Peavey Electronics founder and CEO Hartley Peavey was among the Mississippi Technology Alliance’s inaugural Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame inductees this month.

In a gala held May 13 at the TelCom Center in Jackson, the Mississippi Technology Alliance celebrated the achievements of the Meridian native who founded one of the world’s largest makers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment in his hometown in 1965.

Propelled by his innovative spirit, Peavey grew his one-man operation into the pioneer behind computerized systems that power and control audio in the Sydney Opera House, Great Hall of the People in China, U.S. Congress and the world’s largest theme parks, casinos and arenas.

“Early in my career as a manufacturer, I discovered that in order to be better, by definition I had to be different,” said Peavey. “That realization, combined with a lot of hard work by many folks here in Mississippi, has helped lead this company in directions I never dreamed we would go. I am excited to receive this honor in my home state, where Peavey Electronics continues to push the boundaries of conventional wisdom in pursuit of innovations in product design, performance and manufacturing processes.”

Dr. Randy Goldsmith, President and CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance, said that his organization established the Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame to celebrate the accomplishments of the outstanding individuals and companies who put Mississippi on the map as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Peavey’s worldwide success brings great credit to our state, and we are proud that Peavey calls Mississippi home,” said Goldsmith. “Any recognition of excellence and innovation in Mississippi must include Peavey Electronics.”

Gifted with a technical mind and a spirit for innovation, Hartley Peavey’s tenacity, ingenuity and self-determination are the roots of his success. As sole owner, visionary and catalyst of Peavey Electronics, Peavey is responsible for more than 180 patents in the way we hear and make music.

Peavey also bridged the vintage and modern eras in guitars by adapting CNC computer-controlled machinery to the guitar-manufacturing process.

Peavey is a member of the Rock Walk of Fame, Vintage Guitar Hall of Fame and Mississippi Musician’s Hall of Fame, and has received multiple Presidential “E” Star Awards, the Senatorial Medal of Freedom, the National Literacy Honors Award and the inaugural manufacturer’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Guitar Player. Peavey is also the subject of The Peavey Revolution: The Gear, the Company and the All-American Success Story, published by Backbeat Books.

The Mississippi Technology Alliance is a non-profit organization whose mission is to drive innovation and technology-based economic development for the State of Mississippi. More information is available online at www.technologyalliance.ms.









A few milestones



Here are some major milestones in Peavey’s technological history:

• 1964: U.S. Patent Office issues Hartley’s first patent (No. 3,151,699) for an early Peavey amplifier design a year prior to the founding date of Peavey Electronics. As of 2008, Peavey has earned more than 180 patents — more than any other music or audio company.

• Mid-1970s: Peavey revolutionizes the loudspeaker by manufacturing the Black Widow® speaker featuring field-replaceable cone assemblies that can be replaced on the fly; these are still in production in Meridian today.

• 1977: With the T-60™ electric guitar, Peavey bridged the vintage and modern eras in guitar making by becoming the first manufacturer to build electric guitars using computer-controlled CNC machinery, replacing antiquated techniques used by other companies. Today, this technique is the industry standard.

• 1993: MediaMatrix® is launched as the first computer-based audio processing and control interface. After 15 years, MediaMatrix is still the standard in configurable audio systems throughout the world and can be found in more than 5,000 arenas, government buildings, stadiums and more—including the U.S. Congress; the Parliament Houses of China, New Zealand, Russia and Germany; and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. MediaMatrix also controls the audio in Orlando’s most popular theme parks, the Las Vegas Strip and in many transportation centers, including the new Beijing Capitol International Airport in China — the largest airport in the world — as well as at our own MSU Riley Center. MediaMatrix products are made in Meridian and Decatur.

• 2007: Peavey relaunches its musical instrument custom shop online at PeaveyCustomShop.com, where consumers can design one-of-a-kind guitars from more than 16 million color and feature options, or even upload their own JPEG images. The site was recognized by software giant Adobe Systems, and won Best In Show at the semi-annual NAMM trade show for the International Music Products Association. All Peavey Custom Shop musical instruments and amplifiers are crafted in Meridian.

Today: A new custom shop guitar named the JR Special is now in production. It is the signature model of Josh Rand, guitarist and songwriter for twice-Grammy nominated Stone Sour, and it features the U.S. Army’s Official digiflage camo pattern. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this instrument benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-partisan, non-profit group that helps wounded soldiers. More info can be found at www.peavey.com.

Peavey also recently added a new ripple to the Peavey Custom Shop called the Scenic Series. $400 from each sale benefits afterschool programs.