Oral History - all
Lynn Fuston was a junior in high school when he started recording the school choir. He had been singing his whole life but recognized the need to make better recordings. Following his passion, he journeyed to Nashville and started working in recording studios such as Sound Stage and the legendary... more
Dwight Vicks, III serves as president and is the third generation to run Vicks, a content delivery company originally known as Vicks Brothers Printing. Started by his grandfather, Dwight E. Vicks Sr., Vicks was founded in 1918 in Utica, New York. Under his excellent leadership the company grew... more
Jim Hauer has many fond memories of his grandfather, Michael Hauer, a noted big band leader who opened their family’s music store in 1937. Jim recalls his grandfather providing music lessons when he was in his 90s and enjoying every minute of it. Those same feelings and passion for music were... more
Jerry Hauer grew up in a very musical home. His father was a big band leader with a noted radio show, Michael Hauer and His Band of the Hour! When Michael was off the road with his band, he provided music lessons in the Dayton, Ohio area, where he established Hauer Music in 1937. Jerry joined the... more
Ray Stacy began working for the O.S. Kelly Company in 1978 and has a true sense of pride in the work they do in creating piano plates. Located in Springfield, Ohio, the foundry was established by Oliver Kelly in 1852 to make steam traction engines and farm equipment. They soon began making the sand... more
Jim Kincaid has fond memories of his father singing and playing his guitar. Jim’s father was the folk singer and publisher, Bradley Kincaid, who helped pioneer folk music on the radio in the 1920s and 30s, throughout the Midwest and the New England area. His father retired from his music career at... more
Linda (Wert) Young asked her parents, when she was twenty, to assist her in the upstart of a music store after realizing her passion for helping children identify their interest and abilities in playing music. Her dad mortgaged the family farm, which lead to the opening of Wert Music in 1973. With... more
Dan Crary first played an acoustic music festival in the 1960’s when the steel-string guitar was often in the background. However, Dan’s lead guitar playing caught the attention of a generation of fans and musicians and influenced their acceptance of the guitar as a lead instrument in folk and... more
Dr. Steven Eisenberg is an Oncologist with a deep passion for music making. He followed his family’s tradition of medicine while following his own love of music. Since 2008, he has teamed up with dozens of his patients to write songs together, which he feels is a key element to their treatment. Dr... more
Don Morris is the founder and product engineer behind Electroplex Amplifiers, which includes their famous Rocket series. In 1993, Don sat down with Trev Wilkinson to design a new amplifier and the result was the Rocket 90! Don’s long and very interesting history in the music industry goes back to... more
Rita Goldman sat right next to her future husband in high school and recalls with a smile how their friendship turned to a long and loving marriage. She also warmly recalls his passion for the piano business. Harry Goldman was the founder of Fields Piano in southern California, a store that... more
Dan Del Fiorentino is the Music Historian for NAMM who heads the industry's Oral History program. Dan began this special project in March 2000, after having served as the first curator of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. Since that time, the collection of video interviews has grown to... more
Jack Casady played electric bass for the Jefferson Airplane before forming the band Hot Tuna with his lifelong friend, Jorma Kaukonen. Jack and Jorma played together in Jefferson Airplane at the beginning of that band in 1965 and while the band continued to record, they formed Hot Tuna in 1969.... more
Birth Date: April 12, 1923
Deceased Date: July 8, 1993
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Tommy Traynor was a singer during the Big Band Era with the Modernaires. The singing group gained lasting popularity while performing with Glenn Miller, beginning in the... more
Ami Belli grew up in the Philippines surrounded by music. She played piano as a girl and would often sing with her mother and sisters. She earned her medical degree and moved to the United States, where she focused on alternative medicine. While practicing in Los Angeles, she met Remo Belli, who... more
Gene (Cip) Cipriano began his musical career with the big bands led by such stars as Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, and Tex Beneke. He later moved to Los Angeles where he soon began his incredible career as a noted studio musician playing primarily the saxophone, oboe, flute, and clarinet. As a member... more
Claudio Capponi is a musical instrument technician with a passion for the Farfisa Organ, after all he worked for the company for many years. His interest and dedication to the instrument and its history led him on a fascinating journey to create the Farfisa Museum in Camerano, Italy. Along the way... more
Rebecca Brill-Argall and her husband, Charlie, worked hard to build their customer base of dealers throughout Canada. Their distribution company provided musical instruments and accessories including their own Cat’s Tongue Grip brand guitar picks. As Charlie pointed out, one of the key elements of... more
Charlie Argall picked up a guitar and wanted to join a band the moment he heard the Beatles. He took lessons where he was introduced to his local music store, a place he found fascinating. He was drawn to the people and gear of the industry and later, when he had the opportunity to work in music... more
Takeomi Nishimura found his way to Suzuki Musical Instruments while studying engineering in college. Upon returning home from school one day a friend suggested he work for the company and the rest is history. Within the company, Takeomi has served a variety of roles including production control,... more