Longtime Retailer, Former NAMM Board Member Lee Donais Passes Away

Longtime retailer and former NAMM Board member Lee Donais passed away on April 23. He was 74 years old.

According to a statement from NAMM, Lee may have been the only industry member who played piano, as part of the Navy Band, for three United States Presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. After his career with the Navy Band, Lee was hired by Gordon Keller to help run his string of piano stores on the East Coast. Lee moved to Florida and worked with former NAMM President Chuck Hale for eight years. Lee’s business knowledge, along with the fact that he was a musician, not only led to his partnership with Gordon Keller but also his success as a strong supporter within the industry, including serving as a member of the NAMM Board of Directors from 1981 to 1984.