Oral History - all
Birth Date: September 28, 1923
Deceased Date: December 11, 2009
Ray Jent sought to bring service to the Lubbock, Texas, community when he opened a music retail store just after serving in World War II. Ray worked closely with the school band directors and local music teachers to ensure that his inventory and services matched their needs. He continued with this... more
Birth Date: December 30, 1931
Deceased Date: September 3, 2013
Art Jenson was known throughout the music industry for establishing Jenson Publishing in 1977. The company became one of the nation’s largest educational music publishers with a focus on band and choral works. In the mid '60's, Art did some writing for Charles Hansen Publications and in 1969, he... more
Birth Date: July 29, 1943
Deceased Date: October 22, 2014
Stanley Jay always admired rare and special fretted musical instruments, so it came as no surprise when he and his friend, Haf Kuffner, opened a guitar shop on Staten Island in New York. They named the store the Mandolin Brothers. Over the years the store has become a hub for vintage instruments... more
Dennis James recalls with a smile the day he visited Colton Piano as a teenager. He later worked for Colton founder, Vern Schaffer, getting the experience and training for the career he had dreamed of--opening his own piano and organ retail store. That dream was realized in northern San Diego... more
Grover Jackson grew up outside of Nashville, TN and developed a strong and lasting passion for music, not just playing it in noted bands, but in designing instruments to achieve creative sounds. His powerful playing and early involvement in heavy rock music led to requests from noted players for... more
Birth Date: December 10, 1925
Deceased Date: March 28, 2013
Dale Hyatt was hired by Leo Fender while the iconic guitar builder was still a radio repairman in Fullerton, CA. The year was 1948. Dale recalled all of the major landmarks that helped establish the development of the Stratocaster and the birth of rock and roll. Dale remained with Leo as he... more
Birth Date: September 27, 1929
Deceased Date: August 6, 2015
Joe Hume was a veteran school band director before he opened Hume Music located in Kansas. His love of school bands continued as a retailer and as such he established new bands and expanded several other smaller school bands. Joe saw the importance of being a strong supporter of the school band... more
Birth Date: September 21, 1922
Deceased Date: January 23, 2017
Richard Myrland was a wizard, just as his name suggested! As a product designer for Wurlitzer, Dick created the famed 1050 juke box. With his devotion to the “Wurlitzer Way” credo, he, as much as anyone at the Wurlitzer Company, cultivated the warm sense of family within the company and along the... more
Birth Date: December 27, 1931
Deceased Date: June 28, 2016
Scotty Moore set a date and time on July 4, 1954, to get together with a young singer who wanted to record with Sam Philips at Sun Records in Memphis. Sam asked Scotty, who had recorded with several bands on Sun, to call this kid and work out a few songs. This was his first meeting with Elvis... more
Birth Date: June 20, 1936
Deceased Date: July 18, 2019
Tommy Moore was introduced to the music industry by his father, Woods Moore, who operated Alt’s Music store in Fort Worth, TX. After earning a degree in finance, Tommy returned to the store upon his father’s request to investigate other aspects of the music industry that might interest him. Tommy... more
Ruth Ann Melk recalled the days when her husband’s father would design specialized tools for the repair of musical instruments, which her husband, Phil Jr, soon developed into a full time job and career. She said he was delighted to quit his day job as milk man and devote his time and energy into... more
Birth Date: August 15, 1927
Deceased Date: August 11, 2016
Owen McPeek always wanted to play music, so he found several day jobs that allowed him to play music at night. He ran Rush’s Music on Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee, for over a decade beginning in the late 1960s. The full line store pioneered in providing pro-audio gear to its customers.... more
Birth Date: April 3, 1917
Deceased Date: June 28, 2011
William McNamara reported to Mr. Alfred LaMotte, a true legend in the music products industry when Bill was first hired by Thearle’s Music stores in San Diego in the 1930s. Mr. LaMotte was known for his clever sales campaigns and dedication to the growth of the industry. In fact, it was while... more
Birth Date: January 4, 1918
Deceased Date: July 14, 2011
H. C. McMurtry sure knew a lot about the Wurlitzer Company! Not only did he work for the company for nearly 20 years, he traveled throughout the country, selling the company’s product line to hundreds of music dealers. H. C., known by his nickname, Harmon, served as the national sales rep for the... more
John McLaren Sr. is the president of BBE Sound, which develops pro audio gear. The company purchased G&L Guitars and has been dedicated to keeping the spirit of the founders and their ideas and traditions evident in each guitar. G&L was originally formed by George Fullerton and Leo Fender... more
Charlie McCoy is one of the noted musicians known as the A Team, in the Nashville studios of the 1950s, 60s and 70s! Charlie’s harmonica can be heard on several popular recordings –countless in fact – including the lead solo on “Candy Man” by Roy Orbison. Charlie formed an early relationship with... more
Jimmy Mays performed rock and country music for over 30 years. Along the way he kept his day job, working at Bill Higgins Music from nearly the beginning. Some 40 years later Jimmy stands next to the owners, Nancy and Bill Higgins, to serve their customers, each and every day. As Jimmy put it “This... more
Birth Date: March 27, 1919
Deceased Date: April 28, 2006
Gil Marschner had several key positions in the music products industry beginning in the 1950s and into the 1980s. Best known as G. Leblanc’s accountant, Gil and his wife Vera, developed life long friendships with Mary and Danny Henkin and Eleanor and Pearl West, which served his efforts well when... more
Birth Date: March 6, 1922
Deceased Date: January 29, 2010
Martha Markowitz married her knight-in-shining-armor right after World War II. She soon helped him run the small organ company he started before the war. The Allen Organ Company has been a pioneering business in church organs and in digital technology for many decades. Although Jerome has passed... more
Harvey Levy is the bow-tie wearing spokesman and brother of the founder of Levy – the world’s leading maker of guitar straps. Harvey has become synonymous with creating and designing products, and he has also been a long time supporter of music and music advocacy. Mr. Levy noted, “Making music... more