{"id":45028,"date":"2018-03-07T20:48:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T02:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=45028"},"modified":"2018-03-07T22:17:17","modified_gmt":"2018-03-08T04:17:17","slug":"herbert-wiley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/herbert-wiley\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Oxford, Mississippi’s Soul Man and Master Cobbler Herbert Wiley"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Herbert Wiley<\/strong> was a stalwart in the Oxford<\/strong> community and music scene. He was known as a soul musician with his performances dating back to the 60s. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to his musical talents, Wiley was a renowned leather worker and operated his own shop for years in the location that is now Saint Leo<\/strong>. That building was also once home to Parrish’s<\/strong>, Taylor’s Pub<\/strong>, and\u00a0from 1920\u2013early 1960s,\u00a0the B&B Cafe<\/strong><\/a>, which was owned by Wiley’s father.<\/span><\/p>\n

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photograph by Martin J. Dain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As our own memorial to Wiley we’ve put together a collection of posts, videos, and messages from those impacted by his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Mr. Wiley among his many talents was a gentleman of style and class,” said Allie Jo Moore<\/strong>. “He was sitting next to me at the bar for lunch at Ajax. It was a cold winter day. I was wearing a leather bomber jacket with an 8 inch rip along the front seam. He said to me, ‘Allie,\u00a0you can’t go walking around here with a rip in your jacket like that, child. Bring it by the shop and I will fix it up for you.’ He sewed and soldered it. That was 15 years ago. It’s still holding strong.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Nathan Robbins<\/strong>, local musician, recalled playing a gig with Wiley where he pulled aside fellow Oxford musician Mills Hawkins<\/strong> to consult with him in regards to his ripped jeans and taking pride in his appearance on stage.<\/span><\/p>\n