OH Taxonomy
Honoring Jim Funada for his invaluable service in assisting the NAMM Resource Center in obtaining fantastic interview contributions to the NAMM Oral History Program.
This video contains some of the highlight interviews that Jim helped us gather over the years. Thanks Jim!
Kurt Zentmaier fondly recalls the stories his father told him on how the family music store was established back in 1959. Rondo Music’s first location was right outside of New York City and soon developed a strong business known for its customer service. The full line store gained a reputation...
Ellis Seal was working for an aerospace company, working long hours and never having the time to spend with his family or his hobby of guitar building. In 1998 he opened his own company and said goodbye to his aerospace career to focus on his dream. Ellis took an interest in composite structures...
Kevin Rindlisbacher is a passionate music maker who has enjoyed his role in music retail providing musical instruments to bring music into the lives of others. He was a kid when his father opened a small repair shop in the chicken coop in the backyard. As the repairs built into a store business,...
Alex Hsieh is the CEO of P.Mauriat Paris, a brass instrument maker in Taiwan that specializes in saxophones, trumpets and accessories. Their saxophone line of instruments are inspired by the late French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat (1925-2006) who was known in America for a series of pop...
Dave Froker began playing guitar as a teenager and after working in another industry saw an ad in Guitar Player Magazine for a job opening at DigiDesign. He enjoyed his work with that company and the team before starting a small company with Peter Gotcher called Topspin. While the company did not...
Tess Taylor is the president of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), which is one of the largest music business networks in the world. Tess formed the association in 1998 to bring the industry together and to serve educational and professional needs around the world...
Ernie Isley was born into a very musical family and grew up with his older brothers forming a group and singing gospel. When Ernie was 14 years old he played drums as a member of the famed Isley Brothers and by 1968 taught himself to play guitar. He arranged several of the groups cover songs and...
Greg Koch is well known in guitar circles for his series of method books that have encouraged thousands to play or to improve their playing abilities! Among his most noted books are “Blues Guitar,” “Guitar Licks, and the three-book set of “Guitar Method”,all published by Hal Leonard. As a...
Smokey Robinson! The man changed popular music! He brought a common, streetwise approach to his lyrics, which were embraced by millions of people the world over who related to his messages of longing, love and second chances. Smokey conveyed in words and music what many of us felt and wanted to...