Oral History - all
Jim Beattie went to his local audio dealer in Columbus, Ohio in 1971 seeking high-end gear. The dealer invited Jim to tour the Crown International factory with him following week in Elkhart. Jim was approached to fill a job position while there and joined the company that year, 1971, and retired in... more
Don Eger earned his degree in electric engineering and began working for Crown International in 1964. A few years later he became a draftsman in the Engineering Department and by 1977 he was the Product Development Manager helping the company create some of their innovative amplifiers and... more
Dave McLaughlin began his long career with Crown International as a part time employee in 1968. He later went to college and earned an electrical engineering degree and returned to Crown. He worked alongside famed engineer Gerry Stanley helping with the circuit boards for the DC300 Amps. He also... more
Steve Rorie landed a part time job the very same day he graduated high school at the Vincent Bach plant in Elkhart, Indiana. He later would accompany his grandfather and father at EK Blessings to observe them while they worked honing and de-burring trumpet valves . His passion for how musical... more
Alan Fox’s father played in the symphony orchestra in Fort Wayne, Indiana before being drafted for service in World War I. After the war, he began making reeds and in 1923 joined the Chicago Symphony as the bassoonist. He formed Fox Music, making bassoons, in 1949 and ten years later Alan, who was... more
Dave Mount remembers working with his grandfather, Kurt Gemeinhardt, and learning first hand several important elements of the business including customer service and a focus on quality. Dave carried over these business principles when he and his father, George, formed MTS Products in 1971. They... more
Dominic Massaro has been learning each step of the process of making a mouthpiece in the Elkhart shop his great grandfather’s uncle started in 1919. jj Babbitt has been innovating the process and models of mouthpieces for a hundred years and Dominic is excited to carry on the tradition. His... more
Don Martin was 18 years old, in 1950, when he began working at CG Conn Musical Instruments in Elkhart, Indiana. His mother, who worked for the company for 26 years suggested Don interview for an opening in the bell making department. He stayed in that department, becoming a master craftsman, until... more
Birth Date: June 24, 1904
Deceased Date: August 11, 1995
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Phil Harris was a big band leader, singer, and actor who hit fame as the voice of Baloo the bear in Disney’s 1967 movie The Jungle Book. His career began as a drummer who... more
Russell Jewell played cornet in the 5th and 6th grade and took singing lessons in junior high school. He also performed in his church and grew up fully aware of the importance of a good sound system for the performers. He began collecting audio gear when he was ten and by the time he was a teenager... more
Doug Davies entered the music products industry in 1972 when he was hired by Turner Music in Canada. Turner was a subsidiary of Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) and at the time, Doug was their youngest sales rep. He really enjoyed the job as he had a supportive mentor to help him learn the ropes... more
Bruce Chapman has always believed in the importance of music education and the positive role music can play in a young person’s life. All-throughout his music retail career, Bruce looked for opportunities to provide lessons, instruction, and guidance to young musicians. He worked for Musicstop, a... more
Noel Moore was hired by the B&J wholesale company in Canada in 1951 and served the company for 53 years before his retirement. Noel came to represent the integrity and dedication to customer service that was so much a part of B&J’s reputation. Noel embodied the values of the company and as... more
Brenda Hebert remembers driving to the music wholesaler who represented the small store her husband formed, Cosmo Music. She was several months pregnant with her son, Mark, and was given help loading a pair of guitars in her car. The two instruments were all they could afford at the time and yet... more
Tom Hebert was serving in the Canadian Air Force when he had the idea of opening a small music store. His idea was to provide lessons to some of his fellow servicemen and the young students in the neighborhood. Cosmo Music was established in 1968 and slowly grew over the years to include repairs... more
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jack Jones was the son of actors Allan Jones and Irene Hervey. The experience of growing up in Hollywood allowed Jack to explore a number of fields in entertainment. At a... more
Birth Date: July 28, 1923
Deceased Date: October 27, 2008
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray Ellis had a remarkable career as a songwriter and arranger. His career spanned jazz and popular music, as well as cartoons and game shows. Ray arranged for Billie... more
Birth Date: June 24, 1922
Deceased Date: October 2, 2001
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Manny Albam was taught how to arrange jazz for a big band while working with Georgie Auld's Orchestra. Georgie's arranger at the time was Budd Johnson who took Manny under... more
Birth Date: July 17, 1936
Deceased Date: February 8, 2002
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Nick Brignola’s baritone saxophone can be heard on several important jazz recordings beginning in the 1960s. He helped define the role of the baritone saxophone in the... more
Birth Date: December 19, 1929
Deceased Date: December 15, 2011
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Bob Brookmeyer played trombone for several name big bands during the great swing era including Tex Beneke, Claude Thornhill, and Ray McKinley. Bob began focusing on Cool... more