OH Taxonomy
Linda Vincent worked for a short time at the NAMM headquarters, which is where she met her husband, the late John Vincent, who at the time was Director of Trade Shows. We missed our chance to interview John for the Oral History program as he passed away in 2013. However, Linda was thankfully able...
Tim Laskey founded the Wyman Piano Company. After a long and successful career with some of the top names in the music industry, such as Wurlitzer and Baldwin, Tim wanted to introduce a new line of pianos to the market. The Wyman instruments are manufactured with state of the art advances in Asia...
Bill Hollingshead enjoyed a long and successful career as a concert and live events booking agent as well as a director and producer for many years. He worked for Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California as well as many other venues. He was there when rock and roll started and played a key role...
Mike Anderson remembers hanging out with his best friend in the 8th grade and hearing him play an original song. Mike was hooked and wanted to focus on music and worked on it every day. Over the years he began writing music and picked up the bass, his first from Sears. A contracted artist at age...
Bob Knight came into the music industry right after World War II and watched instruments slowly make their way back into the music stores. He was hired by CG Conn and enrolled in their band repair school, which was filled mostly with former soldiers, as Bob recalled. The Conn Company asked Bob to...
Robert Cray walked into his local music store as a kid and dreamed of owning his own Fender Stratocaster. After years of playing the blues, his career took off to the point that Fender approached him to create a Robert Cray model Stratocaster, which thrilled him to no end. He was also honored to...
Anthony J. Cirone, the percussionist, author, composer and educator, stresses the importance of creating a strong work ethic to his students in hopes that it will prove an invaluable trait no matter the career. He notes that as an educator, it is vital to not only develop your students as...
Sheila E sat down for her NAMM Oral History interview to discuss the importance of music and music education, as well as her early musical experiences. She has always believed her earliest exposure to music, such as watching her father and his friends, proved integral in her development as an...
Ray Edenton played guitar on hundreds of recordings as part of the famed Nashville studio band known as the A Team. He grew up in a musical family with his grandfather playing fiddle and being encouraged to play music at a young age. In fact, he was performing in front of audiences by the time...
Phil Rich remembers sitting on the couch with his mother, who was a nurse during the day and a songwriter in her spare time, as she wrote songs. His band directed the music at their church and as a result, he always had the passion for playing music. He played guitar at an early age and into high...