Mississippi
Tim Miller was watching The Ed Sullivan Show when the Beatles came on and changed his life. From that moment on, he wanted to play drums! Tim’s very supportive father drove him to lessons each week and Tim was encouraged to develop as a musician by several dedicated teachers. He played his first...
Carl Johnston is the store manager for the Hattiesburg location of Mississippi Music. His family ran a local grocery store for which Carl credits for instilling his belief in the importance of customer service. That background may very well have been where Carl learned the need to encourage and...
Barry Jones joined Mississippi Music in April 1977 serving as the delivery man for Peavey’s Melody Music in Meridian. The store was later moved to the local mall and rebranded with Mississippi Music in 1986. Barry works right beside his wife, Liz, who runs the books, and together they moved the...
Liz Jones joined Mississippi Music in August 1977 when the company was operating Peavey’s Melody Music in Meridian. Her husband, Barry, was hired a few months earlier to make deliveries for the store, while Liz started out behind the front counter. Together the couple worked all aspects of the...
Bix Johnson’s parents started a small retail business out of their home following World War II, which grew into the multi-chain of stores for Mississippi Music. Bix grew up in the business and like his family became heavily involved with the development of not only their own business but of the...
Donna Reed wanted to continue to provide music lessons even after retiring from teaching in a traditional school setting. After 30 years as a music education teacher in the public schools, Donna retired and turned to providing private lessons at Mississippi Music. Growing up in the church and in a...
Luroy Hart was in the ninth grade when his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi. His father was a preacher and filled the home with music. Luroy picked up the bass horn and tuba with dreams of teaching music after earning his degree at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. It turns out...
Sam Hart’s father was a preacher who sang with his siblings as the Hart Brothers. Sam grew up surrounded by music and was encouraged to join the school band in the sixth grade. In 1975, after studying music education, Sam was hired as a repairman for Wright Music in Jackson, Mississippi. Sam later...
CD Hagan was always a believer in the benefits of the social aspects of being involved in a school band program. While playing in his college band, he met his wife and while teaching band, he witnessed first-hand friendships of a lifetime forming and the positive effects those relationships had,...
Lloyd Turner happily landed his first teaching job right out of college as band director for Madison Central High School in Jackson, Mississippi in 1966. The job cemented in Lloyd’s mind the thought that this was the career for him. He taught for over 20 years with stints working in local music...