Oral History - all
Birth Date: February 6, 1930
Deceased Date: August 18, 2011
Tony Schmidt was the very first volunteer of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music (located in the NAMM building) to provide 1,000 hours of service. As a kid, he saw Duke Ellington perform in his hometown of Chicago and was hooked, not only on Ellington (for which he was a noted expert), but... more
Birth Date: November 10, 1905
Deceased Date: January 1, 2004
Del Roper performed the xylophone for several society big bands, playing on radio with Xavier Cugat in the early 1930s. Del was later a powerful force in studio orchestras and developed a double decker xylophone, which he played on several variety TV programs in the 1950s. The instrument, named the... more
Birth Date: August 26, 1921
Deceased Date: March 17, 2015
George Roeder played the flamenco guitar and sang in Barber Shop Quartets ever since he was young. While he was taking lessons from Evelyn Breu, he took a liking to the retail business –as well as his teacher. After the couple married in the late 1960s, they formed a tremendous team both as... more
Birth Date: January 10, 1930
Deceased Date: March 3, 2017
Lyle Ritz worked for a Los Angeles music store in the 1950s when his career as a studio musician began to take off. Lyle’s studio years were filled with numerous ground-breaking hits, many featuring his influential electric bass. His incredible list of recordings includes “I Got You Babe” by Sonny... more
Birth Date: September 13, 1940
Deceased Date: October 18, 2014
Larry Moody began his career in the music industry as a retailer working for Ziggy Coyle in Ohio. The store was owned by Ziggy, a past president of the NAMM Board of Directors, and Russell Hill. The retail experience was helpful to Larry, who was hired by Yamaha and later by the Gemeinhart Flute... more
Birth Date: August 6, 1917
Deceased Date: December 29, 2005
Lou Mitchell was a product of the big band era and cut his teeth on swinging trumpet solos, such as those of his musical heroes of the 1930s. After meeting Rafael Mendez (his life-long friend), Lou moved to Hollywood and worked for the movie studios on countless soundtracks. He worked beside Rafael... more
Birth Date: November 23, 1925
Deceased Date: June 29, 2020
Johnny Mandel brought his unique talents as a composer and arranger from jazz clubs to the big screen during a brilliant career that spanned over 60 years! As a songwriter, he spent several years in the 1940s and 50s plugging his songs in the Brill Building in New York which was the hotspot for... more
Abbie Leithold-Gerzema is the co-owner of Leithold Music in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Abbie and her brother also share management duties in the store that their great-grandfather established in 1888. Abbie graduated from Drake University with a music degree in Pipe Organ and Music Business. In the... more
Birth Date: February 4, 1932
Deceased Date: February 13, 2019
Teresa Leithold began teaching music in 1956 and conducted her last lesson just ten days before she passed away at the age of 87 on February 13, 2019. Music was her passion! While her husband ran the family music store in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Mrs. Leithold created the music lesson program for the... more
Birth Date: February 1, 1928
Deceased Date: July 2, 2017
Roger Leithold recalled moving into the historic building where Leithold Music is located on Fourth Street in La Crosse, Wisconsin during his NAMM Oral History interview. The building was originally a furniture store created in 1889. When the Leithold's moved their store into the building in 1964... more
Paul Leithold is the fourth generation to run the Leithold Music store, along with his sister Abbie. The La Crosse, Wisconsin-based store was established in 1888 as a piano store and repair shop. Just like his great-grandfather, Paul was trained as a piano tuner and has overseen many elements of... more
Birth Date: May 3, 1927
Deceased Date: September 27, 2011
Russell Kephart enjoyed his years as a band director but found great satisfaction when he opened his own music store and could provide the service he felt band directors were missing. The Iowa-based store expanded over the decades but always remained focused on customer service. Russ served on the... more
Lynn Kephart worked with her husband Russ to establish the Iowa-based Kephart Music Centers. Her attention to details was the perfect match for accounting, inventory and payroll in the pre-computer age. Her friends spanned the entire industry, retailers and suppliers alike, and she is often thought... more
Birth Date: December 23, 1921
Deceased Date: January 31, 2017
Ernie Kenaga was hired by Charlie Bickel at the Selmer Company following the end of his military service during World War II. At the time, 1946, Selmer had 80 employees including factory and office workers. Ernie began his career in the purchasing department and filled several positions before... more
Manfred Hibbing is known around the world as one of only a few top experts on RF Studio condenser microphones. He has designed and developed many award-winning innovations in microphone technology and he did it all at Sennheiser in Germany. Proud of his role in the company, he retired in 2005 from... more
Birth Date: December 11, 1928
Deceased Date: May 9, 2022
Emerson DeFord was a master craftsman who as a builder designed a number of flutes ranging from student models to professional instruments. As a businessman, he formed a number of well-branded companies including E. L. DeFord Flutes, the Picolo Company, Custom Woodwinds and Emerson Musical... more
Rollie Bunn worked at Taylor Music in Aberdeen, South Dakota, when he was growing up and in fact returned to the store to work full time after attending Northern State Teacher’s College. During his college years he was a part time band director, which he enjoyed, before returning to Taylor. Ten... more
Birth Date: May 1, 1918
Deceased Date: February 1, 2020
Evelyn Brue-Roeder opened her music store in 1940! Her main focus in the early days was music lessons, however she soon added sheet music, accessories and musical instruments. She developed a passion for steel guitars as she witnessed their development over her career. When the pedal steel guitar... more
Yngwie Malmsteen is a ferociously talented guitar player, composer, and producer from Sweden. He first gained notoriety in the mid 1980’s when he exploded onto the music scene blending his mastery of neoclassical guitar technique with the heavy metal music genre. Building upon the fame from the... more
Birth Date: April 6, 1936
Deceased Date: March 24, 2010
Keith Wilson helped design and manufacture the famed SM57 and SM58 microphones for Shure back in the early 1960s. As an engineer, Keith later came up with the idea of creating a system for vocalists, with mixer, amplifier and a microphone that could cover the range of the human voice. The system... more