David Slan

David Slan took three years of piano lessons when he was growing up before switching to guitar. He was heavily influenced by rock and roll and played in bands throughout high school and college. David’s original goal was to become a lawyer but after school he decided that it wasn’t for him. While working a management job at a pizzeria, David made the decision to quit his secure job to pursue a career in the music industry – starting as a guitar salesman at Byerly Music in Illinois. David would go on to work through the ranks at Byerly Music, ultimately purchasing a few Byerly Music stores of his own in 1981. He also opened up Steinway Piano Gallery in St. Louis in the early 1990s and a Wasington D.C. location in 2009. David helped to establish market development programs and voted to allow commercial members on the NAMM board while serving on the board himself in 1985.