Oral History - all
Birth Date: October 13, 1921
Deceased Date: November 17, 2013
Denzil Jacobs provided detailed and insightful stories of the piano industry in England from the 1930s into the 1980s. With a gentlemanly manner, Mr. Jacobs provided historical information on the growth of the piano market following World War II and how the Kemble Company expanded and grew under... more
Wanda Jackson has been performing as an entertainer and singer worldwide for over 50 years. Known affectionately as the “Queen of Rockabilly”, she began her career as a teenage country singer with her own radio show in Oklahoma City and was “discovered” by legendary country singer Hank Thompson who... more
Birth Date: December 27, 1933
Deceased Date: November 6, 2009
Ben Jack was born and raised in Arkansas, so it was no surprise that the passionate steel pedal guitarist would open up a string of successful stores in and around Fayetteville. As one of the leaders of music retailing in the state, if not the country, Ben pioneered many of the American built... more
Dick Hyman has always been an innovative musician and as a result has performed on many of the latest developments in musical instruments over his long career. Known mostly for his jazz style on the piano, Dick has gained attention for his early work on the organ, the electronic harpsichord and the... more
Birth Date: February 5, 1916
Deceased Date: September 16, 2006
Jack Hyde was the classic music retailer of the 21st Century. Jack opened a store in the mid 1950s because he loved music, plain and simple. The store, in Northern California, became such a success that he soon opened a chain of Jack’s House of Music stores. His mall store at Arden Arcade in... more
Gareth Hunt is the Managing Director of Soundcontrol, a musical instrument retailer located in England. As a young boy, he played in a traveling band on guitar. In fact, his father was his roadie and driver (after all, it was before Gareth could drive himself). As a player, Gareth could call on his... more
Birth Date: November 16, 1939
Deceased Date: October 15, 2007
Frank Huffman was the quintessential traveling music salesman! With charm and always a few good jokes, Frank has made his way across the United States, first for Wurlitzer and then for Baldwin. Standing next to Frank in a smoke-filled bar, one could meet all the other travelers who knew him by name... more
Dennis Houlihan has played many important roles within the industry, all of which have been driven by his passion and love of music and music making. After years as a demonstration artist for Lowrey Organs, Dennis worked with retailers and suppliers alike, building his knowledge of music products... more
George Hotton spent over 35 years at the Theodore Presser music publishing company. In 1966, George first worked at the publisher’s retail store in downtown Philadelphia. He later was promoted to salesman and then sales manager, traveling the country calling on dealers from coast to coast. George... more
Greg Hornberger served as the president of the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) in the early days of the organization and worked to expand the membership and scope of the annual trade shows. As president of B & J Music he played a vital role in the growth of the Canadian market... more
Birth Date: May 31, 1927
Deceased Date: February 25, 2012
James “Red” Holloway was an accomplished jazz saxophone player who began his love affair with music while a student of Captain Walter Dyette at DuSable High School in Chicago back in 1942. In his interview, he recalled his first paying gig at 16 with the band of Gene Wright, who later went on to... more
Birth Date: March 31, 1917
Deceased Date: September 10, 2009
Sam Hinton was a national treasure. It seems appropriate to use that term when talking about him because he become an important and invaluable preservationist of some of our nation's greatest treasures, folk songs. Sam spent many years traveling the backwoods of this country in search of... more
Birth Date: January 18, 1924
Deceased Date: September 10, 2007
Jerry Hershman was a regular fixture at the NAMM Show. In fact, in 50 years, he never missed a convention. During one of his last shows before his retirement, Jerry was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program. His father formed a New York wholesale company called Hershman Musical Instrument... more
Birth Date: January 12, 1927
Deceased Date: March 7, 2011
Floyd Hershberger along with his wife Joyce had the dream of opening their own small music store and running it as a family business. The store was established in 1956 in Nebraska and is now being run by their son Brad. Along the way they were witnesses to the good old days of the Beatles and the... more
Birth Date: July 1, 1914
Deceased Date: June 2, 2014
Max Herman played his first professional music job at the age of 13. He enjoyed a stellar music career as the first trumpeter for many of the top name bands of the Swing Era. Most notably, Max was the first trumpet in the Bob Crosby Orchestra. His second career was that of music publisher, forming... more
Birth Date: December 18, 1915
Deceased Date: May 27, 2006
Ted Herbert was a well known bandleader during the great big band era who opened a store on Manchester, NH to help him get the repair service he needed for his own road band. Although his band worked steady long after swings golden days, Ted found the store a nice place to come home to. NAMM's... more
Bob Heil received his first break into the pro audio market when the Grateful Dead’s sound system was not available for a concert date. Bob’s own powerful system was used, and a new name for speakers and microphones was born into the world. Several of his innovative products, including sound... more
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2008 and early 2009. This Tribute was shown for the first time at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California in January 2009.
Birth Date: January 14, 1918
Deceased Date: December 14, 2009
Peter Heid enjoyed his career playing with many of the dance bands of the 1930s and 1940s in his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. After the war, he used his love of music to open a small store, Heid Music, in the heart of downtown Appleton. The store continued to grow over the years as Peter found... more
Birth Date: June 4, 1936
Deceased Date: March 27, 2019
William Heese had a reputation like no other in the music publishing world, a reputation well deserved. Bill was not only a mainstay in the industry for over 40 years, he was a tireless promoter of the music publishing history. Bill played a vital role in several publishing associations including... more