Wingert Jones
Wingert Jones
Founded in 1964, Wingert-Jones started as a labor of love between two instrument salesmen with a passion for grand, high-end band music. Merrill Jones started small, attending the 1964 Mid-West National Band Clinic with just one piece: Emperata Overture by Claude T. Smith. From those humble beginnings, Wingert-Jones has grown into a nationally known publisher. Merrill Jones and George Wingert met as traveling instrument salesmen in the Midwest and became good friends with a number of connections in the industry. Together, they founded a small print and retail shop in Kansas City selling just a few pieces by their sole composer, Claude T. Smith. Smith would remain the chief composer for Wingert-Jones until his death in 1987. His music was the foundation Wingert-Jones was built on and still features prominently to this day. Today, Wingert-Jones continues to publish some of the best pieces of band music in the world, but they have expanded their library to include orchestral and educati