 Since the day she was born, music has been a significant part of Carol Calato's life. Her father, Joe, played drums and her mother always loved jazz. "When I was about 5 or 6, I used to love watching American Bandstand," she said. "I also loved to collect 45s. I'm still so involved in music that I'm the chairman of a jazz festival."
Joe began the Regal Tip brand under the larger J.D. Calato Manufacturing Co. in 1958. Joe Calato manufactured the first nylon-tipped drum stick. Musicians complained that drum sticks with wooden tips wore down too quickly. "He was playing drums about five nights a week and the tips of his sticks were chipping and wearing down. He was trying to save money; he was raising a young family. He first came up with the idea to cut a tip out of the plastic butt-end of a screwdriver. My dad is also a woodworker, so he was able to go into a shop. But the new stick sounded horrible on a cymbal. So he called an engineer friend of his and told him what he was looking for. The engineer recommended that my father try nylon. That's exactly what he did. He liked the way it sounded on a cymbal. He also found a way to attach it to a stick. That invention became known as Regal Tip drum sticks."
Carol Calato is vice president of Calato Manufacturing, but she also runs Regal Tip. Considering she grew up with music in her life and a father who started an MI company, working at Calato Manufacturing seems like it would be a slam dunk. Not so fast. Calato did do some work at the Calato factory, such as packing drum sticks, while she attended college. However, after graduating from college, Calato did not join the family business. She became a secondary-school English teacher instead. "I taught in the Niagara Falls (N.Y.) School District for two or three years," said Calato. "One summer, I was off from teaching and I came to work in the (Calato) office part time. I realized I really enjoyed the work I was doing. I grew up in this industry. With my background, I thought I would be a natural fit to work here. I asked my dad if I could come to work full time, and that's what I did. That was about 1973."
Before attending college, Calato had what some would call an exciting experience. Others might consider it dangerous. When she was 17, Calato served as an American Field Service exchange student in Ecuador. "It was a life-changing experience," she said. "I spent three months living with a family in Quito. But when I was there, there was an attempted revolution….Can you imagine what my parents must have thought at the time? I was 17 and they picked up the newspaper and read there was an attempted coup in Ecuador. They were immediately in touch with the American Field Services Department. They assured my parents I was safe. But there was rioting there. I was 17, so I found it exciting. But I'd be more nervous if I were in Latin America now and that happened."
Calato never regretted the decision of leaving teaching. "I like what I do. I look forward to coming to work every day. I have friends who continued their teaching careers and now are retired. I wouldn't want to be retired. I've had a very fulfilling life working in this business."
Being a minority as a female in our industry never crosses Calato's mind these days. But that wasn't always the case. "When I started in the industry, there were few women," Calato said. "I would run into some walls being a woman. When I first worked full time, I used to type up invoices. I knew every shipment that was going out. My father spent very little time in the office; he spent his time in the shop. We had one customer who would never talk to me. He would only talk to Joe. So, I had to run over the factory and bring Joe out. I was young and a boss' daughter, so it took some time to get respect. I have a photo I love that was taken at one of the first Modern Drummer weekends. The magazine got all the reps from the other percussion companies backstage at the end of the weekend to take a picture. There I am, the only woman, sitting in a chair surrounded by men. I look at that now and think, Hasn't this industry changed?"
Three is a Charm
Calato is not the only one who we could feature in Formidable Females. Her sister, Cathy Calato, runs J.D. Calato's other company, called Direct Music Supply. Cathy has been at the helm of Direct Music Supply for 25 years. And her niece, Michelle, served Direct Music Supply for 12 years before shifting gears to Regal Tip. She serves in many roles at Regal Tip, including artist relations assistance.
In addition to running a company and serving as a jazz festival chairman, Calato was named a member of the NAMM board of directors in 2010. She has been assigned to NAMM's Foundation committee. "We support after-school programs, in-school programs, community programs and more," said Calato. "Of course, all involve music education."
Calato is single and has no children. However, she has a Jack Russell terrier named Traps after the legend Buddy Rich. Her biggest hobby and passion is sailing. Fortunately, living in Niagara Falls gives Calato the opportunity to sail during the warm months, at least. "We have the Great Lakes nearby, so there is so much water in this area," she said. "I own a sailboat. It's a 20-foot Pearson. I sail on Lake Ontario about five months of the year."
Calato is also passionate about the August Lewiston Jazz Festival, of which she is both chairman of the board and co-music director. Now in its tenth year, the outdoor event takes place just outside Niagara Falls. An estimated 30,000 people attended the 2010 festival. Past headline performers have been Curtis Stigers and Mark Murphy.
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