Revisiting My Life in Music: My First Meeting with MD Founder Ron Spagnardi

Scott K Fish

Silver Member
Revisiting My Life in Music: My First Meeting with MD Founder Ron Spagnardi
by Scott K Fish

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47 Harrison St, Nutley, NJ from Google Maps, March 2015 – almost 30-years after my visit.

I first met Modern Drummer founder/publisher Ron Spagnardi probably in the summer of 1978. MD's office was the basement of the Spagnardi home at 47 Harrison Street, Nutley, NJ. MD was still a quarterly publication.

Nothing fancy about the basement. I remember it as an unfinished basement with desks, tables, and lighting sufficient to produce and ship a magazine. MD Features Editor Karen Larcombe was there. So were Ron's father, Leo Spagnardi handling shipping and receiving, and Carol Padner and Jean Mazza were responsible for MD's circulation.

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The April 1978 Modern Drummer with my first two feature interviews and cover story.

I don't remember exactly why I was visiting. It was probably my interest in meeting Ron and seeing the MD operation. My first two feature interviews, Mel Lewis and Carmine Appice, were published in the April 1978 MD. Carmine was the cover story. So we had corresponded and worked successfully together. Our visit was likely a simple conversation: "I'd love to come out and see the operation." "Sure. Come on out." For me it was just over a 100 mile round trip.

Ron was working on the layout for the October 1978 Steve Gadd cover story on my first visit.

Full Story & Photos @ Scott K Fish Blog: Life Beyond the Cymbals
 
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