Roland Sherwood Ball (1930 - 2004)

Born 30 Aug 1930 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Nova Gail (Conley) Ball — married 29 Nov 1950 (to 1974) in Maricopa, Arizona

Died 9 Sep 2004 at age 74 in San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States

Biography

This profile is part of the Ball Name Study.

Ernie Ball is Notable.

Children:

1. Sherwood Ernest (1951-2015)
2. David (1953)
3. Sterling (1955)
4. Nova Gayle (1958) - married to Robin Marks, she is a TV actress

Music Pioneer. He was a pioneer maker of rock 'n' roll guitar strings used by legions of artists from the Rolling Stones to Merle Travis. His strings and instruments were used by music stars over the past four decades. Beginning with a small music shop in the San Fernando Valley, he built a business with annual sales of $40 million and a worldwide reputation. In 1958, Ball opened a shop in Tarzana that, uniquely, sold only guitars. In 1962, complaints from customers that they couldn't find lighter-gauge, flexible strings for their rock 'n' roll instruments prompted Ball to create and sell sets of strings he called "Slinkys." They were a hit. He later branched out into instruments and accessories, buying the Music Man electric guitar company in 1985. Today, Ernie Ball items are sold in more than 5,000 music stores in the United States and exported to more than 70 countries.

Sources

Ancestry.com, including

• 1940 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California US Census - "R. Sherwood" is 9 years old, living with his parents and an aunt
• Find A Grave: Memorial #9452531 - tribute

Wikipedia Article: Ernie Ball

Acknowledgment: Ball-288 was created on 22 September 2010 through the import of PittsPenn_2010-09-21.ged.