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 LP
is proud to report that Martin
Cohen, company founder and trailblazing entrepreneur, recently shared his
experiences with students at the University of Michigan.
At the invitation of Professor Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof and instructor Roland
Vazquez, Martin Cohen gave guest lectures to several classes on the history
of LP. Entitled From My Basement to Bangkok: The Growth of a Percussion Industry,
his presentations included over two hundred slides documenting the journey
from Martin's humble origins in the Bronx to the LP New Jersey headquarters
to ultra-modern LP factory in Bangkok.
By all accounts, the lectures were a hit with students,
who were intrigued with his account of the obstacles
he faced when in the mid-sixties he created a percussion
industry where none existed. As a non-Latino, initially
the road was uphill although he gained respect by
manufacturing percussion instruments that were faithful
to age-old traditions yet withstood the rigors of
modern usage.
Martin reports on one
particular piece of anecdotal history that held students'
rapt attention: “The photo of myself and Specs
Powell speaks to Specs telling me to get out of the
Latin dance halls and into the recording studios.
There I met Bob Rosengarden, which led to meeting
Johnny Carson. Bob advised that I could make more
money if I could make a jawbone that didn't break.
Accordingly, I made the LP
Vibra-Slap. Ditto for the Cabasa
/Afuche.”
The wildly successful lecture tour of the University
of Michigan led to an interview on radio station
WEMU, during which Martin aired the LP fourth annual
holiday CD and the Montvale
Rumba album.
At the university and across the country, the spirit
of the entrepreneur is challenged at every turn by
economic realities, both in America and abroad. The
theme of Martin Cohen's lectures was, as he put it, “follow
your dream. In spite of the many detractors along
the way, I have never lost site of my mission.”
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