OH Taxonomy
Takaki Maeda and his team were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Casio's Musical Instruments division while attending the NAMM Show in 2020. This special occasion was the perfect opportunity for us to sit down with Maeda-San for his NAMM Oral History interview. His perspective on the growth and...
John Waite was born in Lancaster, England and began playing ukulele at the age of four. In school he studied art and always felt that his music incorporated art at some level in addition to the music. In 1975 one of his first bands, The Babys, recorded a video that went along with their song and...
Fernando Jimenez partnered with his wife, Andrea Fernandez, to open a music store in Bolivia. The store opened in 2015 with the goal of providing the gear local musicians need, ranging from the latest pro audio gear to traditional stringed instruments. Fernando has a personal passion for developing...
Suzi Quatro was six years old when she saw Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show and had what she calls her “lightbulb moment,” knowing that was what she was going to do with her life. She started playing bass at 14 when her sisters formed an all-female garage band called The Pleasure...
DJ Evil E was thirteen years old when he heard the pioneering artist Grandmaster Flash, which inspired E to get his own turntable rig. As a young DJ, Evil E was inspired by a performance in Los Angeles by Ice T. As it turned out the two would meet and become collaborators on many musical projects...
Paul Gallo is proud of the contributions his magazines have provided the music industry. His first endeavor in 1975 was publishing Modern Recording, a hobbyist magazine that gained the attention and respect of professional engineers. Just three years later, Paul and his cousin, Vinny Testa,...
DJ Rhettmatic entered into the hip-hop world as a dancer (popping) and as a graffiti artist but quickly moved over to the DJ side. As a member of The Beat Junkies he won ITF World Team DJ titles in 1997 and 1998 as well as DMC West Coast champion in 1996. He was featured in the cult classic...
Mark Spring was presented the 2020 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication and contribution to lighting design. His incredible career began on tour with Def Leppard and continued to include some of the most successful tours of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Mark is always looking...
DJ Arabian Prince had to get creative with his overprotective mother. He figured out that by utilizing his new interest in DJing he could be the first at a party and the last to leave while his mother would drive him around and be able to keep an eye on him. As he DJ’d at dances and skating rinks...
Philip Bynoe was encouraged to play his father’s upright bass, which developed into an amazing career in music. Philip attended Berklee College of Music and would play at night in clubs throughout New England. During the 1980s he helped form the band Flash and recorded with the likes of Steve Perry...