OH Taxonomy
Mel Wisniewski gave music lessons in a small music store in upstate Wisconsin and soon discovered he was interested in the idea of owning his own store. Not wanting to compete with his friend, Mel and his brother, Joe, moved to Southern Illinois where they established Wisniewski Brother’s Music in...
Lloyd Stark began his career in the music industry as a teacher in a small string shop in Berkeley, California, providing lessons on bluegrass instruments such as the guitar and banjo. With little experience as a salesman, Lloyd applied for a job at Coast Wholesale in the San Francisco Bay Area....
Paul Shelden was a Professor Emeritus in Music for Brooklyn College and both studied and taught music at Juilliard, beginning on clarinet and saxophone, but branching into electronic music on which he focused his doctorate. While teaching, Paul was introduced to the idea of improving on the sound...
Amy Mao teamed with Dr. Paul Shelden in 2004 to create a new line of band instruments. With the growing technology available in China, Amy and Paul set out to produce the finest musical instrument possible within the setting of a manufacturing factory. With an eye for detail, Amy produced the...
Bruce Zinky loves playing guitar, but even at a young age he realized he enjoyed modifying instruments for himself and his friends. The Fender custom shop hired him in the early 1990s to work on guitar amplifiers. With a few design ideas of his own, Bruce set out to create his own company, which...
Leland Sklar may be among the top recorded bass players in history. As a studio and film score composer, Leland has recorded with countless performers and for top rated movies since his career began in the 1960s. His album work includes sessions with Reba McEntire, Bette Midler, Graham Nash,...
Lyndon Laney built his first amplifier in his father’s garden shed with little thought of turning his craft into a business. That was the case until his friends began requesting his amps. His creative side fueled his passion for manufacturing and the Laney Amplification Company was born. Since...
Haruhiko Ikebe developed a novel way of approaching music retailing, creating Super Pro Shops that stock vintage and new instruments along with accessories and knowledgeable sales staff for a very specific item. In other words, Mr. Ikebe created a saxophone store, a guitar store, a flute store and...
Betty Meyer and her husband, Ted, decided that their teaching salaries were not enough to raise their family in the early 1960s so they decided to open a music store. It turned out to be a great idea! Their children were raised in the store and both Ted and Betty could serve their customer base in...
Susan Lipp has a background in the theater, which she has used to great success in running the pro-audio distribution company Full Compass. The company was formed by her husband, Jonathan, in 1977, and has since become an industry leader in pro-audio, pro-lighting and home engineering equipment....