Mississippi Music, Inc. (MMI) is one of the nation’s largest complete musical instrument enterprises, according to the “Music Trades” magazine. We operate four retail stores throughout Mississippi, all of which are full line music stores. This means they all stock a complete selection of various types of musical instruments and equipment including pianos, organs, band and orchestra instruments, guitars, amplifiers, synthesizers, instrument amplifiers and drums. They also carry a full line of sound reinforcement equipment, such as mixing consoles, microphones, speakers, and more.  You’ll also find sheet music, software and accessories for all musical instruments.

We believe everyone deserves the very best chance of learning to play a musical instrument; therefore we provide the best quality instruments for the price. We send staff to 2 trade shows a year in an effort to make sure we are selling the very best instruments in every price range. We realize that if an instrument doesn’t play, sound and function correctly the odds of a person continuing to learn are greatly reduced.

“Our goal is to help everyone enjoy the world of making music.”

Audio Services is the professional sound installation division of Mississippi Music. Audio services personnel are certified by the best audio manufacturers in the world such as Peavey, Bose, Yamaha, and many others. They have the capability and experience to handle anything from the smallest church to the largest stadium.

The unusual growth of Mississippi Music, Inc. can be primarily attributed to the character and ability of all the people associated with the company. Almost all of MMI’s associates have some particular outstanding talent, training, or ability, yet can adjust to a variety of skills needed to operate a series of music stores. This vast store of knowledge is being constantly shared with others in the company through a carefully planned series of meetings and a system of daily communications. Mississippi Music also sends employees to all of the major trade shows and product training seminars to insure we can provide the very best customer service before and after the sale.

Many of our employees are musicians with years of experience playing a wide range of instruments and styles. We also have the most highly trained and certified repair technicians in the region.

Mississippi Music is dedicated to continually raising the quality and standards of our service because we feel our customers, children and communities deserve our best.

Mississippi Music, Inc. (MMI) is one of the nation’s largest full-line musical instrument enterprises according to the “Music Trades” magazine.  We operate four retail stores throughout Mississippi and stock all types of musical instruments – including pianos, acoustic pianos, digital pianos, portable keyboards, organs, band and orchestral instruments, guitars, amplifiers, sound reinforcement equipment, synthesizers, sheet music, software and accessories for all musical instruments.  Each store has a complete repair department.

The unusual growth of Mississippi Music, Inc. can be primarily attributed to the outstanding character and ability of all the people associated with the corporation.  All MMI associates have some particular outstanding talent, training, or ability, yet can adjust to a variety of skills needed to operate a series of music stores.  This vast store of knowledge is being constantly shared with others in the corporation through a carefully planned series of meetings and a daily system of communications.  Mississippi Music will continue this pattern of achievement.

Mississippi Music began when James (Jim) W. Johnson and Bertha (Mac) M. Johnson opened The Music Shop for business on February 5, 1946, at 730 North Main Street in Hattiesburg.  That first store was located in the front three rooms of their private dwelling with Jim and Mac living in the back.  The store was moved to the corner of Front and Main Street some two years later.  After outgrowing the Main Street location, the Johnsons bought a 13,000 sq. ft. building at 111 East Pine Street and changed the name to Johnson Music Co.

J. W. Johnson and J. W. Clinton opened Laurel Piano Co. in 1956. In 1957, Mr. H. B. Harrington merged his Pascagoula and Laurel stores with Laurel Piano Co. to form Clinton‑Harrington Piano Co. In 1960, J. W. Clinton and Robert Fortenberry bought Peavey Melody Music Co. from J. B. Peavey in Meridian.  In 1961, Johnson Music Co., Clinton‑Harrington Piano Co., and Peavey Melody Music Co. merged to form and incorporate Mississippi Music, Inc.  MMI bought out Mr. Fortenberry’s interest in 1962.

In 1966, MMI opened Johnson Music Co. in Picayune with Johnnie M. Lightsey as manager.  The name was changed to Mississippi Music in 1973, with the store being located at 117 West Canal St.  MMI purchased all the assets of Gleaton Music Company, which had locations in Biloxi and Gulfport in 1969.  In 1970, Carmen Massey stores in Biloxi and Gulfport were purchased.  These stores were combined into Mississippi Music stores in the two cities.  With the expansion of the Edgewater Mall in 1971, the stores were combined into one location for the Gulf Coast.

In June 1974, the Central Services Office (CSO) was moved from Laurel to 222 Main Street in historic downtown Hattiesburg.

The Pascagoula store closed March 31, 1975 due to over saturation of that limited market area.  This investment was then moved to Jackson, and Mississippi Music opened in the Jackson Mall.

