History

In the late 1930s in Winona, Minnesota, Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother Everett "Leonard" Edstrom and their friend Roger Busdicker had formed a very popular dance band. The Edstroms' father didn't approve of his sons becoming traveling musicians, and did not want them to use the family name. Consequently, Harold and Ev took parts of their names and called the band Hal Leonard. As leader of the Hal Leonard Band, Ev eventually became known as "Hal Leonard."

Hal Leonard – the print publishing company – was founded in 1947, after the Hal Leonard Band broke up. At the time, Ev started a music store using the Hal Leonard name while Roger and Harold were both directing award-winning high school bands in Winona. In those days, most school bands played serious literature, but Harold and Roger had the unique ability (because of their professional experience) to arrange "popular" music for school bands. Soon band directors across the U.S. wanted their arrangements. They started to mimeograph copies and sell them. They realized that to successfully launch a new publishing company, they needed to license songs, so they ventured to New York's Tin Pan Alley in search of copyrights. What they got on their trip was an education in publishing and the rights to "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now," one of the most popular songs of the day. Eventually, many music publishers in New York were licensing Hal Leonard to do school band arrangements of their songs. Thus began their publishing business and a new industry. Tin Pan Alley was the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. ... The copyright symbol is used to give notice that a work is covered by copyright. ...

The company grew and soon choral arrangements and a wider variety of band arrangements were added to their catalog of publications. In the early 1950s, the home organ industry began to grow rapidly. That is when Hal Leonard published The Pointer System for Organ, which eventually became the bestselling organ instruction method ever created. That method soon led to the first organ "benchpack," which featured instruction books and songbooks packaged in the bench of an organ. In the late 1950s, The Pointer Systems for Guitar and Piano debuted, introducing millions of beginners to instant playing success. This article is about choirs, musical ensembles containing singers. ... To publish is to make publicly known, and in reference to text and images, it can mean distributing paper copies to the public, or putting the content on a website. ... An organ is the following: In anatomy, an organ is a group of tissues which perform some function. ...

In the mid-1960s, Hal Leonard began marketing band and choral music to educators by sending recordings of arrangements through the mail. This unique promotional concept is still used by virtually every music print publisher in the industry.

In 1970, Keith Mardak and associates started a new division of Hal Leonard in Milwaukee called Learning Unlimited to create the first book/audio music education products. This division soon outgrew the other divisions combined, and Mardak became general manager for the entire company. Shortly afterward, the Hal Leonard Guitar Method was launched, becoming one of the first methods to incorporate popular music. Released in 2002 in an updated Second Edition, this course today remains the leading guitar method in the world; it has taught millions of people how to play.

Hal Leonard continued to grow throughout the 1970s and in 1980 made the giant leap into popular music print publishing when it established a unique and very close relationship with Chappell Music, the world's largest music publisher. Shortly thereafter, Hal Leonard increased its presence in virtually every music print market around the world. As a result, facilities in both Milwaukee and Winona were vastly expanded to accommodate corporate growth. This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ...

In 1985, Hal Leonard was purchased from the original founders by an internal management team led by Mardak. Since then, it has experienced consistent, dramatic growth due to creative, innovative and aggressive publishing and marketing.

Today, Hal Leonard Corporation, led by Chairman and CEO Keith Mardak and President Larry Morton, is the world leader in the music print industry. The company produces sheet music, songbooks, and method book/CD packs for all instruments, as well as band and choral arrangements, reference books, instructional DVDs and videos, CD-ROMs and other music software, children's music products and more. Sheet music is written representation of music. ...

