Trade Regrets: Joe D. McBrayer

On November 28, NAMM‘s Dan Del Fiorentino posted the following:

Texas piano retailer Joe D McBrayer passed away. He was 91 years old.

Joe D always took great pride in the craftsmanship he put into the servicing and restoration of pianos. In a career that began when he was a kid sweeping up the store, Joe D managed to do every job related to the buying, hauling, restoring and selling of pianos and organs. Ultimately, it was the piano technician element of the process that he enjoyed the most and he found the most fulfilling. Joe D brought in new product lines such as Baldwin into the store that his grandfather established in 1903 in west Texas. The skills his grandfather and father taught him, Joe D proudly passed along to his son, Eddie. While the industry changed and competition was much different from when he started, Joe D always felt customer care and providing a quality instrument was the key to his business and his way of life.