"I started out teaching at the high school in Waynesboro and was the first lady band director in the state of Mississippi. Back then, nobody thought a woman could direct a band; everybody at the school kept coming down the hallway and peeping in the band room window to see if I knew what I was doing. I guess I did, because in the time I was there, the marching and concert bands won 8 different trophies. Later on, I moved to Memphis and started the band at Hamilton Junior High. When I first got to the school, there were no instruments and nobody thought we'd be able to do anything. I told them, 'We'll play for you at Thanksgiving.' That gave us three months to get ready. I got the instruments for the students, got the band together, and we played three songs in the Thanksgiving concert.
"Over the years, I've directed choirs at churches and schools, and I sing with an acapella group of 30 to 40 people. I'm 78 years old now and still involved with music. I still sing solos in church."
"Over the years, I've directed choirs at churches and schools, and I sing with an acapella group of 30 to 40 people. I'm 78 years old now and still involved with music. I still sing solos in church."
Click HERE to view the work of Willie Hess Larry's grandson, Carl F. Hess, who resides in the Dallas area and is an extraordinary portrait artist for both private and public figures.
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