FEATURES
FEATURES
America the Beautiful 2010 has been a good year for American patriotism. And we don’t just mean annual rituals such as the Fourth of July.
Not Doubting Thomas
Mendello Retires, Thomas Named Fender CEO Former Guitar Center CEO Larry Thomas has a new gig: CEO at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
The ‘Spin’ on the DJ Market Whether your store carries a full line of DJ products, just a few or none at all, it’s hard to dispute that these products have carved a major indentation in the MI marketplace.
Music City Mystery Summer NAMM had many highlights, but attendance dropped 4 percent compared to last year. The future of the show is a topic on many minds.
The Canadians’ Club Changes galore took place at this year’s installment of the MIAC show in Toronto. The date changed to May. The location changed. Why were the adjustments made? Did the alterations work?
Floyd Rose Sued Geoffrey McCabe, an inventor and guitarist, has sued Floyd Rose Guitars and distributor Davitt & Hanser Music for patent infringement.
Pay It Forward! You’ve heard enough bad news. We take a look at the fantastic things happening in MI today.
-‘MIM is the Word The Musical Instrument Museum opened in Phoenix to a lot of fanfare. Rebecca Apodaca, an expert on antique instruments, gives you a rundown of the latest thing to hit MI.
-‘Loud and Clear Pro audio products continue to sell. We get the scoop from four top manufacturers.
-‘Open Door’ Policy NAMM makes a big change by allowing member-invited guests on the last day of Summer NAMM.
-Musikmesse A-107K! Attendance at Musikmesse and Pro Light + Sound dipped slightly, but optimism was up.
-It’s in the Cards ! You need to have PCI DSS-compliant terminals to handle credit card transactions by July 1. What are we talking about? Don’t worry, we’ll explain.
-Unplugged Acoustic guitar sales grew dramatically in 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Is this the beginning of a new trend?
-Head of the Class! We shine the spotlight on many of the new companies that launched at NAMM.
-Musicorp Mourns Mike Murphy We honor the sale rep’s life that ended way too soon.
-Is a New Healthcare Plan Just Snake Oil? We take a thorough look at how a new public healthcare plan can affect you and your employees. ?
-Bonanza! Behringer Buys Bosch Brands Behringer’s parent company added the Midas and Klark Teknik brands to its stable.
-The Stars Will Come Out…This Weekend We highlight a few of the celebrity appearances at NAMM.
-What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been!!! We reminisce as we close out the first decade of the new millennium. It was a tough 10 years for many. How about for the music industry though? What’s ahead?
-It’s Voting Time! Here are your nominees for the 24th annual Music & Sound Awards.
-Here We Come to Save the Day!!We provide a plethora of accessories that manufacturers assure you will provide excellent margins.
-For Those Who Make Lesser Publicized Instruments, We Salute You!!For the first time, we pay tribute to instruments and products that get little press coverage. We provide a well-deserved spotlight for these products!

-Kathy How:Now here’s a story you don’t hear connected to MI every day. A woman who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, studied medicine and later moved to England.
-Sarah Heil:We’ve all heard the stories about people beginning in the mailroom and later becoming the CEO of a major corporation. Those people are rare, but it does happen.
-Sue Avant is a trailblazer. She’s also someone who
has varied interests. And she is, indeed, formidable.
-Mary Ann Giorgio It sure sounds like a great job to cover soap operas like Days of our Lives and speak to celebrities on a daily basis. But MXL’s Mary Ann Giorgio was never comfortable in that industry. She sure is comfortable at MXL Microphones though.
-Fusion Bags For the first time, we feature multiple people in this column. We look at the genesis and growth of the all-women founded business, Fusion Bags.
-Linda Arink is one of the very few female executives at a DJ company. Learn how she became involved and why she hopes we won’t even need to have a column about top industry females in the future.
-Debbe Stephenson stumbled upon MI shortly after college, but is sure glad she did. She’s now president and COO of Pro Co Sound.
-• Mary Peavey
-• Jennifer Tabor
-• Tarina Dunwoodie
-• Stacey Montgomery-Clark.
-• Cathy Duncan
-• Bee Bantug
-• Dale Krevens
-• Melanie Ripley
-• Susan Grund
-• Toby Nady
-• Shawna von Behren.
-• Berenice Chauvet
-• Sue Kincade
-• Tish Ciravolo
-• Vikki Hayward
-• Roxana Ramirez
-• Susan Lipp

M&SR: When did you first become interested in drumming?
English: It was Willie who switched me to drums in 1956. My brother, Oliver, was performing on a show with Willie on a radio station in Fort Worth, Texas. They needed a drummer for one show during the middle of the day, and I was available because all the drummers everybody knew were at work. I ran my own business and I could easily take time off during the day. All I could do was count one, two, three, four on a snare drum, but I knew how to keep a beat from my music training. I’m proud that my first and only job playing drums has been playing for Willie Nelson.

M&SR: What is it like being a member of Willie Nelson’s band, and having him as one of your closest friends for over 50 years?
English: Willie is extremely loyal, and that’s one of his many attributes. Willie’s not worried about having the greatest musicians on earth—or else he wouldn’t have me around—but he wants to have somebody around like me who he likes. He was gracious enough to model the concept album “Me and Paul” after our friendship. We’ve been friends for life, and I appreciate his friendship more than I can say.

M&SR: What are your favorite drums?
English: Lately I’ve been playing just a snare drum onstage with Willie, to go along with his recent stripped-down sound. I’m using a chrome Rogers Dynasonic snare, and a custom-made wooden Tommy Winkler snare—he’s a custom drum builder out of Nashville. Both of the snares have that very high, crisp sound I like...they sound alive. I barely touch them, and they just sing.

M&SR: What are some other percussion brands that you like?
English: I really like the vintage Rogers stuff. And years ago, Gretsch gave me a set to play, but I didn’t like the hardware. I called up Craig Gretsch and told him what I didn’t like, and they changed it up for me to where it became the set I toured with for about 30 years.

M&SR: Have you ever owned or played a set of electronic drums?
English: Years ago, I picked up one of those sets...it may have been an old Simmons or Roland set. It was four large pads, and you could set them to sound like anything. Willie came by to see me and I played them for him, and we both agreed that they sounded synthetic, which they are. There’s just nothing like playing on a wood drum kit.

M&SR: What other equipment do you choose?
English: I use Vic Firth brushes and Pro-Mark sticks. I really like the quality, the selection, and the prices of both companies.

M&SR: What is your music instrument dealer of choice?
English: Guitar Center is just about my favorite. There are many specialty dealers all of us shop with, but we just really like Guitar Center. They’re very nice people there, and when I buy guitars for Willie and the band to sign to give to charities, they give us a great deal on them. Really any time we buy, we try to find a Guitar Center.

M&SR: Is there anything music instrument makers can do to make the products better?
English: You know, I’m amazed at how good the instruments are now. They’ve come so far and everything across the board is getting so much better. Even with cymbals.

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