I was 15 when I played my first professional gig. I played accordion for seven hours on New Year’s Eve in a small-town Wisconsin tavern. My pay was $17 and all the beer I could drink. A year later I started a band and played weddings, clubs, and community events for 30 years. In 1976 I switched from accordion to Hammond organ as my performance instrument. Years earlier I had heard one at a county fair and for months I begged my parents to buy one for me. When I was 16, the accordion studio hired me to teach beginners. I was good at motivating and encouraging my young students to do well because many of them won trophies in local competitions. I still love to teach beginners the magic of making their own music.

I was a music major at the University of Wisconsin. In addition to the usual theory, music history, and composition classes, I took classes in voice, guitar, string bass, tuba, baritone, trumpet, piano, pipe organ, and harpsichord. When you listen to my music you can hear that I have an understanding of what these instruments should sound like as I am imitating them on a synthesizer keyboard.

After college I sold Hammond organs and Kimball pianos during the day, taught students after the store closed, and played with my band on weekends. I bought the business in 1978 and named it Mathis Music. The store had hundreds of students and sponsored community events where they could play for others. That store was located in West Bend, WI and at various times we had franchises with most of the major manufacturers including Yamaha, Fender, Hammond, Lowery, Wurlitzer, Mason & Hamlin, Chickering, and others.

I sold Mathis Music in 1995 and moved to the island of Kauai because an eye doctor told me that a warm and moist climate would help me deal with chalazions. The condition is similar to acne that forms inside the eye lids and made my vision appear as if I was looking through waxed paper. My numbers were 20/800 and I knew I could not pass my next driver’s license eye test in Wisconsin. I believe I can claim a miracle because after living on Kauai for only six weeks the chalazions, which I had had for fourteen years, cleared. I had been on eye steroids for years. The combination of Kauai’s intense sunlight and the steroids caused cataracts to grow. I came out of surgery with 20/15 vision! Yeah.

I sold Yamaha piano products and Allen classical organs on all of the islands during the years that we lived there.

We have grandchildren in Arizona and we wanted to be part of their life, so now we live in Sun City. For several years I was the director of music at a Sun City church and I worked for Washburn Piano Co. until the Great Recession forced them (and many other piano stores) into bankruptcy.

I have many music videos on Youtube.    

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q uery=dalematthies&aq=f  for the complete list.

I’ve had some music therapy training which I use when I am performing at assisted living facilities. I believe music has healing qualities. You will pick that up when you view some of my videos.

The music is 300 years old, but I love the organ works of Bach; I often find them to be mystical.

I am working with the Allen Organ Company here in Arizona. If you, or your church, would like to talk about a new organ, please contact me.

This is our company website. www.allenorgansarizona.com

This is my email address: dalenjoy@aol.com

Bach Minuet - using a classical guitar sound

Bach Bourree (for lute) - using synthesizer sounds

©Dale Matthies, 2011