Oral History - all
Anthony Everette recalls with a smile the day Jimmy Johnson hired him in 1982 to help with the wholesale division of Mississippi Music. The division, Eagle Distributors, was an important part of the company and allowed him the opportunity to work closely with Mr. Johnson, who became a mentor.... more
Cathy Watkins worked for Mississippi Music for over 35 years! Although she spent much of her time in the Purchasing Department, Cathy played a vital role in the organization’s Wholesale Division, Eagle Distributors. She worked very closely with the two founders, Mac and Jimmy Johnson, and even... more
Brenda Lust has spent much of her 20+ year career at Mississippi Music solving problems. With a background in accounting, Brenda came to Mississippi Music in 1992 working her way from the mailroom to the accounting department. Along the way she has worked on many special projects to help with the... more
Sue Howard was hired in 1984 to serve as Jimmy Johnson’s secretary at Mississippi Music. Mr. Johnson, who formed the chain of retail stores with his wife, Mac, in the 1940s was serving as president of the NAMM Board when Sue was hired. Her job changed and developed over the years and included... more
Wes Lee can recall music in his home as far back as he can remember. His father was an award-winning band director and jazz musician. Like his father, Wes first started playing trumpet, but later switched to trombone and played all throughout school. Wes played professionally, actively touring with... more
Chris Barker’s grandfather played the piano and made sure each of his grandchildren had a piano in their homes as well as the opportunity to take lessons. Chris was inspired by Elvis Presley to play the guitar and later switched to bass guitar when he joined a band in junior high. He played... more
Rhonda Beleck feels privileged to be among the very few who get to know each employee of Mississippi Music’s four locations. Overseeing the 401(k) and benefits programs for the company, Rhonda often travels to each store for training. Over the years she has also played an important role whenever... more
Jason Turner was surrounded by music growing up and by the fourth grade he was imitating Floyd Cramer’s style of piano playing. He remembers the day in the sixth grade when Mississippi Music came to his school to demonstrate instruments, and it inspired him to join the school band program. In 1996... more
Vasti Jackson is a fifth-generation music maker in his family! He started on drums and then switched to guitar which he began playing professionally by the time he was 12 years old. In 1978, at the age of 18, Vasti began working for Malaco Records as a studio musician playing on countless sessions... more
Dr. Sherman Hong was encouraged at a young age by several outstanding music teachers to play percussion. In sixth grade he learned how to play drums using the Belwin band method series, which cemented his passion for music making. He was heavily involved with Mississippi Band Clinics and... more
Sherry Kampe was hired to join the Mississippi Music team about the same time as her lifelong friend Rosi Johnson. The two played a big role in adapting new technology over the years to address tasks such as accounts receivable and monthly inventory. Right after finishing high school in 1972,... more
Shane Henker has always been drawn to musical instruments, first as a player and later as a repair technician. While serving in the US Marine Corps, Shane played in the Army Reserve Band and later in the Gulfport Symphony. He attended the Band Instrument Repair program at Minnesota State College... more
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... more
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... more
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... more
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... more
Dr. Michael Peters is the former Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt and an avid musician. Early on he formed several skiffle bands and later founded the Musikmesse Frankfurt Allstars. From 1993 to 2010 Dr. Peters was in charge of the Frankfurt fairs. He is responsible for creating at least 30... more
Cornelia Kinzelmann is CEO of ESM which produces mouthpieces for clarinets and saxophones. Cornelia remembers her grandfather, Wenzel Schreiber, from the time when she was a child. Wenzel Schreiber and his sons, Ernst and Hugo, made the company W. Schreiber a great success. After the company was... more
Willie Hatcher gives a great deal of credit to the public-school system in Mississippi when he was growing up in the 1950s for providing a variety of shop classes. Those instructional courses included woodworking, automotive, and machine shop, and they all provided Willie with the background he... more
Courtland Gray joined the Peavey Electronics team in Meridian, Mississippi in 2001 working in the finance department. As his career developed at Peavey and his position changed to CFO, Courtland learned the core values of the company firsthand from the founder, Hartley. Those values are now deeply... more