OH Taxonomy
Michael “Omar” Omartian recalled always having a fascination with music growing up and quickly got involved by taking drum, accordion, and piano lessons as a child. Omar had the opportunity to play keyboard on the first Loggins and Messina records, worked with Hal Blain of the Wrecking Crew, and...
Paul Decker found his passion for music while learning to play the drums as a child and growing up in his dad’s music store, which he eventually purchased from him. The current location was established in 1999 and one of Paul’s favorite aspects is all the old guitars that are on display which is a...
Clint Strait was born in Austin, TX and is the 3rd generation to work for the Strait Music Company. Clint is carrying on his family’s tradition of great customer service and selection to provide the community with a one-stop store for all their music instrument needs. Always looking towards the...
George Mantoan got his start in music by playing in a rock and roll band. He took his knowledge of music products and ran a successful music store in downtown Chicago. He also offered credit to musicians in the area that needed to finance instruments, and would go around to local clubs on Saturday...
Angela Currier was asked to leave her day job in order to assist her her husband, Cliff, run the family music store. While at first Angela was disappointed to leave her career, she soon fell in love with the store and its customers. Angela and her husband, Cliff, are still involved in the shop...
John Logan became hooked on the Folk music craze and picked up the banjo as a result of the inspiration he felt from the genre. While attending the University of Tennessee, he formed a folk trio that became rather popular on campus. That group went on to tour and perform with Fred Waring and the...
Bobby Bare Sr. began writing songs as a teenager and landed a hit record with the talking blues song "All American Boy" in 1958 when Bobby was just 18 years old. He followed that recording with several other hits including "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home." During his NAMM interview,...
Laura Whitmore’s passion for music began at a young age, learning to play guitar and writing songs as a teenager. She attended Hofstra University where she earned a B.S. in Music Merchandising and an MBA in Marketing. Laura worked for CBS Records and Korg, where she rose through the ranks of...
Chris Syllaba grew up in Washington D.C. and found music throughout the city during his childhood years. He soon found a position within Jordan Kitt’s Music store in 1984 and rose through the ranks to his current position as the President and CEO. During his Oral History interview at the 2017 NAMM...
Brian Reardon, owner of Monster Music in Levittown, New York, got his start manufacturing record racks to house albums and songbooks in record stores. One of his customers was Monster Music. Brian went on to eventually purchase Monster Music in 2005 and discovered his love for music retail. About a...