In its more than 97,000 available titles, Hal Leonard represents in print some of the world's best known and most respected artists, such as: Aerosmith, Marc Anthony, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Blink-182, Mariah Carey, The Carpenters, Eric Clapton, Creed, Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, The Doors, The Foo Fighters, Jimi Hendrix, Indigo Girls, Billy Joel, Elton John, Robert Johnson, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Matchbox 20, Sarah McLachlan, Pat Metheny, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, Oscar Peterson, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, The Police, Elvis Presley, Queen, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting, George Strait, Styx, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Who, Hank Williams, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and hundreds more, plus the music of Irving Berlin, Disney, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Motown and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Aerosmith is a prominent American rock band. ... Marc Anthony For the Roman general and statesman, see Mark Antony. ... The Beach Boys are a pop music group formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961 who are widely considered one of the most influential bands in rock and pop music history. ... The Beatles were a pop and rock music group from Liverpool, England, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground-breaking role in the history of popular music. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. ... Richard and Karen Carpenter, the Carpenters The Carpenters were the biggest selling American artists of the 1970s. ... Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born March 30, 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning British guitarist, singer and composer, who became one of the most respected and influential musicians of the rock-era, garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... For other uses, see Creed (disambiguation). ... Davis 1959 album Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album ever. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... The Doors (formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California) were a popular and influential American Hard rock band. ... This article is about the band. ... James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, innovator, and cultural icon. ... The Indigo Girls are an American folk-rock duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other people named Robert Johnson, see Robert Johnson (disambiguation). ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... Matchbox Twenty is an alternative rock band from Orlando, Florida. ... Sarah McLachlan performing at John Labatt Centre, London, Ontario, Canada. ... Pat Metheny in Melbourne, Florida, USA Patrick Bruce Metheny (born 12 August 1954 in Lees Summit, Missouri USA) is an American jazz guitarist and leader of the Pat Metheny Group. ... This article is about a Buddhist philosophy concept. ... Ozzy Osbourne John Michael Ozzy Osbourne (born December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, England), is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and is a popular solo artist and reality television star. ... Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. ... Tom Petty on the cover of Damn the Torpedoes. ... Pink Floyd are a British band noted for progressive rock music, philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art and elaborate live shows. ... The Police was a three-piece British new wave band which was strongly influenced by reggae. ... Elvis redirects here. ... Look up queen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers (from left): Flea, Chad Smith, John Frusciante and Anthony Kiedis Red Hot Chili Peppers are a Californian rock band who have combined aspects of funk and hip-hop with rock and roll, pioneering funk metal. ... Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born 2 October 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is a British musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ... George Strait George Harvey Strait (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music artist. ... Styx may refer to: Styx (band), an American rock band popular in the 1970s and 1980s Styx (album), the first album released by the band Styx in 1972 Styx forest, a forest in Tasmania, Australia Styx (Game), a 1983 game by Windmill Software Styx (MUD), a text-based game Styx... Stevie Ray Vaughan on Austin City Limits Stephen (Stevie) Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitar virtuoso, known as one of the most influential electric blues musicians in history. ... The Who are a British rock band that first came to prominence in the 1960s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Stevie Wonder is the stage name of Stevland Morris (born May 13, 1950 as Stevland Judkins[1]), an American singer, songwriter, producer, musician, and social activist. ... Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, film director, and satirist. ... Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989), born Israel Isidore Beilin (as per [1]), in Tyumen, Russia (or possibly Mogilev, now Belarus), was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... Rodgers and Hammerstein is the songwriting team consisting of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers had previously been in a successful partnership with Lorenz Hart (see Rodgers and Hart). ...

Sales

Hal Leonard products are sold in more than 65 countries throughout the world through a large network of distributors. Domestically, the company markets its product to more than 7,500 music stores in the United States and Canada through a team of 45 sales representatives. Hal Leonard products are also sold through mass merchants and in bookstores, variety stores, toy stores, television shopping networks, department stores, electronics stores, record stores, and many other locations, as well as on the Internet. The company currently operates seven websites for musicians, including www.HalLeonard.com, www.SheetMusicDirect.us, www.YamahaMusicSoft.com and www.FenderPlayersClub.com.

Where To Buy

Hal Leonard Publishing Co is the world’s largest and most innovative music print publisher. There are more than 85,000 titles are conveniently available at music stores worldwide, and through a vast network of online retailers.

"Hal Leonard Full-Line Internet Dealers"

The "Hal Leonard Full-Line Internet Dealers" offer the full range of Hal Leonard publications. Other Hal Leonard dealers may specialize in certain product areas.

Full-Line Internet Dealers are displayed at the Hal Leonard Website, as the official website does not provide any direct sales.

Hal Leonard's Full Line Internet Dealers include:

• Stage Pass
• Music Forte
• Hear Me Play
• Harmony Online

"Brick and Mortar" Storefronts

Brick and Mortar storefronts that carry the Hal Leonard catalogues can be found at more than 65 different countries, and all 50 of the States of America. A listing of these locations is provided by Hal Leonard at http://www.halleonard.com/links_retailers.jsp

Headquarters

Hal Leonard is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI and also has offices in Winona, MN, New York, Nashville, Melbourne, Hong Kong and London.