JOHNNY PAUL:

Johnny quit school the day he turned sixteen.  At the urging of his brother-in-law, Eddie Wiese, Johnny joined Eddie's fledgling music business as a repair apprentice in May of 1961.  He was an employee there for forty years, doing most anything that needed to be done.  Not many folks can say they worked in one place for that long!

Johnny learned repair in the early years from Eddie Wiese and Morris Lidia.  Both men were insistent on quality, not quantity, and Johnny followed the tradition faithfully.  Quality work, no matter how much time it took, or who it was for, has long been his personal trademark.  If you would like to see an example of his work, just visit the TRUMPET OVERHAUL IN PICTURES page. 

Students and professional musicians alike have depended on Johnny Paul to keep their "babies" in tip-top shape for years.  He has seen every imaginable repair, from delicate oboe wood cracks to trombone bells crushed in a bar fight.  His loyal customers can each tell a tale of some desperate time when he saved their favorite instrument.

The late-night work that took place at the old store is legend.  Many area band directors still tell stories about dropping by the store late at night, seeing the lights on back in the shop, and breathing a sigh of relief, because that meant Johnny would be able to do their emergency repairs, and do them right.

So, if you have an instrument that everyone else says can't be repaired, just ask Johnny Paul.  He loves a challenge!

If he doesn't have any instruments to repair, and the weather is nice, he'll be out riding his Suzuki Bandit 1200.

JEANAN PAUL:

Jeanan has been repairing musical instruments since 1974.  She started out as an apprentice at Wiese Music on East Lancaster in Fort Worth under woodwind technician Roger Marsh.  After obtaining her degree in music (and taking time out to raise four rug rats) she served as a public school band director for 5 years.  She is now a Straubinger certified technician.

As a change from her teaching career, she was a road salesperson for Wiese Music for 3 years, calling on area directors and performing on-the-road repairs for local school districts.  She received her string instrument training as an apprentice with Larry Phetteplace of Dallas.  She now serves as Chief Cook, Bottle-Washer, and General Manager. 

When she gets to ride, she prefers her Suzuki 600 Katana.

ABOUT JOHNNY PAUL, JR: 

Johnny Paul's eldest son graduated from TCU with a degree in Journalism.  He was a sportswriter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for 16 years, and decided to join the family business in Fall of 2003.  He has been an important addition to the company ever since.  An avid golfer, you may not find him here on really pretty days.

JR has a heavy road schedule and is usually not in the shop during the school year.  Many band directors in the area depend on his prompt weekly service.  But, in the summer, he is a welcome and necessary addition to our repair crew.  He is also just as stubborn as his dad. E-mail John

    RAY MURR:

Ray is the newest member of our team here at Johnny Paul's Music Shop.  He is going weekly out to schools, and taking care of school music programs.  When he is in the shop, he has proved a great help to everyone, and will be training in repair this summer.  Ray has a Master's Degree in Tuba, and was a band director, so he really knows more about music than the rest of us!  But we'll try to forgive him for it...

ABOUT TOMMY MAHAN:

Another Jack-of-all-Trades at our shop, Tommy keeps us constantly in stitches with his dry, quiet humor.  (Who's the most popular guy in town?  FILL DIRT.)  During the construction of the new store, there was simply no job that Tommy was afraid to tackle.  His meticulous nature shows in his brass repairs, and he is a wonderful addition to our repair shop. 

ABOUT NANCY HAUSMANN:

Nancy is our new bookkeeper, and as a former business owner herself, is doing a fine job!  We are happy to have her on board, and, ok, she is learning about clarinet ligatures and cleaning snakes.  But she is catching on fast!  Her helpful attitude will help us to have a great year.  E-mail Nancy

MATT WALTER:

Quiet Matt will be found back in the repair shop, brushing up his woodwind repair skills.  Already showing excellent progress on clarinets and flutes, we are glad to have this new addition on board with us. 

ABOUT JAMES PAUL:

James is quite simply one of the best brass repair technicians on the planet, but disguised as a COACH!  He spends his summers coming in to save the day in our repair shop.  And, he is also just as stubborn as his dad, Johnny Paul.

ABOUT JOE STEPHENSON:

This kind and gentle young man has been a Jack-of-all-Trades around the Paul shop for some time now.  He has kept the computer system up-and-running for 4 years, through bad viruses and pouty cheap owners who don't ever want to upgrade anything.  Joseph completely designed and installed the entire electrical system for the new store,and didn't ever lose his cool while we stood around and argued endlessly over outlets, switches, and circuits.  He is constantly courteous and caring.  AND this handsome guy is AVAILABLE, girls!