OH Taxonomy
Jeremy Payne first played clarinet in the school music program as a kid before switching to trumpet. That experience brought to light a true passion for music, which was further embedded when Jeremy began working at a local music store. Generations Music was a great training ground for Jeremy and...
Diane Sparks and her brother, Donnie, formed a successful singing group in the 1960s. Donnie & Diane performed and recorded a string of hits, most written by Donnie. Diane's husband, Roger Sparks, played lead guitar in the Donnie and Diane band from 1968 to 1974. The Donnie and Diane band was...
Nicko McBrain joined the heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden in 1982 and has been an active endorsee of musical products since that time. Nicko can often be seen at a NAMM booth or on the floor posing for a photograph. Over the years, he has endorsed Premier Drums, but since the early 2010’s he has...
Perry Owoo has always had a real love and passion for music, so it did not surprise any of his family and friends when he opened up a music store in 2014. The store is located in his hometown of Accra in Ghana. Perry has focused on providing solutions to those who buy from him so he named his store...
Robert Scovill is a 35-year veteran of professional concert sound and recording and has mixed over 3,500 events in his career. His engineering and production talents have been enlisted by a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of marquee music acts including Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Matchbox Twenty,...
Roger Sparks started teaching guitar lessons in the wake of the Beatles boom in 1964. Just four years later he and his wife, Diane, opened Sparks Music in Arkansas City, Kansas. In 1974, the store held its grand opening at its current location of 315 South Summit in Arkansas City. The couple had...
Bogdan Tesla is related to the physicist Nikola Tesla, who was born in the village of Smiljan, Austrian Empire (today that area is part of Croatia). Bogdan was in the military, but found that during the civil war he was being asked to fight against his own family. He left the service and...
Robert Riedel sat down for his NAMM Oral History interview in January 2018 and spoke in depth about the steel guitar. As a steel guitar musician, Robert was influenced by the giants of the instrument including Speedy West, Jody Carver, Alvino Rey, and Buddy Emmons. Throughout his interview, Robert...
Honoring Bernie Capicchiano for his invaluable service in assisting the NAMM Resource Center in obtaining fantastic interview contributions to the NAMM Oral History Program. This video contains some of the highlight interviews that Bernie helped us gather. Thank you Bernie!
Jim Fahey adds a unique twist to many of the tours he provides as a docent for the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music. Growing up in the 1960s, Jim understands the impact music has on social issues. As a result of this, sociology and the impact of music on culture has been a part of his...