On January 5, we received the following from NAMM‘s Dan Del Fiorentino:
Beloved Iowa music retailer Carma Lou Beck passed away yesterday, January 4, 2021.
Carma Lou was an active musician and teacher when she began working in music retail in Iowa in the 1960s. She opened her own store in Cedar Rapids in 1967, after working for a few other stores, including one owned and operated by the Wurlitzer Company. By the time Carma Lou’s House of Music expanded to three stores in the mid 1970s, she had become a local celebrity, due in part by her well-known TV and radio commercials. She was a proud advocate for music education and sponsored countless programs that encouraged music making for all ages.
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