OH Taxonomy
Valerie Day became a pop star in the 1980s when she and her husband formed the band Nu Shooz. Their first big hit, "I Can't Wait" helped define the synth-heavy sound of the era, as well as establish the band as a hit maker. They charged with several other songs and continue to record and perform...
Rodgers Jenkins is the founder of the Rodgers Instrument Corp., based outside of Portland Oregon. Under Rodgers leadership, the company developed a strong engineering team that created many firsts for the church and home organ, as well as holding dozens of patents for their innovations. While...
John R. Smith and his wife, Valerie Day, formed the 1980s pop band Nu Shooz, which charted several hits and helped established the synth sound of that decade. As a kid, John played guitar and dreamed of being a rock star. He soon discovered that he had a talent as an arranger and songwriter,...
Dick Schalk began working for the Rodgers Instrument Corp. in the 1970s when the Hillsboro, Oregon company was independently owned, then sold to CBS Musical Instruments. He remained with the company, within the engineering department, through a few different owners and presidents until his...
Roger Giffin is a master guitar luthier whose guitars have been played by musicians around the world. He began building guitars as a teenager in London and went on to work for Gibson in the Custom Shop in Los Angeles. In addition, he has created his own line of instruments under the Giffin name...
Brad Boynton is the founder of Rhythm Traders Drum Shop in Portland, Oregon. He saw his passion for the drums develop as early as four years old and it has always been a source of true happiness. While studying anthropology in college, Brad traveled to Africa and lived with drum makers, which...
Brian Setzer nearly single handedly brought back the popularity of the rockabilly electric guitar sound that was first established by Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's first guitarist. Brian was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program within a month of Scotty Moore's passing in the summer of...
Toni Buffa and her husband, Jerry, purchased Lemur Music from the founders in 1995. The fun name of the business comes from the first names of the couple who started the store in 1964, Leah and Murray (Lea-Mur) Grodner. Toni and Jerry grew the business to include more accessories as well as their...
Alan Sanderson cut his teeth as a recording engineer while working for Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, California. The opportunity gave Alan key skills in working in a large recording studio, which came in handy when Michael Jackson was looking to record a full choir for his HIStory album. Along...
Jocko Marcellino and eleven college friends formed a doo wop group in the late 1960s called Sha Na Na. Their hope was to keep the doo wop sounds of the 1950s alive and well in the ever changing rock era. They performed at Woodstock in 1969, which led to recording contracts, a television series (...