West Music

W Music's founder, Pearl West, was born in 1914 to a very musical family. When the Great Depression negatively impacted farming, the family turned to playing music to survive. Pearl toured and played throughout southern Iowa and northern Missouri in his youth. In 1931, Pearl moved to Centerville, Iowa to finish high school and pursue his interest and ability for instrument repair with the manager of Centerville High School, William Gower. When Gower was hired as the Head of Brass Studies at The University of Iowa, he encouraged Pearl to move to Iowa City and enroll at the university.