Celebrating 140 Years of “That Great Gretsch Sound” with Fifth and Sixth Generations Continuing Our Family Legacy!

In a time when most family-owned businesses don’t survive past the second generation, the Gretsch Company proudly has the sixth generation involved as we celebrate 140 years in the musical instrument business this year.

Fred, daughter Lena, and I have worked a combined 125 years and counting at Gretsch.

If you know me, you know how much I love and cherish my family. And with 5 grown children, 16 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, that’s a lot of love to spread around.

It’s also been a treat to work side-by-side with my husband, Fred, and daughter, Lena, for so many years and watching our business succeed and grow. I am a very blessed woman.

And I can’t forget to give a big “thank you” to the hundreds of longtime friends I have in the music industry, especially the musicians. We’re proud to feature two of our friends, guitarist Joe Robinson and drummer Stanton Moore, in the 140th Anniversary edition of our Gretsch House Telegram newsletter which is out now. They’re not only great musicians, but they also share my and Fred’s passion for music education and teaching. Joe and Stanton are two of the most respected musicians and teachers in the business and I’m proud to call them my friends and part of the “extended Gretsch family.”

With our longtime friend Billy Gibbons at the Gretsch Museum grand opening.

Fred and I have had many dreams through this business. One of our biggest was to partner with a university to further our passion for music education and to also donate our large collection of Gretsch guitars, drums, and company archives. That dream was realized in 2021 when Fred and I were able to make a major gift to Georgia Southern University to establish the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music. Our goal is to expand the university’s already-strong music program into a school of national and international prominence.

In closing, I’m proud to say that Fred and I have over 100 years of combined experience in the musical instrument business. We’ve seen so many changes, but we’ve also seen many things that haven’t changed if you want to succeed. Like the importance of dedicated, talented employees and great business partners. We just celebrated 20 years of our alliance with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation on the Gretsch guitar side, and enjoying our relationship with the Lombardi, Messner, and Hal Leonard families on the Gretsch drum side. These are two stellar alliances that continue to make Gretsch one of the premiere drum and guitar brands in the world.

Thank you all again and Happy Anniversary!

Dinah Gretsch
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer