Canadian Music Trade - August/September 2017 | Page 21
RIP: SFM’s Paul Frederick
After a long and hard-fought battle with cancer, SFM Product Manager Paul Frederick passed away on July
23, 2017.
Paul was widely loved in the Canadian MI and drum communities, with a long career that saw him
spend time at Erikson Music, Direct Music Supply, and then at Ayotte Drums as VP of business development
before joining SFM in 2013.
A statement from SFM refers to Frederick as its CEO – cancer eliminator and obliterator – and says, “No
one could trump Paul’s positive attitude. He was our champion cheerleader and, even during his tough
times, he found time to enrich the lives of others through his support of The Rhythmic Arts Project (TRAP),
serving special needs youngsters, and DrumsForCures, which hosts global drumming events to raise aware-
ness and funds for cancer education and research. His journey was nothing short of inspiring.”
Many friends and colleagues have been sharing their memories of Paul on his Facebook page. “Paul
was an industry stallion who ate, breathed, and slept drums, and his passion for everything drumming was,
and shall remain, second to none!” wrote Brian Cymbaluk, the GM of Axe Music in Calgary. “Always smiling,
always willing to talk ‘biz,’ always willing to see how we could make things better together… Paul brought a
unique energy, attitude, and kindness to the drum biz.”
Many more messages of condolence and fond memories can be read and shared on Paul’s Facebook
page. SFM has also relayed that contributions in Paul’s memory can be made to The Rhythmic Arts Project
(www.trap-learning.org) and DrumsForCures (www.drumstrong.org).
Canadian Music Trade sends condolences to Paul’s family and many friends and colleagues.
RIP: Sounds Distribution’s Rohan Persaud
Jean Larrivée Receives Inaugural Luthier Industry Builder Award
During the 2017 Vancouver International Guitar Festival, held from June 23-25, the
inaugural Luthier Industry Builder Award was presented to Jean Larrivée. The award
was presented in honour of his significant and lasting contribution to the evolution of
the guitar building industry amidst Larrivée Guitars’ 50 th year of operations.
It’s fitting that the award ceremony took place in British Columbia, the province
where Larrivée manufactured guitars from 1977 to 2013. At the age of 20, trained as a
mechanic with no prior musical training, Larrivée decided to study classic guitar at the
Royal Conservatory of Music. He apprenticed intermittently during the late 1960s with
Edgar Münch, a German guitar builder then living in Toronto. Larrivée also worked in
New York with Manuel Valasquez before opening his own studio in Toronto in 1968,
producing about 30 instruments a year.
With guidance from Matt Umanov in New York, he began making steel-string
instruments in 1970, modifying the Martin design. In 1977, Larrivée moved to Victoria,
BC, and established a workshop which, by 1979, had 16 workers and an annual production of 1,000 guitars. In 1982, he relocated the company,
Jean Larrivée Guitar Ltd., to North Vancouver, and subsequently produced several styles of steel-string guitars. In 2001, Larrivée opened a second
factory in Oxnard, CA, where he continues to build high-end acoustic guitars.
PHOTO:
Rohan Persaud, the founder and president of Sounds Distribution, passed away sud-
denly and unexpectedly on May 28, 2017 while doing what he loved: DJing.
Known as Ferno to his friends, Persaud was a DJ, audio pro, and founder of Sounds
Distribution who was widely loved in the music, audio, lighting, and production
industries. He grew up in Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, utilizing his
passion for DJing and audio equipment to found Sounds Distribution in 1989. Under
his leadership, Sounds Distribution grew steadily over the past 18 years as a prominent
distributor of music, audio, lighting, and video equipment.
On his Facebook page, many friends and colleagues have been sharing their
memories of Persaud. “Rohan gave me my very first job when I came to Canada six
years ago. He was astu te, mentally sharp, and intelligent. His kindness, gentle nature,
decent and respectful disposition were a treasure,” wrote Brian Augustus.
“I first met Rohan in the ‘90s and had the honour of working for him at Sounds 16
years ago. He had my respect from the start, before I even knew he was DJ Ferno. He
was a great businessman and treated his people with kindness. It was a great place to
be for two years with music always playing, employees laughing, family and friends
stopping by,” wrote Kali Grafix.
Canadian Music Trade sends condolences to Rohan’s wife, Lynda, and his many
family members, friends, and colleagues.
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Retailers, reps, suppliers, educators, and other trade professionals are encouraged to send us personal stories about themselves or their colleagues
that we can share with your peers in the industry. Tips on weddings, anniversaries, major milestones, awards, births, new initiatives, and other
achievements are all welcome and appreciated! Please send your stories to [email protected] and we’ll handle the rest!
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
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