With Andrae, we went from a Cerwin Vega speakers-on-sticks thing under the Silver Eagle bus, to renting major regional rigs for sports arenas, practically overnight. Then, Jim Ford (Ford Audio, Oklahoma City) built us an innovative road package rig with Crown DC 150's and 300's, a Tascam mixer and JBL-loaded direct radiating cabs. Other artists early on...Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Spinners, The Temps, Al Green...(circa 1975-77).

I worked with Carlo Sound (Nashville) which at the time was doing nationwide touring. That got me involved with a number of interesting rock acts like the Ozark Mtn. Daredevils...Firefall...New Riders of the Purple Sage...etc.

In the mid-70's, being able to get exposure 'on tour' with leading soundmixers like Buford Jones (David Bowie tour, '76) and John Logan (Jackson Browne tour, '75) and Jack Maxson of Showco (Paul McCartney, '76) was really good training. I still enjoyed R&B, though...horn sections are great fun to mix.

Tours with folks like Grover Washington, Ashford & Simpson and Luther Vandross get my 'fix' for that. From 1979-84, I had great fun touring with artists like George Benson, Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Harry Chapin, and other pop and jazz acts, around the globe. 1981-95 also included some more rock-oriented stuff (Nightranger, Shooting Star, Glenn Frey, ELO) along with some really interesting work with classical and symphonic organizations like the NY Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the Pacific Symphony, and
such.

Concert tours with featured female vocalists like Sheena Easton, Linda Ronstadt...those were some of my favorite projects. Stadium shows with Jimmy Buffett were a also lot of fun.

But I must admit, I have nowhere near the resume and experience as "the Old Soundman". But then he is just a couch potato with a house gig from what I hear, these days...

The Old Soundman: When's the last time you mixed a show for less than a thousand people, superstar?