SHINE A LIGHT
NEARING A CENTURY OF GREATNESS By Michelle Loeb
Nick, Pat and CJ Averwater
AMRO Music Stores, Inc. 2918 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38111 901.302.3311 www.amromusic.com Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. CJ Averwater, Vice President
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It has been almost 100 years since Mil Averwater, a classically trained pianist, and his friend Frank Moorman decided to open their first piano studio in the heart of Memphis, Tenn. The two studied music together in Cincinnati, but, recognizing that the Cincinnati market was already saturated with music studios, they decided to look elsewhere — first, Louisville, Ky., and finally, in what was supposed to be a stopover on the way to Los Angeles, Memphis. Combining the names Averwater and Moorman, AMRO Music officially opened its doors in October 1921, with the two-employee enterprise taking space on the building’s second floor. The lack of ground-level exposure was no match for Mil Averwater’s skill as a promoter, noted his great-grandson and current AMRO Music vice president, CJ Averwater. “He would open the windows on the second-floor studio and play piano as loud as he could,” said CJ Averwater. “When a passerby came up the stairs to see what the music was, Mil would offer a little lesson with the hope that they would sign up for a 30-lesson course.” That ingenuity certainly came in handy over the next decade, as the Great Depression gripped the nation. “He had to move the business from location to location because they couldn’t afford the rent during the Depression,” said Averwater, recalling stories his great-grandfather committed to audio tape. “They would often barter things like chicken, eggs and milk for lessons, just to survive the Great Depression.” Survive they did, and as the studio became more popular, AMRO Music expanded its offerings. What began with piano lessons taught by Averwater and Moorman grew into a variety of lessons programs, ranging from saxophone to banjo and guitar. Recognizing the growing needs of his customers, Mil Averwater began selling instruments as a convenience. That soon became a core part of the business, with AMRO Music eventually operating as a full-line music store selling pianos, organs, guitars, drums, school band instruments and combo equipment to a clientele that included such luminaries as Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding and Elvis Presley. This incredible history and commitment to music-making is what CJ Averwater inherited when he joined the business in 2004. Averwater recognizes the gravity of what his greatgrandfather had built, and what his grandfather, father and uncle worked to maintain — and it was never a given that he would get the opportunity to carry on that tradition. “When my cousin, Nick, and I joined the business, we were told that being a family member in the business isn’t a privilege; it’s an opportunity that has to be earned and comes with a higher set of expectations,” he said. “We had to work our way up and through each department so we could get a good understanding of how all of the pieces of the business fit together.” Today, the company relies more on instrument sales OCTOBER 2019