McLean, Percy Lawrence (January 21, 1901-February 18, 1958)
Dates
- Existence: January 21, 1901 - February 18, 1958
Biography
Percy Lawrence McLean was born in Aurora, Missouri, on January 21, 1901, the youngest of six to parents Horace Greeley McLean and Lutie T. Bennett McLean. When Lawrence was a young child, the family moved to Joplin, Missouri, and eventually to McPherson, Kansas, where Lawrence attended high school and was a member of the track team. While attending the University of Kansas, he helped pay for his education by playing in dance bands.
In 1920 McLean moved to Kansas City and was in charge of the repair department at Jenkins Music Company. In 1941 McLean founded his own company, McLean’s Band Shop, located in downtown Kansas City. The shop drew a large patronage, including such renowned musicians as Benny Goodman, Tex Beneke and Sammy Kaye. McLean married Minnie Louise Ray and they had one daughter Martha Jane McLean.
McLean was a former chairman of the instrumental committee of the National Association of Music Merchants and formerly was chairman many years of the music exhibition committee of the Missouri Music Education Association. He was a former vestryman at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and was chairman of the stewardship committee. He was a charter member of the Order of De Molay and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Phi Alpha Mu fraternity, the Lions Club and the National Association of Music Instrument Repairmen.
McLean died on February 18, 1958, from a heart attack at the age of 57. The Band Shop remained in business until 1964, when Minnie McLean retired and left the business.
Sources: Kansas City Star obituaries and Ancestry.com
