerful sales force around the world and a steady... more
Birth Date: June 22, 1927
Deceased Date: May 27, 2014
Don Ravitch pioneered many elements of keyboard retailing as president of Sherman Clay. With an engineering and financial background Don and his partners purchased the music store chain in 1959 from the third generation of Clay’s. Moving to San Francisco in 1960 and focusing on changing the stores... more
Birth Date: August 2, 1926
Deceased Date: May 5, 2008
Mario Procida formed a music distribution company in El Salvador in 1958 that soon expanded into several surrounding countries as well. His strong understanding of musical traditions and the import/export business resulted in Mario’s notable influence as a leader in the music products industry. He... more
Houston Person, after a 3-year old musical partnership with the great vocalist Etta Jones, is only now receiving the recognition he deserves as one of today’s leading instrumentalists in the tradition of Gene Ammons and Stanley Turrentine. Since Etta’s passing, Houston has concentrated on working... more
Peter Perez represents a lot of musical history. A former head of CG Conn and CBS Musical Instruments, Peter went on to become the President of Steinway & Sons. His career also included the purchasing of Aeolian Pianos in Memphis and Lyon & Healy in Chicago while he was working for CBS.... more
Rudy Pensa formed Rudy’s Music on 48th Street in New York City. It is a favorite for musicians and tourists alike. Beginning in the 1970s Rudy came to America from his native Argentina with a suitcase and a dream to be a part of the music industry. The very doorway that he first stepped through was... more
Birth Date: September 12, 1939
Deceased Date: October 31, 2008
Sir John Pearse was proud of the role he played in encouraging countless people to play the guitar. His BBC program Hold Down a Chord was based on lessons he created by picking up simple techniques from his favorite blues players such as Mississippi John Hurt and Big Bill Broonzy. John provided a... more
Birth Date: October 25, 1924
Deceased Date: September 19, 2008
Earl Palmer may be the most recorded jazz and rock drummer in history! He performed with just about every recording artist from Little Richard and Fats Domino to Ricky Nelson and Frank Sinatra. Earl created a recognizable style, often imitated, that led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall... more
George Osztreicher pioneered importing and exporting guitar and violin strings in the United Kingdom back in the 1960s. He formed British Music Strings after working for General Guitar Strings and Cardiff Music Strings. He soon discovered he could have a business based completely on exporting. The... more
Andrew Barta was born in Hungary and came to the United States with a dream of working in the music industry. Having been in rock bands in Europe, Andrew formed a band in America and worked as a technician repairing instruments in New York music stores. Along the way, he began designing a project... more
Birth Date: April 12, 1932
Deceased Date: May 5, 2018
Bert Neidhardt was one of the leading experts on musical instrument importing and exporting. As president of German American Trading, he established trade policies and relationships on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Bert told the stories of the German market before, during and after the Berlin... more
Birth Date: April 5, 1926
Deceased Date: August 18, 2010
Josephine Nadolny only had one job, working for Selmer Band Instruments. When she retired in 2000 she had worked there for 58 years! Over that time she developed the first instrument parts catalog, which included drawings and specs for each and every part a repair shop might need. She later became... more
Birth Date: July 10, 1926
Deceased Date: September 6, 2008
Don Murphy joined the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music volunteer team as a retiree in 2003 and soon became one of the museum’s most requested docents. Don pioneered the community outreach programs with a series of speaker presentations, which encouraged a host of visitors, several of which... more
Birth Date: January 12, 1926
Deceased Date: December 6, 2011
Harold Moseley was hired by Charles Hansen in the 1960s at the height of the legendary music publisher’s innovative career. Harold was on hand when Hansen developed several now standard practices in print music and went to work for Capital Music a wholesaler and distributor of Hansen’s music in... more
Birth Date: April 11, 1917
Deceased Date: January 21, 2008
James M. E. Mixter may very well have been the only person in the industry to have worked for Baldwin Pianos before, during, and after World War II. As a result, he was able to provide meaningful stories and facts regarding an era for which changes occurred in the industry. These changes had an... more