OH Taxonomy
Keith LeBlanc was one of the first drummers who used his funk music background to create beats that helped popularize hip-hop music. Keith was there in the beginning and while working for Sugar Hill Records worked with many of the pioneers of hip-hop including The Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash...
Andrea Young is the daughter of jazz trombonist James “Trummy” Young. As a child, she rode in the band bus with her father who at the time was a member of Louie Armstrong’s All Stars. As the group toured, Andrea met many musical icons and referred to many of the legendary performers that she knew...
Paul Riser Sr. was given important musical training when he was in school, which helped set the direction of his career as a trombonist and later as an arranger. He was hired as a trombonist to join the famous studio musicians at Motown Records. He soon began arranging charts for the group and...
John Green began installing pipe organs when he was still in school and fell in love with not only the technical process but in the reaction of the customers. He worked in a music store in Newport Beach, California before being hired by Rodgers Musical Instrument Company in 1976. He was with the...
Steve Savanyu is the founder and executive producer for Buford T. Hedgehog Productions. His passion for providing sound systems for events goes back to his high school days and led to a 20-year career with Audio-Technica. He served as the Director of Educational Services and assisted with special...
Jim Wilson incorporates his experiences as a gigging musician (he formed a duo in college and later played a Fender P-Bass in several rock bands) into the work he does as a piano technician. Being able to understand the needs of professional performers has allowed Jim to relate to and be trusted by...
David Slan took three years of piano lessons when he was growing up before switching to guitar. He was heavily influenced by rock and roll and played in bands throughout high school and college. David’s original goal was to become a lawyer but after school he decided that it wasn’t for him. While...
Marvin Blickenstaff has had an indelible mark on countless music students of all ages over his long career. As an educator he taught at the college level and has provided thousands of workshops, clinics and masterclasses on many aspects of music, especially in the field of pedagogy. As a method...
Fred Parris grew up close to the Apollo Theater in New York where he was able to see many of the top acts in music. These experiences sparked a passion which led to his singing in several of the popular rhythm and blues groups of the 1950s (Fred prefers the term R&B Groups vs the term Doo-Wop...
O’Lyn Callahan has played the piano since she was eight years old and started on organ at age twelve after receiving a Hammond B3 from her father. She came in third place at a Yamaha organ competition in 1973 (which took place at a NAMM Show) which resulted in her getting a job as a touring organ...