Alpha Music was started in 1979 by Eddie Hancock, drummer and sound reinforcement specialist, in a 200 square foot closet in a not so scenic area of Norfolk, VA. Possessing boundless energy and working to a standard that few could match, Eddie wanted every customer to get a good deal, not just friends and regulars. In 1980, Eric Burgess, a teenager who lived across the street, started making speaker cabinets for Alpha to support his drumming habit. He used to ride his paperboy bike to the store and even loaned Eddie his Speed King pedal so Eddie could jam after work. "In the beginning we had to be creative with little stock. We made guitar cables to order– on the spot while the customer waited!" Eddie’s wife, Debbie, soon joined the ranks handling all the bookkeeping and front counter work.

Alpha Music moved to our present location in Virginia Beach in 1994, becoming more conveniently located for our local customers and allowing expansion in both service and instruction. Alpha Music knows that service after the sale is a key part of customer satisfaction and that the next generation of players needs quality, competent instruction to reach their goals. A full-time electronic technician and two full-time guitar technicians provide quick turn around in tight situations as well as the Alpha touch with such benefits as free lifetime set-ups with every guitar and bass purchased. This provides that extra assurance that instruments always stay in the best playing condition and if there is a problem, Alpha stands ready to back up the equipment we sell.

In March of 2015, after being General Manager for the last 23 years, Eric Burgess, that teenager who started in 1980, took over Alpha Music with his wife Ginny. Alpha took on the stepped up energy level of the new owners and a new chapter started.

From humble beginnings of a few hundred dollars a day causing a six-pack celebration, Alpha has never forgotten Eddie’s basic premise- satisfied customers make it all possible. Business is building relationships– forty years in, we are still a "family" of musicians doing the best we can for our customers