Central Music
Encyclopedia
Central Music, Inc., founded in 1958 is a piano and organ dealer located in Clearwater, Florida
. Central Music represents Rodgers Instruments
, Fratelli Ruffatti
, Blüthner
, Hammond organ
and Roland Corporation
instruments. They serve Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean.
to serve the musical needs of the area's churches. One of the most popular organs found in churches and homes alike is the Rodgers organ.
Central Music enjoyed great success with Wurlitzer. Due to this early success, Central Music was faced with a need for a larger location. It was also at this time that Les Trubey and Nelson Newby of Illinois became acquainted. In 1973, Trubey built a new home for Central Music—a 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) building at 5175 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, Florida 33760 (where Central Music still resides today). At the time, there were cow pastures on either side of the building. However, the area has grown up around Central Music with an international airport within 2 miles (3.2 km) and a new eight lane road in front of the building.
In 1977, due to health issues, Les Trubey decided to retire. Having developed a friendship over the years due to their mutual experience with Wurlitzer, Trubey approached Nelson Newby and offered him the company. In November 1977, Nelson Newby with his wife Sharon and son Timothy moved to Florida and became Central Music's new owners.
At that time, Central Music had three locations throughout the Tampa Bay area. These locations not only offered new and used instruments for sale but were also locations where private lessons and group lessons were available. Around 1980, due to challenges from competition, a worsening economy and what was the beginning of a decline to the home organ industry, Wurlitzer began to struggle. To compensate, Central Music took on a new brand in the musical instrument field, Yamaha
. Yamaha, quickly rose to prominence in both the piano and (albeit declining) home organ industries.
In recognition for Central Music's sales and service, company president Nelson Newby was nominated to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Board of Directors in 1984. The highlight of his tenure was as co-chairman of the committee that created NAMM University and as a workshop presenter in its inaugural season.
Over the years, Central Music's church organ division steadily became a larger and larger portion of the company's revenues. In the mid-1980s, Central Music began to shift its attention away from home products, and moved toward the churches outside Tampa Bay.
Today Central Music serves Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean.
Rodgers Instruments
, LLC. of Hillsboro, Oregon
Fratelli Ruffatti
, pipe organ builders of Padua, Italy
Contemporary and Gospel worship styles:
Rodgers Instruments
, LLC. of Hillsboro, Oregon
Roland Corporation U.S.
Hammond organ
& Leslie speaker
Concert pianos:
Blüthner
Piano Company – Leipzig
, Germany
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
. Central Music represents Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was founded in 1958 by Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and members of a Tektronix team developing transistor-based oscillator circuits...
, Fratelli Ruffatti
Fratelli Ruffatti
Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Padua, Italy.- History :...
, Blüthner
Blüthner
Blüthner, formally Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH, is a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Blüthner in 1853 in Leipzig Germany.- History :...
, Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
instruments. They serve Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean.
History
Central Music is a Florida corporation that began in 1958. It was founded by Les Trubey and its first location was opened on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, Florida (explaining the name). The late 1950s through the early 1980s represent the peak of the home organ industry in the United States. In its beginning, Central Music represented the Wurlitzer brand of home organs and pianos for the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Shortly after its founding, Central Music also became the dealer for Rodgers InstrumentsRodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was founded in 1958 by Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and members of a Tektronix team developing transistor-based oscillator circuits...
to serve the musical needs of the area's churches. One of the most popular organs found in churches and homes alike is the Rodgers organ.
Central Music enjoyed great success with Wurlitzer. Due to this early success, Central Music was faced with a need for a larger location. It was also at this time that Les Trubey and Nelson Newby of Illinois became acquainted. In 1973, Trubey built a new home for Central Music—a 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) building at 5175 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, Florida 33760 (where Central Music still resides today). At the time, there were cow pastures on either side of the building. However, the area has grown up around Central Music with an international airport within 2 miles (3.2 km) and a new eight lane road in front of the building.
In 1977, due to health issues, Les Trubey decided to retire. Having developed a friendship over the years due to their mutual experience with Wurlitzer, Trubey approached Nelson Newby and offered him the company. In November 1977, Nelson Newby with his wife Sharon and son Timothy moved to Florida and became Central Music's new owners.
