Oral History - all
Nina Rockley has been a strong force in the success of Rockley Music in Denver, Colorado. Soon after marrying the store's president, Robert, she brought her business knowledge to music retail and soon helped expand and grow the store’s sheet music department. With great attention to detail, Nina... more
Birth Date: December 5, 1943
Deceased Date: June 2, 2020
Robert Rockley took over the music store that his parents had started in Denver, Colorado. Bob, along with his wife Nina, expanded the products they carried while he focused on growing the guitar department. The store remains in the building that his father built and even as a kid Bob contributed... more
Jane Traum and her husband Happy, are the founders of Homespun Music, which for decades has offered a growing collection of musical instrument training classes. Happy began with a new classical guitar program, which at the time was released on cassette tape. Today the expanded programs are offered... more
Happy Traum began his musical career in the 1960s, greatly influenced by the folk movement that had gripped the culture in America. He and his late brother, Artie, helped establish a New York scene for folk music along with some of their friends and fellow-musicians such as a young Bob Dylan. After... more
Patricia Bartolini and her husband William formed the Bartolini Pickup and Electronics Company in 1973 largely based on the acoustic research both had conducted over a range of several years. Their research led to developments in design of innovative pickups especially for the guitar and bass.... more
Danlee Mitchell was destined to live a life of music. Raised by parents who were both accomplished musicians, he began his music studies at a very early age. His life took a strange and wonderful turn when he attended the University of Illinois in 1959 and met Harry Partch. That began a long and... more
Birth Date: April 7, 1941
Deceased Date: March 19, 2011
Maury Rhodes enjoyed a long career in the music industry with a focus on the music publishing side of the business. He oversaw the Chicago operation of the Carl Fischer Company before being hired by the Chicago area music retailer Quinlan &Fabish where he was placed in the customer service... more
John Lee is the eldest son of Tom, the founder of the successful stores in Hong Kong and Canada. John spoke of the company’s expansion from Hong Kong into North America following his father’s interest in keeping the store growing in new markets. John took over the business in Canada after college... more
Henry Lee is the youngest son of Tom, the founder of the successful stores in Hong Kong and Canada. Henry interned the business after college and took over the Canadian operation while his brother Frank, who managed the operation before, then returned to Hong Kong. Henry helped expand the Canadian... more
Birth Date: October 12, 1922
Deceased Date: August 18, 2003
Vito Pascucci was assigned to band instrument repair during World War II for Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Band. Although Miller was much older, the world-famous bandleader and Vito became fast friends and, in fact, outlined a plan to establish a chain of music retail stores after the war. Miller’s... more
Birth Date: December 7, 1926
Deceased Date: November 24, 2011
Lillian Siegh played a vital role in the inner workings of NAMM for over 35 years! William Gard hired Lillian as a secretary in 1949 and for a time she was the office manager before becoming Mr. Gard’s executive secretary. She helped plan many of NAMM’s events and was instrumental in the parties... more
Birth Date: November 24, 1932
Deceased Date: December 23, 2021
Ryoji Okamoto was the chairman for Kiwaya Corporation in Japan, which was established in 1919 and has since become one of the most important manufacturers of the ukulele. With his keen interest in the instrument, Mr. Okamoto wrote several successful method books and created a popular training... more
Bobby Wood enjoyed playing the organ as a child growing up in church in northern Mississippi. He crafted a well-regarded career as a recording artist and studio artist who is perhaps best known as a member of the Memphis Boys. Beginning in the late 1960s and on into the 1970s, the American... more
Birth Date: June 11, 1937
Deceased Date: January 4, 2014
Babe Simoni began working for the Fender Guitar Company in 1953. He was a teenager when George Fullerton hired him to work on the factory floor. Babe’s father had worked in the plant just the year before but had suffered a stroke and left the company. Babe worked on nearly every style of guitar the... more
Birth Date: February 18, 1927
Deceased Date: April 4, 2016
Dorothy Schwartz was one of the original members of a girls Barber Shop style group that was brainchild of a girlfriend from high school in her hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The group called themselves The Chordettes. Dorothy traveled with the group performing at Barber Shop fairs and programs... more
Dick Schory had a very successful career as a composer and arranger of percussive music. With over a dozen albums as a musician and arranger and another 400 as a producer, Dick has made a significant contribution to music. Dick also worked for the Ludwig Drum Company as a sales and marketing... more
Fred Salvador grew up in the music business. His grandfather opened a small music store for which Fred remembers working in as a small boy. Years later Fred joined the staff of the music wholesalers Harris-Teller in Chicago. Over the years Fred helped the company grow with his keen attention to... more
Paul McGuire served as president of the Electro-Voice microphone and Speaker Company, having worked his way up through the organization. Paul’s love of the company and attention to details made him widely admired by the staff and customers alike. He developed the slogan and company philosophy he... more
Jim Long first joined Electro-Voice as a summer engineering intern in the 1960s and later returned, soon transferring into marketing, where he held a variety of positions over the years. Jim helped introduce a number of key EV products to the market. He very much enjoys demonstrating these products... more
Roger Linn forever changed the way people dance! As the inventor of the electronic Linn drum machine, he ushered in the new wave of electronic dance music beginning in the 1980s. The Linn drum machine also brought new meaning to the term “re-mix” and opened up a new era of sampling for club dj’s... more