Think you didn’t know Jeff Breazeale? Take one look at any picture of him, and think again. Everything you need to know is written in that infectious grin, that sometimes crazy silver hair, and those smiling eyes. Here was a man who always appeared to be on the cusp of a great joke, just waiting for an opening.

A giant presence (literally, at 6’3”) with a larger-than-life personality, it’s almost unimaginable he’s no longer here. Jeff died in June, three weeks after a car accident.

A lifelong musician, Jeff played with a number of bands in Texas and Tennessee before settling into regional success with the Dixie Werewolves. Along with his wife, Lisa, he also owned the Maryville live music hangout/bar Two Doors Down.

It wasn’t long after Jeff’s passing that Lisa realized she wanted to do something to honor the man she knew as her soulmate. “As soon as I started asking around, the Joy of Music School’s name kept coming up,” she says. “The School’s reputation is amazing, and I know that Jeff would be thrilled to help kids learn to play music. Especially the kids who live in this part of the world he loved so much.”

The woman known as “Momma” to most decided the best way to honor her musician is to ensure that there will be more like Jeff in the years to come. She’s doing this with a $50,000 gift, to be given to the school over the next five years.

A friend to everyone, Jeff left such a giant space behind. It seems only fitting that it will be filled with the music of children. The School humbly joins the long list of people who have benefited from Lisa and Jeff’s generosity. Here’s hoping they will carry his “live big” spirit, and become the Jeff Breazeales of future generations.

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