OH Taxonomy
Bruce Howze is the founder of Community Professional Loudspeakers, which he established in 1968 after being asked to provide sound for such venues as the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Bruce designed the first midrange sound system and later toured with rock and roll bands to test out his...
Joey Welz was a member of Bill Haley’s Comets as well as Link Wray’s Wray Men. He played piano in the early days of Rockabilly for Bat Records with his own group as well as with The Jay Rockers. While in the Army in Germany in the early 1960s, Joey became a recording engineer for the Armed Forces...
David Duane took over as President of McMillan Music when his uncle, Don McMillan, retired in 2017. David grew up in the business as his mother, Don’s sister, brought young David to the factory at a young age. David has been involved ever since, not just filling orders of the band and orchestra...
Sally Duane was born the same year her brother started McMillan Music outside of Philadelphia. She is the epitome of “growing up” in the business and has early memories of filling bottles of the company’s valve oil and containers of cork grease for mouthpieces. She stayed on when the company moved...
Jimmy Bruno has had a long and influential career as a jazz guitarist and played with many top performers including Buddy Rich and Joe Beck. Jimmy also wrote several method books for Mel Bay which have inspired and encouraged musicians for decades. Over the years he has also formed long lasting...
Thomas Dolby was a champion of early synthesizers and used them often during his performances as a pop star beginning in the 1980s. For example, his 1982 hit “She Blinded Me with Science” incorporates several synths including the MiniMoog and the Simmons Drum Machine. Always looking for ways to...
Chris Mulkey is a well-respected actor who has appeared on hundreds of movies and television programs dating back to the mid-1970s. Chris is also a passionate music maker who has carried his guitar to most of his movie sets and even incorporated his playing into several movies over the years. Chris...
Tim Dawson was inspired by his mother, a band director. All of her children played a musical instrument and Tim found the trombone! After serving as a band director for three years, Tim found an opportunity at Paige’s Music to continue his passion for music while helping to develop band programs at...
John Stoner came into the music products industry as an outsider when he joined the Conn-Selmer team in the early 2000s. As a father of a band student, he took part in fundraising and supporting his daughter's musical education while, at the same time, understanding the importance of music in a...
Beth Houlihan often reflects on the important role her mother played in establishing the family owned music store along with her father in 1974. Beth took note of the way her mother kept the books and worked with customers and suppliers, which has served her as President of Kidder Music. She has...