NAMM Oral History Program Reaches 5K Interviews

The NAMM Oral History Program recently reached its 5,000th interview. The program’s 5,000th interview was Kevin McGinty, famed audio engineer and front of house for the Grand Ole Opry, which presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tennessee.

In the interview, McGinty shares stories, wit and wisdom working in live sound. He also shares his history in live sound, which included attending Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University for a degree in Music Business. From there, he worked as front of house at Nashville’s Exit/In and installed many audio systems in the city’s clubs and concert halls. In 2003, McGinty joined the Grand Ole Opry as an audio engineer.

Since its inception in 2000, the NAMM Oral History Program has sought to preserve the rich history of the industry through first-person accounts from professionals in music products, pro-audio, live sound, entertainment technology and more.

NAMM’s music historian Dan Del Fiorentino manages the program and has overseen each interview, including the very first that featured harmonica designer and musician Bill Walden. The collection began covering all areas of the music industry, including instrument suppliers, retailers, educators, artists and publishers. The collection features interviews with Marilyn Bergman, Sheila E., Arnald Gabriel, George Gruhn, Ikutaro Kakehashi, AR Rahman and Henry Steinway. Soon, the collection expanded into pro-audio and live sound with the “Father of Festival Sound” Bill Hanley, Albert Kahn, Karrie Keyes and Al Schmitt.

After 22 years and 5,000 interviews, the stories from industry luminaries are not lost on Del Fiorentino.

“The contributions of those within the music and sound industry may never be fully realized,” Del Fiorentino said. “However, these interviews hope to shed light on how much they have benefited music lovers worldwide.”

In addition to filming and indexing interviews from the Oral History Program, the work of NAMM’s Resource Center department extends to the production of The Music History Podcast, historical preservation of photos, documentation, advertisements and other aspects of industry promotion for future generations of the industry. The vast archives are referenced in support of research and are accessible to all NAMM members.

To view McGinty’s the interview here: https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/kevin-mcginty