OH Taxonomy
Jesus "Jet" Fernando opened a small music retail store with his wife, Elizabeth, in their native Philippines. Elizabeth grew up in her parents store across town and knew the business side of the store while Jet offered the technical knowhow that was needed in providing customer service such as...
Leo Saleh was the very first person from Indonesia to be included in the NAMM Oral History program, which was an honor for us! His father enjoyed playing piano and Leo recalls music all around him as he grew up. Leo’s sister began teaching piano and had more than 80 students when their father...
Wes Dooley is the founder of Audio Engineering Associates (AEA) and the inventor of the company’s product line of ribbon microphones. As product engineer, Wes brought his experiences in radio and as a recording engineer to focus on the needs of the market as well as what microphones work and what...
Sivamani has become the lead drummer and percussionist for India’s renowned film composer, AR Rahman, and as a result has gained a following among young musicians. Sivamani provides his strong feelings towards the power of music and the importance of practicing to all those who seek advice from...
Vic Flick is perhaps best known for a little lick he recorded on guitar for the movie James Bond! His fascinating career as a musician, which dates back to the late 1950s, was captured beautifully in his book Vic Flick Guitarman: From James Bond to The Beatles and Beyond, which was published in...
Todd Rundgren was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program the same day he was presented with inducted into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame. His visit to the NAMM show was his first in many years, however back in the 1970s and 80s Todd was often seen as a product endorser for string and guitar...
Masaru Sawano began playing guitar as a young student when he first heard the Beatles. He took a liking to music and the first job he took after college is the one he still has, working for Japan Music Trades. Although today he is president of the magazine and he started out as a part time...
Mark Dronge was the President of DR Strings and a veteran of the music products industry, having been involved since he was four years old in his father’s retail store! Mark recalled the accordion boom of the 1940s in his father’s store, which was sold in 1948. The money his father made in...
Leo Coco is a senior policy advisor at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in the firm’s Washington DC office and for many years has worked with NAMM’s government relations team to advocate for access to quality music education programs. He has played a vital role in representing music...
Mike Huckabee served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007. He was a candidate for the 2008 presidential primaries and currently hosts a program on Fox News. He is also a musician and strong supporter of music education. He has made music advocacy a main topic in many of his roles over...