Peavey Electronics — Meridian, Mississippi

Peavey Electronics was founded in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1965 by Hartley Peavey, and became one of the world's largest manufacturers of musical instruments and audio equipment — an unlikely industrial achievement for a small Southern city. Peavey amplifiers, guitars, and PA systems were workhorses of the live music world from the 1970s through the 1990s, particularly in country music and rock. Eddie Van Halen designed a signature guitar with Peavey in the 1990s; the company also produced amplifiers used by countless touring bands unable to afford Marshall stacks.

Hartley Peavey began the company in his parents' house in Meridian, building guitar amplifiers from scratch and selling them locally. His insistence on manufacturing in Mississippi — initially in Meridian, later in other state facilities — made Peavey one of the largest employers in the region and a point of pride for a state not known for industrial success. The company's ability to produce affordable, road-worthy equipment democratised access to amplified music for generations of musicians who couldn't afford premium imported gear.

Peavey Electronics has gone through financial difficulties and ownership changes in recent decades, with manufacturing largely moved overseas. The company's legacy in Meridian — alongside the Jimmie Rodgers Museum — gives the city an outsized claim on American music history. The Mississippi Blues Trail marker in Meridian acknowledges the city's broader musical significance.