OH Taxonomy
Elvin Bishop was inspired to play the guitar because as an early teen he noticed that the girls at the dance seemed to always hang out with the guitarist! When he discovered the blues, he was hooked, as he had found the style of music he felt could best express his feelings. Over his long and...
Gordon Grubbs grew up in a very musical home. His mother was a professional pianist and was very encouraging to Gordon when he was three and wanted to play. Gordon was later guided by a very influential teacher, which was an experience that forever cemented his own direction in music. He studied...
Paula Simmons wanted to create a shop where good quality instruments could be accessible to all those who came in the store. As a teacher, Paula was very interested in providing lessons for students of all ages. She tied both needs together when she and her partner, Kevin Smith,opened The Violin...
Rick Estrin and Charles Baty started playing blues together and decided to form a group in 1976. They brought in two other players and called themselves Little Charlie & the Nightcats. They began touring and soon began to feature at many of the top blues festivals. Ten years later they cut...
Dan Rodowicz was encouraged at an early age to play music. His parents arranged piano lessons, which led to trombone, which was the instrument of his beloved uncle. Dan was influenced by the music around him growing up in Philadelphia, which inspired him to play the organ. In 1976 he won a local...
Lori Frazer’s mother taught piano and organ, which was the foundation for her own passion for music. When Lori was a small child, her mother purchased a piano for the home, which later would serve Lori for her own training. Like many people in Northern California in the 1950s and 60s, Lori and...
John Fitzgerald focused on making creative music ever since his education at Cal Arts in the late 1970s. As his career developed, all of his experiences brought John directly to Remo Belli’s programs for Recreational Music Making (RMM). Remo helped pioneer music wellness programs and the many...
Genett Gamber was passionate about music making from a very young age. She recalls her mother arranged to have a piano teacher come to the house and being so excited about learning as much as she could. That desire and passion only grew over time and by the time she graduated from college; she...
Antonio Ferranti is the Vice President of Sales for Alfred Music in Van Nuys, California and a wonderful example of the passion and dedication for music that has such a positive effect on our industry. In the early part of his career he worked in music retail, a music publisher and a music...
Andrew Surmani was always interested in both music and business. His parents owned their own business and even in high school while in the band, Andrew took care of the books for the band. A friend later told him about an opening at Alfred Music in Van Nuys, California. One of his first jobs was...