OH Taxonomy
AR Rahman can be thought of as the Quincy Jones of Indian Music! His love and passion for music began when he was exposed to electronic keyboards thanks to his father. He was proud to be among the first in India to purchase many early synthesizers including the Yamaha DX-7. As he grew as an...
David Garibaldi is the innovative drummer for Tower of Power and a much respected clinician well known throughout the world. He joined the group in 1970 just as they signed Bill Graham on as their manager. Before long the group was recording and landed several hits on the charts. David’s skills...
Ed Cornett was hired by Yamaha to head the team in charge of creating the DX7. His story of the long hours, creative and innovative team members and the support of the company uncover the key elements that came together to create one of the most successful musical instruments of its time. Ed grew...
Dewey Kuhn grew up listening to his grandmother playing the organ, which she did in her younger days accompanying silent movies. His passion grew as he learned to play. Dewey worked with the men who would later form Hal Leonard Publishing Company, with organ man Crane Bodine, and with Baldwin...
Dave Biro became fascinated with electronic music the second he watched Rick Wakeman perform in the late 1960s. He soon set off on an odyssey to create his own instrument. Dave worked to develop a synthesizer that would respond faster than those available at the time and increase the...
Robin Walenta attended the University of Northern Iowa and Middle Tennessee State University before joining West Music in 1982. She was named president/CEO of the company in 2007. She was appointed to the NAMM ExCom and has also served as a board member for the National Association of School Music...
Paul Siegel grew up in New York and was fascinated by the impressive record collection of his father, who turned Paul on to music. Paul later began playing drums, got a kit and played in area bands. His passion for music led him to attend the Drummers Collective school, which is where he met Rob...
Ed Cohen was booking and managing musical acts and even playing saxophone in a band when he first heard Dave Biro’s innovative synthesizer. This was in the early 1970s. Ed worked with Dave to establish a way to produce these instruments, which Dave proudly called the BiroTron. Ed played a vital...
Rocco Prestia grew up in Northern California where he began playing guitar as a teenager before joining the group Tower of Power just after the famous band was formed. It was during these early days when Rocco switched from guitar to bass, which provided a special groove as he mastered what many...
Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel formed DCI Publishing based on videos they recorded at their Drummers Collective School in New York. DCI soon became a pioneer in the field of video education and creatively expanded from drums and percussion to guitar and other popular musical instruments by some of the...