PRODUCT - Music Inc. Magazine

From left:
Taylor’s Bob
Taylor and JR
Robison with
Springfield
Music’s Donovan
Bankhead
HoNoRS
Springfield Awards
Top Taylor Rep
Springfield Music of Springfield,
Mo., has honored Taylor
Guitars’ JR Robison as its 2010
Representative of the Year.
“JR played a huge role in our
success with Taylor this year,” said
Donovan Bankhead, vice president of
Springfield Music. “He embodies what
a great rep should be — knowledgeable
about product, attentive to the
store’s needs, and creative in working
out solutions and suggesting events.
And he’s a heck of a guy, too.”
20 I MUSIC INC. I MAY 2011
AMRo MUSic i BY HilARY BRoWN
emPLoyee oF
The ceNTury
e has gone by many titles, but most
Vernon
Hpeople just call him Mr. Amro. Drane
Vernon Drane has been with Amro
Music of Memphis, Tenn., since 1945.
Now 86, he has worked with several
generations of owners and has regulars
that span four generations, as well.
“People ask me all the time, ‘How’s
Mr. Amro doing?’” said Chip Averwater,
CEO of Amro Music. “Sometimes
I ask, ‘Do you mean my father, my
grandfather, or do you mean Vernon?’”
Drane — affectionately known as his colleagues as a go-to man.
“Cowboy” for his Western wardrobe “He really sticks out, and everybody
— began teaching clarinet for founder notices him,” Averwater said.
Milford Averwater while attending At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Drane’s
Memphis State College.
hard to not notice. Averwater’s father,
“When I first went in, there were former Amro CEO Bob Averwater,
three stores in town,” Drane said. “And recalled that Drane once helped him
when they went under, we bought out capture a harmonica thief. “I took
a couple of stores and started moving off after [the thief] and chased him
and getting bigger.”
around the block,” Bob said. “As I
In his 65-year tenure at Amro, came around the corner, here was Ver-
Drane saw the company transition non coming back from lunch. Vernon
from a modest five-employee payroll stepped to one side in front of him.
to a full-line retailer. He would be- He just gobbled him up in his arms
come sales manager until his brief and held him until I could get there
retirement in 1990, when he went to to him. He was a jack of all trades.”
Scotland to explore his genealogy. He A talented saxophonist, Drane also
has since taken a part-time position plays bagpipes with the area’s Shriners.
in the repair shop fixing saxophones, “He can work here as long as he
but Drane’s still recognized among wants to,” Chip said.
THE WooDWiND & BRASSWiND i AWARDS
The Pride of South Bend
The Woodwind & Brasswind of South Bend, Ind., has been
voted Favorite Place to Buy a Musical Instrument in the
South Bend Tribune 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards.
“We’ve been working hard to improve our store experience, lessons
and events, and we appreciate the recognition from the community,”
said Kurt Witt, director of marketing for The Woodwind & Brasswind.
The 10,000-square-foot superstore also sponsors many local
events, including the Annual Tent Event Sale and a battle of the bands.
Plus, the dealer hosted a clinic featuring Leblanc clarinet artist Julian
Bliss in January and a drum clinic in March. It has also partnered
with local radio station WAOR to support the Logan Center, a local
resource center for people with disabilities. Both founded the School
of Rock program, which advocates music’s therapeutic benefits.