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 the year 1893, although there have been some disputes to this claim.
J.W. Pepper & Son, Inc. is the largest sheet music retailer in the United States. 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.
Pepper offers an extensive sheet music website at www.jwpepper.com, featuring online catalogs, ordering and other services important to musicians, such as the ability to see and listen to music samples, music recommendations and digital downloads of music. A separate site is dedicated to piano music for teachers, students and hobbyists, at www.pianoatpepper.com.
There are 14 Pepper locations in the United States. In spring of 2009, Pepper added two new warehouses to the company’s distribution network.
Pepper has 14 regional marketing centers, along with two distribution centers dedicated to order fulfillment and shipping. The national headquarters is located in Paoli, Pennsylvania, which is approximately 20 miles west of Philadelphia.
'Pepper, J(ames) W(elsh)', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed [29 November 2006]), <http://www.grovemusic.com>
The Magazine he published was Musical Times and Band Journal from the 1880s until 1914.