OH Taxonomy
Vinny Appice began playing drums at a young age, just like his older brother Carmine. Vinny played drums ever since the age of eight and by age sixteen he was working with John Lennon! His influential career developed in the 1970s with a series of albums, and by 1980 joined the rock band Black...
Hector Olivera was born in Argentina where he studied organ with his father, a noted church organist. In 1965 Hector studied at Julliard School of Music and soon after that began providing concerts within the music industry to demonstrate the latest electronic development for organ as well as...
Rosemary D’Andrea has always been interested in art and in fact had a series of galleries in and around Long Island, New York. So when her husband, the president of the D’Andrea Guitar Pick Company asked for her help in designing products and marketing materials, she was hooked! Rosemary had the...
Chuck Silverman began playing drums at an early age and realized he had a passion for playing as well as teaching. He enjoyed explaining his Afro-Caribbean rhythmic-centered style and soon found that he was being asked to teach this style to others. Over his career he has written several important...
Gary Bennett entered the music products industry in 1964 working for Chesbro Music in Idaho. At the time of his NAMM Oral History interview, taped during the NAMM Show in January 2012, Gary was still proudly working for Chesbro. During the 1970s Gary played a vital role in their becoming the...
Dom Famularo is a regular attendee at the NAMM Shows and can often be found demonstrating products he endorses or talking about his latest method book or educational DVD. Dom’s passion for music making has made him one of the music industry’s most sought-after speakers, clinicians and teachers. He...
Carol Sides married into the Robert M. Sides Music Center family in the 1960s and soon became an important part of the company’s educational programs and music therapy activity. She worked long and hard to build up the local community bands and symphony orchestra as well as creating support for...
Jerry Donegan began his career in the music industry in October, 1966, when his brother arranged for him to get a job in the shipping department of the Zildjian Cymbal Company. He found that early experience in the shipping department was a wonderful training ground in learning about the company’s...
Charles Avsharian is the CEO of Shar Musical Products, which he established in 1962 along with his brother, Michael. The brothers toured for years as professional musicians and along with their father formed a small business to provide instruments and accessories to their friends and fellow...
Marty Albertson began working at the Guitar Center in San Francisco when the small chain’s founder, Wayne Mitchell, was still active in the business. Marty was there to see the store locations expand and grow and was very much a part of the executive branch of the company when it was first offered...