William Drake Elder Sr.

Drake was born in Coldwater, MS on November 24, 1952 to Eulalie and Thomas A. Elder. When he was five, he moved to the Belhaven neighborhood in Jackson. He attended Power Elementary, Bailey Jr. High, and Murrah High School, and was a member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church. After graduating from Murrah in 1970, Drake enrolled in Millsaps College as a Biology major and served on the Student Association Entertainment Committee at Millsaps. When he was unable to book a Dan Fogelberg concert on campus because of a conflict with the Millsaps Theater Department, Drake, along with friends Kathy Morrison and Wayne Harrison, founded BeBop Productions. They relocated the Fogelberg concert to the Jackson City Auditorium (Thalia Mara Hall), which swiftly sold out the 2,500-seat auditorium. Drake, Kathy, and Wayne used the concert profits to start BeBop Record Shop in April of 1974.

BeBop Record Shop grew from its first location at 3021 N. State Street to eight locations across Mississippi, from Tupelo to Biloxi, including three in the Jackson area. BeBop was noted for having the largest and most diverse music selection in the state, including hard-to-find rock, blues, gospel and jazz. Local artists were encouraged to bring their CDs and concert tickets to sell at BeBop. BeBop was the top music retailer in Mississippi for over 37 years, until the last location was closed at Maywood Mart in May of 2011.

For over 30 years, BeBop Productions was responsible for bringing most of the major national touring acts to Jackson, including Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, Van Halen, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, Parliament Funkadelic, Motley Crue, Dolly Parton, The Isley Brothers, The Allman Brothers, Kiss, Grateful Dead, Bon Jovi, Journey, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Murphy, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Widespread Panic and many more.

Drake and his wife Sabrina Comola-Elder acted as the box office managers for the Mississippi Coliseum, the Jackson Convention Complex, Thalia Mara Hall and Jackson State University Memorial Stadium, and sets up shows on Ticketmaster for promoters and artists. For the past two years, his daughter, Meridith Elder, worked alongside them.

Drake is survived by his wife, Sabrina Comola-Elder, and three children: Meridith Elder and Will Elder, Jr. of Jackson, MS and Mr. & Mrs. Steven Bevilaqua of Los Angeles, CA and was predeceased by parents Eulalie D. Elder and Thomas A. Elder.

An exceptionally kind, generous, loving, funny, and handsome man, Drake’s love for his family, friends, and business was immeasurable. He made an impact on everyone he ever interacted with.

He loved fishing, mowing the grass in his lawn on weekends, New Orleans Saints football, Widespread Panic, traveling with his family, and, of course, music.

Visitation for Drake Elder will be held at Parkway Funeral Home on August 18, 2015 from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm. A celebration of his life will be held at Parkway Funeral Home in Ridgeland, MS on August 19, 2015 at 11:00 am with a visitation one hour prior. Burial will immediately follow at Parkway Memorial Cemetery, 1161 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, MS, 39157.