During 1975, the banks that had been financing the sale of musical instruments could not make a profit on these small balance loans.  So, in September of 1975, Mississippi Music Acceptance Corp. (MMAC) was chartered to give MMI a reliable source of financing for its sales.

Eagle Distributors, a wholesale distribution company, was also started in 1975.  The company saw a need for a regional distributor that could provide musical instruments, accessories, sheet music, and very quick service.   Eagle imported guitars and musical accessories from the Far East and distributed accessories and sheet music for domestic manufacturers and publishers.  It served 750 retailers in the southeastern U.S.  Having this distribution capability allowed MMI to benefit from volume purchasing of many items sold by the company.  Eagle Distributors was eventually closed in 2001.

During the late 1970’s MMI operated stores in the Jackson Mall, the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg, and the Village Fair Mall in Meridian.  These stores proved to be too small and too expensive for a music merchant.  In 1979, a new free standing 7,600 sq. ft. store was built on Robinson Road in Jackson, and the Jackson Mall store was closed.

A new 11,000 sq. ft. store was constructed at 100 N. 39th Avenue in Hattiesburg in the spring of 1985, and the Cloverleaf Mall location closed.  The fall of 1986 also saw the completion of a new building at 2415 S. Frontage Road in Meridian, and the Village Fair Mall location closed.  In July of 1987, the Edgewater Mall location moved to its newly completed location at 2744 Pass Road in Biloxi.

Modern highways allowed the corporation to consolidate the Hattiesburg and Laurel stores and the Biloxi and Picayune stores in 1991.  This consolidation allowed a substantial reduction in operating expenses and an increase in selection for our customers.

Audio Services was established in 1994 as the professional sound installation division of Mississippi Music, Inc.  Audio Services personnel are certified by the best audio manufacturers in the world, such as Peavey, Bose, Yamaha, and many others.  They have the capability and experience to handle anything from the smallest church to the largest stadium.

An idea, several years in the making, became a reality in the beginning months of 2000 as the senior students of Mr. Bill Baggett’s Art Class at University of Southern Mississippi came up with ideas for a mural for MMI as a part of the “Helping Neighborhood Matching Grant” program.  The winning design came from student Daniel Dixon, who spent 8 months painting the mural on the side of our CSO building.  The “mural encompasses all types of music, from jazz to band music to Jimmy Buffett.”  (Rosi K. Johnson)  The official name of the mural, which was dedicated on September 23, 2000, is Mississippi Music Mural.

On June 28, 2002, after working side-by-side with our founder Jim Johnson for many years, Rosi K. Johnson took over as President of Mississippi Music, Inc.

In July 2002, the Jackson store was moved to a new, modern location at 1001 Sara Lane in Flowood, a thriving new business community within 2 miles of downtown Jackson, MS.  The building on Robinson Road was sold.  Construction of a 5,000 sq. ft. addition to our Flowood location was completed in August 2007. This new addition houses the shipping, receiving and repair departments, making way for numerous teaching studios in the main wing.

On February 1, 2011, MMI’s founder, Jim Johnson died.  The spring edition of The Mississippi Bandmaster featured a two-page Memoriam in honor of all of his amazing accomplishments in the music industry.  Mac Johnson died on March 23, 2015.  The spring edition of The Mississippi Bandmaster featured a Memoriam in honor of her life and her music industry accomplishments and support.

During the beginning of 2015, the inside of the Meridian location was renovated.  And then in the early months of 2017, our Hattiesburg location received a renovation, as well.  These renovations gave the stores a more up-to-date look.

On October 2, 2019 the sale of our Biloxi building was finalized.  After major renovations, MMI now occupies the main floor of the building with the upper floor being occupied by the new owners.  Renovations included adding additional space to our main floor and re-painting the entire building which gave us a new, modern-looking upgrade.

In March 2020, as the world was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the government asked everyone to close their stores completely for two weeks in order to slow down the progression of the virus.  During this unprecedented time, and in compliance of the state-wide mandate, all stores were closed for two weeks.

During the months that followed and not knowing what was ahead, but knowing that Band Season was approaching, plans were being discussed about a way to sell band instruments and accessories in the fall while keeping customers and employees safe.

So in August 2020, extensive modifications were made to the Mississippi Music Inc. website,   www.mississippimusiconline.com, where our customers can purchase band instruments and/or accessories as well as make payments online.  Our customers now have a choice to either pick up their purchases at one of our retail locations, or have the items delivered to their child’s school.

As MMI and the music world continues to evolve, one thing is sure, “Mississippi Music, Inc. remains dedicated to the premise that lives can be enhanced through participation in music, and we will continue to promote the benefits and personal satisfaction it provides.”  (Rosi K. Johnson)