Oral History - all
Birth Date: November 4, 1922
Deceased Date: December 30, 2001
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ralph Sutton learned the traditional stride piano styles of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, and brought it to post-War audiences around the world for over fifty years.... more
Birth Date: June 18, 1910
Deceased Date: May 7, 1995
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Ray McKinley provided a swinging and consistent rhythm behind several big bands during the 1930s and 40s. He worked with the Dorsey Brothers, Will Bradley and Glenn Miller... more
Birth Date: November 8, 1927
Deceased Date: January 1, 2013
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Patti Page was the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner who broke out from the role as a band singer during the swing era to create a very successful solo career,... more
Birth Date: February 10, 1932
Deceased Date: February 14, 2004
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Walter Perkins was an energetic jazz drummer who provided solid beats for performers such as Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, and Lucky Thompson. His career was launched by... more
Birth Date: March 20, 1915
Deceased Date: September 15, 2003
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Hal Pruden was a noted pianist (sometimes billed as the world’s fastest piano player) for a series of bandleaders during the Big Band Era. Hal performed with Chuck Foster... more
Birth Date: April 20, 1923
Deceased Date: May 31, 2000
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Tito Puente helped revolutionize Latin music, in particular Latin jazz, during a career that spanned over fifty years. He helped introduce Afro Cuban and Caribbean music... more
Birth Date: September 10, 1908
Deceased Date: February 8, 1994
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Raymond Scott was a noted bandleader and songwriter during the Big Band Era who achieved fame for supplying music to countless Warner Brother cartoons. Raymond was also an... more
Birth Date: May 23, 1910
Deceased Date: December 30, 2004
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Artie Shaw was among the most popular band leaders during the great Big Band Era of the 1930s and 40s! His fine musicianship earned him the nickname the "King of the... more
Birth Date: August 11, 1904
Deceased Date: January 1, 1995
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jess Stacy was a very early jazz pianist, starting his career in 1918 and playing with many of the early pioneers of jazz as well as the most popular band leaders during... more
Birth Date: November 12, 1917
Deceased Date: July 16, 2008
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jo Stafford had a remarkable career as both a big band singer and as a solo recording artist after the swing era. Her career included a string of hit popular songs such as... more
Birth Date: April 9, 1921
Deceased Date: August 23, 2010
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: George David Weiss wrote a number of successful songs for Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. He began writing jazz tunes such as the... more
Birth Date: March 12, 1912
Deceased Date: September 20, 1996
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Paul Weston was an arranger for several dance bands before forming his own orchestra during the Big Band Era. He arranged for Tommy Dorsey's band and wrote several... more
Birth Date: July 22, 1924
Deceased Date: January 10, 2011
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Margaret Whiting was a popular singer who had a number of hit recordings in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her father was the noted songwriter Richard Whiting who penned... more
Kathy Ford grew up singing in school plays and special programs. Her love of music was furthered years later when she teamed up with longtime piano technician Frank Baxter. Kathy helped Frank on the business side of his Piano World online store and services as well as their piano supplies website.... more
Neal Preston recounted a special photograph he took while on tour with Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. The image captured Jimmy Page playing guitar as stage smoke was raising and the iconic musician looked right into Neal’s camera lens. It was one of a dozen stories Neal provided during his NAMM Oral... more
Pete Best grew up with a strong musical influence within his mother. She encouraged the passion and desire to bring music into the lives of Pete and the kids in Liverpool, England by opening the Casbah, a music club, below his childhood home. Despite picking up a guitar as his first instrument,... more
Mike Adams is a sound designer and engineer that has been in the pro audio industry servicing southern California since the 1970s. Seeing the need for sound reinforcement during changing times, he left his band to join Silverfish Audio which was founded in Rochester, New York in 1971 and now known... more
John Jorgenson is best known as a guitarist, although he also plays and records with a number of musical instruments. While performing in the bands The Hellecasters and the Desert Rose Band, John often plays his signature model Fender. However, he often can be heard playing the piano, clarinet, and... more
Stephen Bennett provided music lessons in two music stores in the late 1970s while gigging at night. It was the first time he quit his day job, at a department store, to focus on music full time. During the 1980s he was given his great grandfather’s harp guitar and soon incorporated the instrument... more
Steve Held was involved in music retail beginning when he was a teenager working at the Music Corner in Waterloo, Iowa. He later worked for West Music in Iowa City for well over a decade and then had his own piano store with his business partner Jim Hall. In the early days, Steve was trained in the... more