Died On This Date (April 30, 2010) Gil Ellman / Big Band Musician & Instrument Retailer
themusicsover Gil Ellman
August 28, 1925 – April 30, 2010
Gil Ellman was a big band musician and longtime Chicago area musical instrument merchant. Ellman began his life of music as a youngster when he learned to play the saxophone, clarinet and flute. His skills developed so well, that when he hit high school, he became its concert master. Shortly after graduating, and at just 18 years of age, Ellman opened his own shop where he repaired radios and such. He later became an instrument tech, working with the likes of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey when they came through Chicago. Ellman played in the Coast Guard Band during WWII and continued to play in local groups well beyond that. Over the years, he shared the stage with such legends as Patti Page, Milton Berle and Ronald Reagan. In 1958, he opened Ellman’s Music Store which remained an area institution up until the time of his passing. Gil Ellman was 84 when he died in his home on April 30, 2010.
On May 7, 2007, Ellman was interviewed as part of the National Association of Music Merchants’ Oral History program. Click here to view a 2 minute segment from his interview.
Thanks to NAMM Historian, Dan Del Fiorentino for the assist.
Hutch Carlock was a longtime music wholesaler and retailer based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1953, Carlock invested $500 to start Music City Record Distributors which eventually became one of the largest music and video wholesalers in United States. In those early years, he distributed such labels as Atlantic and Mercury, but when the labels evolved into their own distribution companies during the ’70s, MCRD became a wholesaler. In 1974, Carlock opened the first Cat’s Music store which would become one of the most successful music and video chains in Tennessee with upwards of 30 stores. Carlock was all but retired from the business by the early ’90s, with his sons taking over the company. Most of the stores have since closed due to the downturn in music retail. Hutch Carlock was 86 when he died of heart failure on April 20, 2010.
Jim Price was a much respected twenty-year veteran of the music retail industry. He started his career as a store director for the legendary Peaches chain in Ft Lauderdale, FL. Most recently he was the Director of Purchasing for the Alliance Entertainment Corporation, or AEC where he was considered a mentor to his co-workers. Cause of death was not immediately released.