Joe founded Jackson Pianos in 1997, but the dream started long before then when his curiosity led him to disassemble a piano when he was a teen (and yes, he was able to put it back together). Joe’s passion for the piano is spread to each of Jackson Pianos’ employees, customers and clients.

Morgan’s life as a ballet student and professional dancer instilled a fondness for the piano and has been part of the heart and soul of everything we do since 2005.

Morgan’s responsibilities include implementing the wild ideas of Joe (her husband), managing the books, organizing the office, designing procedures, generating and editing literature and communications.

Kristen joined the Jackson Pianos family in 2013 after a long-time friendship with the Jackson-Cameron family. Her cool, calm nature and love of music makes her an excellent leader to serenely navigate last-minute tunings, ensure orders arrive on time, services happen when they should, and keep a sense of order in the in the wild, wild world of piano repair and restoration.

Janet joined Jackson Pianos at our former location on Cherokee Street in 2009. Her musical nature and fondness for reclaiming all things old led her to us, and we’re glad she was! As a technician, she works tirelessly to breathe new life into used pianos. As the manager of the workshop and showroom, she beams everytime she reunites clients with their restored pianos — and unites purchasers with the piano that’s just right for them.

When Heather met Joe and Morgan in 2005, she was immediately inspired to come on board. Heather relishes her role as customer communication and scheduling extraordinaire. While we can’t prove it, we suspect her never ending drive to make every piano in St. Louis pitch-perfect is unrivaled worldwide.

Jennifer joined us in 2012 through the Missouri Department of Social Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation program — and has been an integral part of our team ever since.

You’ll find Jen in a zen-like trance while she turns grubby, grimey keys bright white or making things beautiful in our workshop.

Matthew Toole joined the Jackson Pianos family in August of 2019 as a tuning apprentice and piano mover. His passion for problem-solving and the way things work then drew him to the piano technology and rebuilding departments. Matt currently wears three hats as JP’s lead mover, QRS and PianoDisc player systems installer/technician, and apprentice rebuilder.

Nichole Bryan joined the JP team in the Summer of 2020 to help out in the office after the spring COVID-19 closure. Coming from her own family’s family-run business, Jackson Pianos was an easy fit for her. Nichole herself is a piano player and loves the musical environment. When not at Jackson Pianos, she attends Saint Louis University working on her degree in Social Work and hopes someday to use the arts to serve the St. Louis area.

John joined Jackson Pianos in 2012 as a way to work off months of back rent for Jackson Piano’s old location on Cherokee that he rented after we relocated to our current location in the Central West End. Joe put him to work moving pianos and John fell in love with the physical work and game-like aspects of getting pianos into locations most other movers won’t try. John still works in the move department all week in the summer and weekends during the school year due to his schedule as head of the art department at Collegiate Academy, a fine public school located in Saint Louis City. When not pushing 500lb pianos or getting teenagers to embrace their artistic side, John can be found at his studio working on his sculptures with wire as his main medium.

Mary Jackson (mom of Joe Jackson) is our main cabinet repair and prep technician- she really does every step except the spraying part when it comes to piano refinishing. For decades, she was child behavior specialist and the director of a number of early learning centers, but now for the past decade, she has fallen in love with wood refinishing.

She does have two other children, but since her son is writing this they just plain won’t get mentioned due to his selfishness. So, all you need to know is she loves working 60 hours a week for free for her loving son. The work they do together is breathtaking to say the least and they enjoy working side by side many hours each week.

Danny came to Jackson Pianos in 2022. He has been moving pianos across the country ever since and has been a great addition to our company and move department. Danny has an Master’s degree in stage lighting and audio engineering and has been a competitive deadlifter.

In his free time, he likes to dance, train monkeys, bake scones, train to climb Mount Everest next year, and many other things that are really cool, but we couldn’t name them here, since he told someone else to write his bio for him and to make it funny.

Jason came to Jackson Pianos in 2020 and has a spotless record, showing up no matter rain, storm, and shine. He has a deep interest in physical health and is a practitioner of weight training and martial arts. Aside from moving pianos, he’s also in private security. He keeps pianos safe and we are glad to have him on the team.

James was a 2023 addition to the JP family, and has since completed our tuner/technician apprenticeship program and can now regularly be found out in the field or working in our shop. This apprenticeship program is a rigorous training program that typically lasts one and a half to two years, encompasses tuning two hundred in-shop pianos, plus the development of journeyman skills plus all attributes of piano repair and upkeep, and the history of the instrument. He comes from musical background, so he has a love for all instruments. However, he has recently discovered a true passion for playing, tuning and fixing acoustic pianos. 

Max joined us in October of 2021 and has been of irreplaceable value to our shop ever since. You can find him in the back dutifully managing projects or in the zone, working away.

Austin joined us in January 2022 and is a fan favorite. Many of our clients have a favorite technician, and many peoples’ is Austin with his personable nature – we charge $10 for a thirty minute meet and greet if you’d like to meet him without a piano appointment. He leaves no detail untouched and pours passion into every project he works on.

Austin started off with the Steinway Gallery and worked for numerous years as a piano mover and piano touch-up trainee, studying under Steinway Gallery technician Jerry Deck. He continues his apprenticeship under Joe Jackson and continues to learn the mastery of tuning and action regulation work.

Samal started at Jackson Pianos in May 2023 after serving in the Air Force for six years. He primarily works with Mary in the finishing department and moves pianos as well. He’s dedicated to achieving quality finishes and clean glistening pianos while assisting the JP team. When Samal’s not in the shop, he’s in pilot training and making jams.

Justin Coleman is a jack of all trades. When he’s not rebuilding pianos, he’s rebuilding guitars! Justin has been with Jackson Pianos since 2017 and is a valued member of the JP rebuilding team.

Mary Phillips is an artist who hails from the Southside. She has a talent for details, from cooking to portraiture – and managed at local restaurant/bars for over ten years. Her talent for details has extended into her current line of work refinishing pianos! After some travels, she has returned to the city and joined Jackson Pianos in 2023.

Alys is one of our newest employees as of June 2024, but is no stranger to the piano world – she’s been playing the piano for eleven years! Music has always been a part of her life in one capacity or another, and she’s loving being able to combine her long-standing love of music with her less widely known passion for working with her hands at Jackson Pianos. In her free time, you can find her playing music, rollerblading, drawing, baking/cooking, or reading.