La Plata, MD- On Friday, July 9, 2021, Keith Grasso was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th Annual Music and Sound Awards. The Music & Sound Award is the industry’s most prestigious award and nominations come directly from international manufacturers and representatives.
Keith Grasso has been in the musical instrument industry for 23 years; starting at the age of 15, Keith worked at Ralon Music, a local independently owned music store in Southern Maryland where he was first introduced to the retail industry. While pursuing a degree in Classical Guitar at Towson University he was employed at Bill’s Music House in Catonsville. Over the next 6 years, Keith made a name for himself in the national retail industry under the mentorship of Bill Higgins, owner of Bill’s Music House.
For the last 13 years, Keith has been the proud owner of his own business, Island Music Company, a retail store offering instrument sales, lessons, rentals, and repair services. Island Music Company has since been a National Association of Musical Merchants’ Top 100 Dealer for the last 10 years and Keith has been a guest speaker at numerous industry events across the country.
Through the ups and downs of growing his business, Keith has championed the responsibility local business owners have in improving their community. Keith has served two terms as the President of the La Plata Business Association, is a former board member of the Charles Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, is a member of the Charles County COVID-19 Task Force, and has been a guest speaker for Charles County Public Schools, Charles County Economic Development Committee, and College of Southern Maryland. Additionally, he owns and manages commercial spaces to help promote the revitalization of La Plata.
In 2016, Keith was inducted into the Philanthropy Hall of Fame for his efforts to enrich La Plata and Charles County with forward, visionary thinking and progressive ideology as well as his support towards the Charles County Board of Education, University of Maryland’s Charles Regional Medical Center, local food banks, and several other community organizations.
Keith is the founder and organizer of the annual music festival, Rocktoberfest, which began in 2014. His efforts with this event have been matched with great success allowing him to donate nearly $200,000 to the Charles County Public Schools Fine and Performing Arts Program.