Living Colour’s Doug Wimbish Pays It Forward with Peavey Instrument Donation to Local School

Music students at High School in the Community (HSC) in New Haven, Conn., have a couple of reasons to smile in 2019. First, there are now plenty of new Peavey® instruments and amplifiers in the band room, and second, the instruments were delivered in person by Doug Wimbish, Connecticut native and renowned bassist of the GRAMMY® Award-winning band Living Colour.

During his visit to HSC, Wimbish shared tales of his musical journey, which began by discovering a mandolin in a neighbor’s trash can. His school music program became a saving grace where he could play quality instruments and establish his identity as a real musician. “I’m here because I was thankful enough to have music in school,” Wimbish told students, according to a report by The New Haven Register.

Now Wimbish, with the help of Peavey is paying it forward by donating roughly $13,000 worth of Peavey brand equipment, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, basses, bass amps and guitar amps ready for deployment throughout the district. The donation was initially announced this past summer following the WimBash Music Festival in New Haven, which marked the 53rd festival of the series since it began in 2004. Spearheaded by Wimbish, the festival's vision is to bestow the passion, culture, integrity and soul of music to thousands of students in need, giving back to the community and making a difference in inner-city school music programs. The motto of WimBash is, “It only takes a moment to give that spark to a kid.” The classroom is where many musicians, like Doug Wimbish, discover their talent and passion, and eventually decide to pursue music as a career. Studies have shown that music makes kids smarter, improves the quality of their education, and helps to teach them the skills necessary for success later in life. It is a great honor for Peavey to influence the way music is taught in this local high school and be part of the musical journey for these students.

For more than 50 years, Peavey has done its part to “spark” musicians’ creativity, through innovative instruments, amplifiers, speakers and pro-audio equipment. Learn more about Peavey’s newest products at peavey.com. In recognition of Peavey’s contribution, West Haven Mayor Toni Harp gave a Proclamation thanking Peavey’s Corporate leaders, Hartley Peavey and Courtland Gray. Former Mayor Ed Obrien gave a $2,500 check and Wimbish and his wife, Diane Nilsson, are working with O’Brien to form the WimBash Foundation, which will raise funds for music education programs. For more information about the WimBash Music Festival Series, visit wimbash.org.