At that time, Central Music had three locations throughout the Tampa Bay area. These locations not only offered new and used instruments for sale but were also locations where private lessons and group lessons were available. Around 1980, due to challenges from competition, a worsening economy and what was the beginning of a decline to the home organ industry, Wurlitzer began to struggle. To compensate, Central Music took on a new brand in the musical instrument field, Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
. Yamaha, quickly rose to prominence in both the piano and (albeit declining) home organ industries.
In recognition for Central Music's sales and service, company president Nelson Newby was nominated to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Board of Directors in 1984. The highlight of his tenure was as co-chairman of the committee that created NAMM University and as a workshop presenter in its inaugural season.
Over the years, Central Music's church organ division steadily became a larger and larger portion of the company's revenues. In the mid-1980s, Central Music began to shift its attention away from home products, and moved toward the churches outside Tampa Bay.
Today Central Music serves Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean.
Brands represented
Liturgical worship styles:Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was founded in 1958 by Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and members of a Tektronix team developing transistor-based oscillator circuits...
, LLC. of Hillsboro, Oregon
Fratelli Ruffatti
Fratelli Ruffatti
Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Padua, Italy.- History :...
, pipe organ builders of Padua, Italy
Contemporary and Gospel worship styles:
Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was founded in 1958 by Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and members of a Tektronix team developing transistor-based oscillator circuits...
, LLC. of Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
Roland Corporation U.S.
Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
& Leslie speaker
Leslie speaker
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects using the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ but is used with a variety of instruments as well as vocals. The...
Concert pianos:
Blüthner
Blüthner
Blüthner, formally Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH, is a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Blüthner in 1853 in Leipzig Germany.- History :...
Piano Company – Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Notable organ installations
- First Presbyterian Church, Naples, Florida website, Fratelli Ruffatti organ V-manuals 108-ranks + 12 digital stops (Rodgers)
- Epiphany Catholic Church, Miami FL Official Website, Fratelli Ruffatti organ with twin III-manual consoles, 61-ranks
- John's Creek Baptist Church, Alpharetta GA Official Website, Fratelli Ruffatti organ V-manuals 103-ranks + digital stops
- St. Mary Cathedral (Catholic), Miami FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual pipe organ console + 90 digital stops
- Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, Lutz FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual organ
- The Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle (Catholic), St. Petersburg FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual organ + 10-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes & Rodgers III-manual organ
- The Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, (Catholic) Palm Beach FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual organ
- St Peter's Cathedral (Episcopal) St. Petersburg FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual pipe organ console + digital stops
- First United Methodist Church, Clearwater FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual pipe organ console + digital stops
- Covenant Presbyterian Church, Ft. Myers FL, Rodgers Custom IV-manual organ
- First Presbyterian Church, Boca Raton FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 23-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- First Baptist Church, St. Petersburg FL Official Website, Rodgers Custom IV-manual organ + 4-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- First United Methodist Church, Tavares FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 4-ranks
- Suntree United Methodist Church, Melbourne FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ
- Anona United Methodist Church, Largo FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 4-ranks of Ruffatti pipes
- St. Catherine Catholic Church, Clearwater FL (2010) Official Website, Rodgers Custom III-manual organ + 4-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 4-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church Lakeland, Florida Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 12-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Tampa FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 12-ranks of pipes
- St. Frances Xavier Cathedral (Catholic), Nassau Bahamas Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ + 6-ranks of Fratelli Ruffatti pipes
- Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (Catholic), St. Thomas USVI, Rodgers III-manual organ
- Memorial Moravian Church, St. Thomas USVI, Rodgers III-manual organ
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higuey Dominican Republic City Overview, Rodgers III-manual organ
- Cathedral of the Incarnation (Anglican), Orlando FL Official Website, Rodgers III-manual organ
External links
- http://www.centralmusic.biz
- http://www.rodgersinstruments.com
- http://www.ruffatti.com
- http://www.bluethner.de
- http://www.rolandus.com
- http://www.hammondorganco.com