News
NAMM completes 1,000th history interview
Andy Barrett Jul 10 2008, 10:57am
Former NAMM president interviewed as association’s historian calls for more suggestions
NAMM has conducted the 1,000th interview of an industry laureate as part of the organization’s Oral History Programme. Dennis Houlihan, president of Roland US and past chairman of NAMM, was the 1,000th interviewee. A long-time supporter of the Oral History Programme, Houlihan spoke on camera about the many elements of his long career in the retail segment including his positions as a demonstration artist for organ companies, a sales manager and as a leading music product manufacturer.
Houlihan was interviewed by NAMM's historian and librarian, Dan Del fiorentino (pictured) and captured on video by NAMM's archivist and resource centre manager Tony Arambarri. “It’s a privilege and an honour to do this and congratulations to you and to the whole NAMM team for doing 999 of these interviews until now,” Houlihan said.
Under the guidance of former NAMM president and CEO, Larry Linkin, the Oral History programme started in 2000 when the first video interview was conducted with former Gibson Guitar president, Ted McCarty. The programme was and still is the only one of its kind in the global industry that has documented testimonials from many of the great music products industry leaders including Henry Steinway, Robert Moog, Hartley Peavey, Les Paul, and UK luminaries, such as Jim Marshall, Cliff Cooper, Michael Doughty, Larry Westland and others.
“This industry is driven by passion more often than by money,” said Del Fiorentino.
“The personal interest people have for their industry and past is much more apparent in this industry than just about any you can name. Therefore, efforts to talk to mentors, leaders and heroes, for which there are many, is as much a historic project as it is an emotional one for those who care about music and music making.”
Of the 1,000 interviews, 250 clips have been posted so far for the public to view at www.namm.org/resource-center/oral-history-project. Interview subjects were selected from the entire breadth of the industry and include retailers, suppliers, sales representatives, publishers, instrument designers and innovators, corporate founders and leading performers whose taste and purchasing decisions shaped the public’s buying habits.
Quotes from the interview collection have been published in numerous books, referenced by dozens of mainstream media reporters, and used in presentations to industry organizations and at NAMM trade shows over the years. Altogether, the collection comprises more than 1,500 hours of video footage.
Del Fiorentino told MI Pro that he was keen to hear from MI Pro readers who wanted to submit their ideas of others who they feel should be included. “It would be our honour to expand the collection with such ideas and recommendations,” he said.
