Jim Mathews

Jim Mathews was playing drums and formed a band when he was just ten years old. He was encouraged by his mother, who was a singer in the big bands during the swing era. He soon developed a strong interest in audio equipment as he could see how much gear could help the band improve its sound and performances. He was learning to mix front of house (FOH) in the early 80s and worked for a number of popular bands and artists such as Gregg Allman, Huey Lewis, and Tower of Power, while also developing his solo career. Having worked retail at Leo’s Pro Audio shop in Oakland, Jim had a good understanding of gear and trends in audio products, which set him up perfectly to establish his own independent rep firm. Plus Four Marketing was established in 1983 with the JBL line and soon grew to include other products.