OH Taxonomy
Marcus Ryle began his career in the industry as an engineer for Oberheim while he was still a teenager. In those pre MIDI days, Marcus designed a series of sound controllers as well as providing several modifications to the company’s synthesizers. He later co-founded Fast Forward in 1985 with...
Jean Larrivee fell in love with the guitar as a young boy growing up in Canada during the folk craze of the 1960s. He imagined a unique sound for an acoustic guitar and set out to create a handcrafted instrument that would produce that sound. The more guitars Jean created, the more demand he seemed...
Don Johnson received his degree in journalism and later landed the editor’s job at a recording industry trade magazine. Years later the magazine was sold to the owners of the Music Merchandise Review (MMR). Under Don’s editorial direction the magazine has focused on music dealers with profiles...
Bob Seidman was born a salesman! Bob knew he loved selling before he was a teenager. One of his early jobs was selling women’s undergarments, but soon his attention turned to musical instruments in the early days of rock and roll. He worked for the jobber Lipsky before opening his own wholesale...
Robert Morrison was fully involved with marching band and percussion in school and into college, where he studied music education. His involvement with school bands and music education landed him the job at Pearl Drums to help build the marching and concert band division, which he began to do in...
Kimberly Lewis grew up in the industry, first with her father’s ShoBud retail store in Nashville and later with his cable and accessories business known the world over as George L’s. Kimberly enjoyed her childhood being surrounded by country legends such as Roy Acuff, whom she also referred to as...
Skip Maggiora has revolutionized retailing within the music products industry. With his Weekend Warriors program a whole new segment of the population was being targeted to become music makers–that of the middle aged. The success of the program and his willingness to share his ideas with other...
Rick Young has spent over 20 years with Yamaha making several important contributions to the Pro Audio Division and Band Instrument Division. Rick has also played a vital role in the Music Achievement Council providing his background and passion for music to enhance successful programs and...
Russell Lindquist joined his uncle’s piano store in Iowa in his early 20s, and soon discovered his love of the business. He especially loved selling. Russell opened a Hammond Organ dealership in Houston, Texas, during the boom of the B-3 and the home organ era. Over the years he created several...
John Musselman has enjoyed a long and successful career in the music industry with Selmer, Leblanc and American. His zeal for the industry and understanding of international markets have proven to be a key factor in the growth of the companies he has been involved with over the years. Along the way...