In the miniature town of Salle, Italy, one old document marks the birth of a child; the baptismal form filled out by a Donato D’Addario in 1680, his occupation stated simply “cordaro” – the Italian word for “string maker.”
Before the introduction of synthetic substitutes, strings were made for lutes, guitars, harps, and violins from sheep and hog gut. The entire process took a week, Monday to Saturday, and began again every Monday morning at dawn. The D’Addario family toiled for many generations in this tiny village. It wasn’t until an earthquake in 1905 that they left for Astoria, Queens, New York. In 1918, Carmine D'Addario and the whole family began manufacturing strings stateside in a tiny garage shop behind the family home on 14th Street in Astoria. Carmine personally marketed his strings to violinmakers and musicians, never hesitating to travel to make demonstrations or seek advice from the great musicians of the time. In 1936, Carmine and Anna's son John D’Addario (Sr.) began working side-by-side with his father. It was John’s interest in synthetic substitutes for unreliable and messy animal gut that would mark a considerable milestone for the trade. John took over when Carmine retired in 1962. Like the generations that came before them, John D’Addario Sr.’s five children were no strangers to the string business. Even as a teenager, John, Jr. had a keen interest in the business side of the company, learning to negotiate deals with suppliers and retailers. John Jr.'s younger brother, James, was an avid guitar player with a shaggy Beatles haircut and a pension for tinkering with all things electronic. He would be responsible for many of the engineering developments that automated the manufacturing process. After eight generations of string making, the first strings bearing the D’Addario brand name were introduced in 1974. John D’Addario Sr. passed away in June 2000, but he had the distinct pleasure of watching his children succeed beyond his wildest expectations, and was very proud. Today, thirteen family members, grandchildren and cousins, work for D’Addario & Company, Inc., and great steps are being taken by John, Jr. and James to pass down the family vision and tradition.
