Oral History - all
Leo Henrichs and his friend Raughi Ebert formed the group Tierra Negra to combine their love of flamenco and their passion for rhythms to create a fresh feeling to guitar music. They have traveled the world together and recorded several albums as well as designing their own guitar that incorporated... more
Birth Date: December 26, 1949
Deceased Date: March 22, 2022
Ed Hamrick enjoyed playing the drums ever since he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. From that moment on, he played drums and in the early 1970s established his own drum shop outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Over the years the Atlanta Pro Percussion Shop has become one of the strongest... more
Ray Guntren is the president of Midbell Music in Iowa, a retail store he first began working at when he was a teenager. Over the years the chance came up for Ray to purchase the store, which he later did. Under Ray’s direction Midbell Music has been a strong supporter in several industry... more
Mark Goff was ready to work for a musical instrument manufacturer after college when he was told that he needed retail experience. Impressed with the idea and eager to learn all he could he applied to work at Paige’s Music in Indiana. Mark enjoyed working with the owner, past NAMM Chairman Warner... more
Joe Glaser has always enjoyed taking a damaged guitar and repairing it to bring it back to playing condition. His passion for the craftsmanship of guitar repairs has made him one of the sought-after guitar techs in Nashville. Joe is also a creative designer who has designed several product... more
Richard Fruhauf is the vice president of the company his grandfather established in Wichita, Kansas in 1910. Fruhauf Uniforms has become one of the long time suppliers of marching band uniforms in the world. His grandfather, Lou, became a well-known designer of uniforms that have been worn by... more
Kenny Fruhauf recalls with a smile the years he spent working with his grandfather, Lou, the founder of Fruhauf Uniforms in Wichita, Kansas. Lou built the business on creative designs, customer service and high quality of products and craftsmanship. The ideals of Lou continued to his son, Ken,... more
Elaine Frizzell was an artist endorser for the Mosrite Guitar Company back in the 1960s. Over the years she became close friends with the company’s founders, Semi and Andy Mosley. She witnessed first hand the production of the guitars that were first made famous when played by the Ventures in the... more
Ren Ferguson is among the most noted master luthiers in the United States and has been since the 1970s. Many luthiers who wish to follow his style of building have studied his approach to guitar design and building. After having his own shop for some time Ren was hired by the Gibson Guitar Company... more
G. Frank Emerson is a piano designer whose roots are firmly based in piano technician training and experiences he was involved with in the early part of his career. He became a well respected piano designer for the Baldwin Piano Company in the 1970s while continuing to support the Piano Technicians... more
Raughi Ebert along with Leo Henrichs had dreams of combining their love of flamenco-style guitar playing to form a duet and perform together. This dream became a reality in 1994 when they formed Tierra Negra. Together they recorded several well-received albums and toured around the world. While in... more
Karen Cuneo-Ramirez played piano since she was a girl and as she grew up, she began to teach piano. She was hired by Sherman Clay in Stockton, California, to teach piano after buying an organ from the store just a week before. Karen worked closely with the Conn Organ Company, taking their sales... more
Birth Date: June 13, 1935
Deceased Date: May 7, 2018
Hal Cowan studied business administration while playing music all through school. He loved playing organ and found himself in the company of fellow organ buffs as well as employees of organ stores and manufacturers. Hal worked for the Jenkins Hammond Organ Studios as president under Paul Jenkins... more
Birth Date: May 23, 1939
Deceased Date: June 2, 2020
Jimmy Capps backed nearly every performer at the Grand Ole Opry as a house band guitarist since 1960! The list of artists he played with is nothing more than amazing and represents the grand old pioneers such as Roy Acuff as well as current Opry members Vince Gill and Garth Brooks. Along the way he... more
Joe Calzone grew up playing drums. His passion for the instrument lead to his involvement with several bands and memorial concert performances before having the idea of creating his own style of road cases. He spoke to many fellow musicians and designed a line of products that became standard in... more
Wally Brooks grew up in the piano business. His father was a piano technician and Wally followed in his footsteps. Wally was 16 years old when he joined the Piano Technicians Guild in 1958. Since that time he has been a true leader within the PTG and the industry, forming life long friends and... more
Ed Blasco was one of the best known organ salesmen in Kansas City during the 1970s. He worked for Sherman Clay, Jenkins Music and even ran his own store, Ed Blasco’s Conn Organ Center in the mid 1970s. Ed’s passion for the organ was the foundation of his selling and he never lost sight of the... more
Allen Blasco began to smile during his NAMM Oral History interview when he spoke about how his mother and father met at Jenkins Music in Kansas City. His father was in charge of the music publishing department of Jenkins and his mother worked in the retail part of the company. Soon after they met,... more
Birth Date: July 11, 1938
Deceased Date: February 22, 2013
Glenn Axelton managed a few stores for the famed Jenkins Music Company in and around Kansas City before opening his own store in Manhattan, Kansas. Glenn’s Music soon became a music center for the town and surrounding areas and led to one of the largest music lesson programs in the area. As a... more
Craig Smith began piano lessons at the age seven and by the time he was twelve, was fascinated with the sounds of the home organ. He started demonstrating organs for Karnes Music at thirteen and worked there part-time through high school. During his college years, Craig continued to work part-time... more