Oral History - all
Birth Date: March 1, 1922
Deceased Date: May 30, 2019
William Dunkley and his wife Dorothy co-founded Dunkley Music Stores in Boise, Idaho. In addition to taking the trade of organ and piano sales out of the store and into the truck to their customers, the Dunkley’s were widely known in the industry as great advocates of music making. Along with a... more
Birth Date: December 8, 1924
Deceased Date: October 23, 2018
Dorothy Dunkley co-founded Dunkley Music Stores in Boise, Idaho, with her husband Bill. She took over the store while Bill was on the road selling pianos door to door in the early years of the store. The Dunkley’s were widely known in the industry as great advocates of music making. Along with a... more
Birth Date: February 5, 1930
Deceased Date: November 16, 2016
Earl Dummer played his flattop Martin guitar during the folk music boom of the 1960s as part of the Shenandoah Trio. The group toured with Jimmy Rodgers among others and recorded for Billy Vaughan at DOT Records. Earl was greatly influenced by jazz great Barney Kessel who provided lessons for Earl... more
Michael Doughty can speak of the history of the British music industry more than most. After all, it was his father and his grandfather before him who first started selling musical instruments over 100 years ago. As president of Stentor Music Company, Mr. Doughty recalled his teen years and the... more
Irmgard Dittmar has been a part of the music products industry her whole life. Her father was a noted trumpet builder and designer, and she has worked for the Schreiber music company for nearly 40 years. Over the years she has served as President Hugo Schreiber’s assistant and in doing so has... more
James Deurloo walked through the old Gibson workshop, which is now the home of his company, the Heritage Guitar Company. Pointing proudly to a workstation in the middle of the old building, “that was my first workbench. I learned every skill on the line and had wonderful teachers. The old men on... more
Glenn Derringer is one of the icons of the music products industry. As a small child, Glenn gained national fame as a whiz on the piano and organ. In fact, Elvis Presley opened for Glenn when the soon-to-be crowned King of Rock made his TV debut on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show in 1955. With great... more
Judith Delgado is the daughter of former NAMM President James Kleeman. Known around the NAMM building as the Professor, Jim was a strong leader who helped establish the Professional Development department at NAMM and who helped create NAMM University, a program that provides training classes for... more
Rosanne Day has enjoyed working alongside her husband, Klint, as owners of Day Murray Music, a mostly print music retail store in Utah. Her husband’s parents established the first of their three stores in the years following World War II. Since her involvement years later, Rosanne has been in... more
Klint Day followed in the footsteps of his mother and father who formed Day Murray Music back in 1946. The store was named for the couple’s last name and the store location, Murray, Utah. Klint grew up in the business and has taken great pride in expanding the company to three stores in the greater... more
Birth Date: August 31, 1916
Deceased Date: February 17, 2015
Arlette Day and her husband, John, formed Day Murray Music in 1946. The name comes from the young couple’s last name and their hometown of Murray, Utah. They worked closely together and struggled in the years following World War II but persevered based on their commitment to each other, their... more
Susan M. Davis has fond memories of Les Paul and Mary Ford coming over to her house for dinner when she was a little girl. Her father was Gibson Guitar president Ted McCarty who signed Les Paul to a company contract and who introduced a line of electric guitars with Les Paul’s name on it. Susan... more
Birth Date: April 12, 1931
Deceased Date: July 25, 2020
Herbert David was often called upon when a guitar needed repair – especially when the guitar belonged Eric Clapton. Still, guitar repair was only a part of his business. Herb enjoys making “odd ball instruments” as he calls them, and was hired by the Smithsonian to create an ancient instrument they... more
Birth Date: May 25, 1921
Deceased Date: September 1, 2012
Hal David followed in the footsteps of his older brother Mack, who penned several popular songs in the 1930s and 40s. Hal worked hard to learn the craft and spent many years in and around the Brill Building in New York, which was the hub of music publishing in America at the time. After a number of... more
Birth Date: November 14, 1947
Deceased Date: September 24, 2016
Buckwheat Zydeco redefined and popularized the Cajun Zydeco movement in America and around the World. In doing so, he brought positive attention to the accordion. The instrument’s reputation had suffered greatly beginning in the late 1960s; however, pockets of creative and innovative musicians... more
Rick Young has spent over 20 years with Yamaha making several important contributions to the Pro Audio Division and Band Instrument Division. Rick has also played a vital role in the Music Achievement Council providing his background and passion for music to enhance successful programs and... more
Tom Oberheim is the inventor of the first polyphonic music synthesizer, who played a vital role in the establishment of MIDI standards back in the early 1980s. The Oberheim Company created a long list of innovative products, which remain sought-after as vintage instruments including the Oberheim 4... more
Jol Dantzig met Paul Hamer in college and played together in various bands before the two formed their own retail and teaching studio. They soon found themselves designing and building their own style of electric guitars and basses. With the help of two other friends, the Hamer Guitar Company was... more
Tom Dale was the original business partner and long time friend of luthier Mervyn Davis. Mervyn began building guitars in the 1970s and as the demand for his unique instruments grew so did the need to have a business partner who could help navigate the operation while he focused on the instruments... more
Birth Date: January 25, 1924
Deceased Date: June 15, 2016
Alan Dale, as a lover of swing music, found himself as a radio station host in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graced the airwaves over several stations and along the way began approaching traveling artists for interviews to be played during his radio program. These interviews served as a strong... more