by warren beads
When George Hines sits down with a guitar across his lap his demeanor as the astute business man quickly transforms into that of a bright eyed kid in a candy store. And what a candy store he has. And the great thing is, he loves to share his bounty of treats.
George’s Music has been the title sponsor of our annual Springing The Blues Music Festival in Jacksonville Beach for the past twelve years. “Along with Sam Veal we’ve done some pretty cool things”. Every year George’s Music Springing The Blues festival brings in three days of the hottest names on the national blues scene and also reaches out to showcase much of Jacksonville’s local talent.
This year’s festival will be held April 3-5 at the Jacksonville Beaches Seawalk Pavilion and will bring to the stages (there are two) a stellar lineup including Regi Blue, Conrad Oberg along with Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band on Friday evening. Saturday shines up the blues all day with signature style as Skinny Legs and All (gotta love that band’s name) starts the all-day musicthon just before noon and wraps the evening with the Legenday JC’s and Lucky Peterson. Sunday serves up another day long helping of blues nourishment and closes the festival at sunset with the guitar stylings of Greg Baril.
George explains his endorsement, “Springing The Blues is unique. It is now the largest free music event in Florida. Jacksonville Beach and Springing The Blues just felt right. I really love the area. The people are so friendly and our store there is one of my favorites to visit.”
George Hines loves music and cherishes musicians. “Our business is more about personal relationships than anything else.” George’s Music stores now number ten. Five are in Florida, two of which are here locally in Jacksonville Beach and in Orange Park. His other Florida stores are in Orlando and West Palm Beach and there are five in the Philadelphia area, where George’s Music was launched in 1977.
George had grown up in the Philly area, taking piano lessons at six years of age.
“My first guitar was a Sears Silvertone then in 1969 I bought my first Gibson Les Paul”. Hines played guitar and keyboards in local top-40 cover bands. “One was named Patchwork, as I remember”. George graduated from Ursinus College, a small liberal arts college northwest of Philadelphia with a teaching degree in secondary education. He interned as a high school American and European history teacher briefly and just before his graduation realized “I had decided that I wanted to do something with my passion, music”. So George took a leap of faith and leased a storefront in Spring City, just outside Philadelphia repairing instruments, teaching lessons and “…living on brownies and coffee, six days a week. I’m much, much better doing this,” George chuckled with a twinkle in his smile and adds, “this is better!” But the essence of teaching enthusiasm for sharing the gift of music is never far from George’s Music creed. George’s Music sponsors “Blues In The Schools” where young minds are treated to live performances by top name talent and interactive discussions bring students a significant appreciation of music, and the joy it can be.
“When I was first learning guitar, there was nobody I could connect to in the music stores around Philadelphia so I saw an opportunity and decided there’s got to be a better way.” That launched a business ethic that is unrivaled in a market arena that’s full of warehouse mentalities and minimal customer interaction. “When people come in to George’s Music they are treated with respect by people who are interested in their hobby. We want to welcome our customer by name and that develops loyalty. There are two needs: the physical need, the product, what it costs. Then there is the emotional need. When you walk in to purchase a product, you want to feel recognized and appreciated.” Today they teach over 2200 students and offer a music teachers referral service, a church musicians association and have a website with live video tutorials. Where were these guys when I was learning to play guitar?
Loyalty from musicians has to be earned and is a key ingredient enjoying a musical instrument. If you’re comfortable with the guy selling you a new set of guitar strings and he suggests you try something different from your usual selection and you discover that you really like the sound of them, you’re likely to return to that trusted friend when you’re looking to upgrade your gear or you just have to know how to play a G minor 7th chord for that tune you’re trying to learn. I know personally, over the years I’ve spent as much money, if not more, on guitar strings as I did buying the instrument, and I fancy really expensive guitars.
Mastering any instrument takes a lot of time, patience and practice and the folks at George’s Music understand and empathize with the challenges, and relish the rewards. George’s Guitar Club and online teaching programs can give that budding musician instruction and guidance all the way to becoming an accomplished player. “The online technology is great,” Hines explains “our website is not designed to merely be a marketplace for selling instruments, everybody does that. What we try to create is a come together community for enthusiasts. We find the online experience can enhance the in-store experience”
When I asked George about his opinion on the new imitation music computer games he just smiled and said, “I have a Wii and Playstations 3 and love it. Guitar Hero and other interactive games introduce fans to the fun music can be and many will find their way to our stores”. His wife Lisa agrees and added “we’re even thinking about having a Guitar Hero challenge at one of the stores during Springing The Blues”.
George Hines is known throughout the music industry for his savvy business sense, smart decisions and the ability to seek out and keep quality people. George is the chairman of the Alliance of Independent Music Merchants, a group of 52 leading independent retailers with more than 200 storefronts and doing more than $700 million dollars annually in sales, which represents about 10% of the US retail market.
And the key to his success… “customers are #1. Our business matrix is like an inverted pyramid. The customer is our top priority, our associates follow and finally there’s the management and development. I’m basically at the bottom because I’m farthest from personal contact with the customer, so I have to support everyone above me. I try to inspire people to do a good job. My primary role is head cheerleader. Everything is focused on the customer”
“What I really like is that we are actually changing people’s lives. It’s a big, big, big thing. I can’t imagine my life without music. It’s such a positive force. When I was growing up music was king. You think of the real needs of people. There’s food, shelter and I like to put music really high on that list. The sheer power of making music provides something important to the human spirit, and I think what I’m doing is very important. I wouldn’t have done it for these years if it weren’t.”
George’s fervor for the business is contagious. You can feel it when you first walk in to a George’s Music location and sense the pride of the associates and the friendly atmosphere of the experience. It’s a fun factory fueled by dreams and enthusiasm. And his efforts are apparent every year presenting Springing The Blues Music Festival to thousands of blues fans.
If you catch the music bug at STB and seek that kid in the candy store experience, wander in to George’s Music down on Third Street in Jacksonville Beach or check out their website at www.georgesmusic.com where you’ll find guitars (George has more than 7500 in stock – wow!), amplifiers, sound equipment, drums, keyboards and all the coolest accessories you can imagine. There is anything and everything the music professional or hobbyist would want from top name manufactures like Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, JBL, Korg, Latin Percussion, Line 6, Ludwig, Marshall, Martin, Pearl, Peavy, TAMA, DW, Tascam, Taylor, Yamaha, QSC and Zildjian.
Music IS King! And long live the blues. See you April 3-5 at George’s Music Springing The Blues. It’s the perfect way to start your summer – sizzling with friends enjoying the hottest sounds around.