Oral History - all
Karl Denson has played the saxophone alongside Lenny Kravitz, The Rolling Stones, Jack DeJohnette, Switchfoot, and the Blind Boys of Alabama (among others). He was the co-founder of the acid jazz band The Greyboy Allstars, which was formed in 1993. The band originally got together for a CD release... more
Mark Ureda was a young engineering student when he dreamed of working for JBL. He had that chance in 1976 for one day (that is a good story), but when that did not work out he joined the aerospace industry for over 25 years. Then, as if to finally make his dream a reality, Mark was hired by JBL... more
Greg Jones grew up in Los Angeles and sang for a number of rock bands, which gave him the opportunity to write music. His songs can be heard on the television show "Smallville." Greg’s interest in pro lighting lead to a sales rep job for Martin Lighting, which added a new element to his career.... more
Henry Goldansky remembers very clearly his father recording his mother singing Opera. The concept of preserving sound was fascinating to young Henry and he soon joined a Hi Fi Club and began an intense study of loud speakers. He worked for Cerwin-Vega for over sixteen years, helping to build... more
Harry Casey wrote a few songs and headed into a Miami studio with the simple goal of making a dance record. He used the studio musicians and would later ask those guys to tour with him when his record became a big hit. KC and the Sunshine Band helped define the disco era, even though Harry always... more
Peter Chaikin was still in high school when he knew in his heart what he wanted to be when he grew up: a recording engineer. With the Billboard Directory of Studios under his arm, and encouragement from iconic producer Phil Ramone, Peter headed west and landed a job at Los Angeles' legendary Record... more
Bryan Bradley proudly states in his NAMM interview that he has had several mentors throughout his career that helped him grow and develop within the industry. Among those mentors were Gene Joly and Morty Manus. Bryan wrote songs for several television projects before becoming a buyer for Guitar... more
CJ Vanston was thrilled to have the opportunity to produce for Toto, one of his all-time favorite bands. The project was a symbolic full circle experience having been a studio musician, first in Chicago and later Los Angeles. CJ became known for creating sounds and becoming an expert on... more
Dan Sawyer enjoyed writing music for television. He is able to pull together his background as a musician and take advance of technology to record what he feels the program needs. Background music is fascinating to Dan as he knows how important it is to telling the story. These writing jobs led... more
Jim Garrett had music and art engrained in his life at young age. Garrett found playing music was a great way to break out of his shell when he was young. His first job was at Best Buy and from there he became the Department Supervisor for their Audio Department. He later became the District... more
Mark Gander is the resident historian for JBL and for good reason. Mark has worked for the company for over 40 years, including a long period as Vice President of Marketing for JBL Professional under Sidney Harman. Mark's main focus has been product development and engineering. In fact, he worked... more
Gary Leunberger opened a music store in San Francisco during the 1980s that soon specialized in electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Being a top seller of Yamaha instruments led the company to hire Gary to help program their products. Gary created the voice presets for the DX7, among others,... more
Fred Catero was the "go to" engineer at Columbia Studios in New York before teaming with Bill Graham to form Fillmore Studios in San Francisco. Over the years, Fred engineered or mastered thousands of recordings ranging from Mel Tormé to Santana. He worked on several special projects including... more
Eric Schoenberg opened his own guitar shop in Tiburon, California after working music retail on the east coast for decades. Over the years he watched the vintage guitar market grow and develop. He also designed his own line of Schoenberg Guitars beginning in the 1980s. The folk craze of the late... more
Charylu Roberts has edited, produced, written and or designed over 700 music publications during her career, which seems to continue at the same breakneck pace it always has. With her own music publishing company, O. Ruby Productions, Charylu is helping teachers and musicians realize their dreams... more
Gerry Tschetter found his passion for music and technology when he was young. He began his career at the rock-n-roll music shop, Steam Music, in Topeka, Kansas. Later, Tschetter worked with Yamaha for 18 years as Project Manager for their Pro Audio and Consumer Electronics departments. When he... more
Lowell Levinger, known as Banana, was a founding member of the Youngbloods back in the late 1960s. The band had a series of hit records including the 60s anthem “Get Together.” Banana played lead guitar, piano, finger cymbals, pedal steel guitar, and sang with the band from 1965 until 1972. He... more
Mike Capalbo worked as manager at Downey Music which was started by his dad, Nate Capalbo. The family owned and operated, Downey Music was established in 1952 when Nate left La Habra Music. Mike recalls how his father, Nate, used his passion for music and some financial help from his parents, to... more
Perry Capalbo spent many years working with his dad, Nate, at the family music store, Downey Music. Downey Music was opened by Nate Capalbo when he left La Habra Music, which was founded by his brother, Toby Capalbo, who was interviewed by the NAMM Oral History program in 2010. Perry and his... more
Stevie Wonder has earned the title of the "Mayor of the NAMM Show" for his countless visits to the show floor over the years. He has become an important part of the music products industry not only in promoting new technologies, but in working with companies to design and improve instruments. ... more