McIntosh Honors Bill Hanley

This Saturday, the town of Medford will host a free event to commemorate the legacy of live music engineering icon Bill Hanley and his pioneering workshop, Hanley Sound Company.  From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. attendees can enjoy food, vendors and the musical styling of artists such as The Doug Kwartler Band, The Debby Larkin/Ted Casher Swing Quartet, and the legendary folk icon Melanie Safka (to name a few.)

Bill Hanley, fondly known as the “Father of Festival Sound”, will be celebrated for his groundbreaking work within live concert sound reinforcement.  Career highlights include Hanley’s work with some of the biggest names in rock and roll, jazz and folk –  including  The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Duke Ellington – at legendary venues like Woodstock and The Fillmore East.

Among event sponsors is McIntosh, one of America’s most respected producers of hi-fi system solutions. Like Hanley, McIntosh has helped power some of the biggest events in music history. When the Beatles played at Shea Stadium in 1965, the performance couldn’t be heard over the screaming of the record number of attendees – 56,000 people.  It was just the four members performing with nothing more than a handful of Vox guitar amplifiers more suitable to a club performance.  The sound system simply wasn’t large enough to be capable of delivering clean, high-quality sound to so fast an area – even if it was empty.  Four years later, in 1969, Woodstock organizers were faced with the same problem.  It was Hanley who called on the McIntosh team to help him hastily construct a large, high-fidelity sound system with gigantic speakers and huge power McIntosh amplifiers for Woodstock – which was essentially thrown together at the last minute.   From that moment on, McIntosh and Hanley were partners in creating some of the world’s most integral live sound experiences. 

“We are so honored to be a part of this day and have the opportunity to celebrate Bill’s legacy,” said McIntosh’s Ellis Reid.  “It was him who helped McIntosh amps become a part of some of the biggest moments in music history, and we owe him a great debt for how he has helped shape the identity of McIntosh.”

This “can’t miss” event will take place at 430 Salem Street in Medford, Massachusetts. What better way for audiophiles and Hanley fans alike to come and enjoy a free celebration of all things musically legendary!

For more details on this event please visit www.thelastseatinthehouse.com