JW Pepper Publishing
Pam Aalbers is a wonderful example of the notion that it take a team to accomplish great things. Always working behind the scenes, Pam has been a steady support to the staff at Ted Brown Music in Tacoma since 1976. When she started working at the store she helped out in the mail room but soon...
Ron Rowe served as President of JW Pepper following the tennor of his dear friend Dean Burtch. The two men were not only incredible business partners, they were close personal friends. Using the same passion and ethics as Dean, Ron helped grow the business during very trying times including a...
Glenn Burtch is the president of JW Pepper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is the same position his brother and father both held. In fact, during the hundred year history of JW Pepper, only two families owned and ran the business, the Peppers and the Burtchs. Glenn’s father, Dean Burtch (...
Kathy Fernandes was lucky enough to have an inspiring flute teacher while in high school that helped encourage and foster Kathy’s interest in music. In fact, Kathy pursued a career as a school music teacher thanks to those teachers she learned from. While in graduate school, she was hired as a...
Bret Rhoades began his career in the music industry by working for Ken Stanton Music in Georgia. Bret learned band instrument repairs while attending college, and after a short time as a teacher he landed a job with Ted Frank in New Orleans. Ted Frank operated the sheet music department within...
Dave Buckeyne can’t remember a time in his life without music. His father was a band director in Detroit area schools and bought instruments for students who could not afford one. As a result Dave had access to every type of musical instrument imaginable, often times just sitting in the basement...
Charles Slater had a rich background in music publishing, having worked with a number of companies before arriving at JW Pepper. At Pepper, Charles worked on many projects over the years and expanded his interest in the accounting department to the level of becoming the CFO. His passion for...
Lee Paynter outlined the rich history of the JW Pepper Publishing Company during his NAMM Oral History interview. Lee covered the founding of the company in 1876 by James Welsh Pepper who in the early days not only printed sheet music but also made musical instruments. In fact, Lee told the story...
Bob Dingley felt lucky that he fell into the industry, which became his passion and his life-long career. On his way to a trumpet lesson he stopped by the local music store to pick up some sheet music and was asked by a school mate if he wanted a job. From retail to JW Pepper Music Publishing, Bob...
Russ Bullis took up the trumpet as a child and played throughout high school. During his college years he gave trumpet lessons at the local music store and took a strong interest in teaching. He was later a band director after college for six years. He taught at the same school, in Lawrenceville...