 | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. Please help improve it by removing references to unreliable sources where they are used inappropriately. (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | Philadelphia, 1876; 148 years ago (1876) |
| Founder | James Welsh Pepper |
| Headquarters | 191 Stree Boulevard, Exton, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Number of locations | 4 |
| Products | Sheet music, music accessories, music software |
| Website | jwpepper |
J. W. Pepper & Son, Inc. is a privately owned, American sheet music retailer based in Exton, Pennsylvania. The company is credited with being the largest sheet music retailer in the world, with over 750,000 titles in its catalog. Customers who buy music from Pepper include individual musicians, community organizations and professional ensembles, with the main customer base being school and church music directors.
History
James Welsh Pepper was born in Philadelphia in 1853, and died in the same city on July 28, 1919. He was an American music publisher and musical instrument maker.
In 1876, Pepper founded a publishing house in his home city which printed music tutorial books and a magazine called Musical Times, which ceased production in 1912. Additionally, Pepper produced musical instruments such as drums until 1910, the year in which J. W. Pepper & Son was founded. Pepper is often credited with inventing the sousaphone around 1893, although there have been some disputes to this claim.
Company details
J. W. Pepper has one retail store located in San Antonio, Texas, along with two distribution centers dedicated to order fulfillment and shipping. In spring of 2009, Pepper added two new warehouses to the company's distribution network. From 1984 to 2013, the national headquarters was located in Paoli, Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Philadelphia. In October 2013, the company's headquarters moved further west to Exton, Pennsylvania.
References
- "Since 1876". J. W. Pepper Sheet Music. J. W. Pepper & Son, Inc. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- "Pepper Winston-Salem Branch Moves to New Location". J.W. Pepper Sheet Music. J.W. Pepper & Son, Inc. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
External links
- J. W. Pepper & Son corporate website
- Free scores by J. W. Pepper & Son at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Dean Burtch NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2004)
- Lee Paynter NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2015)
- Glenn Burtch NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2016)
- Ron Rowe NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2016)
- Charles Slater NAMM Oral History Program Interview (2016)