|
A fitting monument
Clair Bros. Audio honors its founding fathers
By Stephen Seeber
Lititz Record Express
Published: Jul 24, 2008 12:29 PM EST
Lititz -
Rarely does a local business impact the world. Rarely does global
success stay true to its roots. Rarely do you meet people the likes of Gene
and Roy Clair.
In case you haven't heard, Clair Bros. is the
power of sound. From humble beginnings with a small PA system at local
dances, to providing sound systems on world tours with Elvis Presley,
they've seen and done it all in their profession. They are industry
icons with an distinct hometown sensibility. They work with Elton John,
Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel, but they also have time to make
the Fourth of July in Lititz Springs Park the premiere Independence Day
event in this region.
"Our advantage is that our company stayed
here in Lititz, and every time we came back home, it 're-grounded'
us," Roy said in an interview that was published in Lititz 250: A
Historical Anthology. "There's no doubt about it —
that's why we succeeded."
The local contributions of Clair
Bros. were widely recognized throughout Lititz's 250th anniversary in
2006 (remember the amazing Symphonic Springs?), but it wasn't until
last month that the sound company itself paid tribute to its
heritage.
On June 16, surrounded by friends who helped lay the
groundwork for this industry giant nearly half a century ago, Gene and Roy
Clair were present for the official unveiling of the Founding Fathers
Wall.
The ceremony was held at Clair Bros. Audio headquarters, 1
Ellen Ave. in Lititz, and as the program revealed, "We are here today
to honor the spirit of entrepreneurship. Roy and Gene Clair felt the spark
and heard the calling. Many may hear the calling, but Roy and Gene answered
it in the form of a sound and service company that has grown into a global
organization that is second to none. Still based in Lititz, the roots of
Clair Bros. is figuratively and literally strong."
Troy
Clair, who now heads the operation, said a few words prior to the unveiling
of the striking monument.
"They (Gene and Roy) pretty much
started an industry," he said during his toast. "There was no
manual, no book. They pretty much invented everything as they
went.
"They went from a small garage to a barn in Lincoln, to a
chicken coop in Brickerville, to a tennis court facility in Manheim, to the
125,000-square-foot facility in Lititz today.
"In that time
period, they opened offices in Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto,
Switzerland, Japan, and grew the company from two employees to 250 ... and
won 80 industry awards.
"It's a pretty amazing thing to go
from one little PA system at ages 13 and 16 to this approximately 50 years
later."
With that, glasses were raised and the cover draping
the Founding Fathers Wall was pulled away, revealing a stately image of Roy
and Gene, and an enlarged copy of a 1969 newspaper article that touted,
among other things, how the brothers dressed sharply in "sport coats
and ascots, regardless of whether they are traveling or moving equipment.
They always try to look their best."
"It's
beautiful," shouted Roy after his first glimpse of the wall. He then
proceeded to share a bit of irony from 1966.
"The Four Seasons
had just finished playing in Miami prior to coming to F&M, and they
were second on a bill with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass," he
explained. "As a recording engineer, Alpert had his own sound system
and The Four Seasons didn't.
"They were singing through
12-inch speakers, and Herb Alpert had this huge elaborate sound
system.
"The Four Seasons' wives were in the audience, and,
after the show, they all noted how much better Herb Alpert sounded. Well,
Frankie wanted to be a star, always. Since Herb had his own sound system,
he knew that's what he needed.
"The next show was F&M
(where Clair Bros. had been hired to do the sound), so timing is
everything. There were many things that added up, but that was the most
ironic part of the whole deal. They (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons)
were the product of a bad sound system, and then the next night they came
to F&M. And they were ready because no one else at that time was doing
it, other than Herb Alpert."
Following the presentation, Gene,
in his quiet tone, said it was nice to be recognized for contributing to
the industry.
"It doesn't seem like it was 50 years ago
when this started," he said in talking about how times have changed a
bit. "We could do a show every day (back then) and go in at four in
the afternoon to set up. Nowadays, you have to have many more people and
you have to spend the whole day when you're setting up 10, 15, 20 times
more equipment than we used to set up."
Gene also pointed out
that Clair Bros. got its start in the sound business by doing "little
jobs like egg hunts, fairs and a lot of dances" in Lititz.
But
after the Franklin & Marshall show, when the company started to grow at
a tremendous pace, they never forgot where they came
from.
"Blood, Sweat & Tears wanted to back us," Gene
recalled, "and they said the only way they would back us was if we
moved to New York City. We turned down the offer and stayed in Lititz. At
that time we could have used some backing, but we were very glad we made
that decision."
Eventually the industry followed Clair Bros.,
as more artists were leaving the big cities to record in more remote areas.
In this case, Lititz became a prime destination for some of the biggest
names in entertainment.
Bob Derr of East Lincoln Avenue worked
part-time for Clair Bros., hauling equipment during the early phase of
their career. He remembered another Blood, Sweat & Tears story, this
one a trek to the Great White North in the early 1970s that proved tight
border security is not a relatively new phenomenon.
"They
needed a truck driver and I went with Roy up to Montreal for the Blood,
Sweat & Tears group," Derr said, "and from there I brought
the cabinets back and they (border authorities) wouldn't let me
through. I blew a tire and I had all kinds of trouble."
Today,
Derr says it was one of the best jobs he ever had.
"They were
always really great people to work for," he said, "and I
can't say enough about them. They do so much for the community and
they've done a lot for me."
Much of what the Clairs have
done for the Lititz community goes unrecognized, and to some degree, that
is the way these humble brothers prefer to donate their time and talent.
But with the Founding Fathers Wall now firmly in place at Ellen Avenue,
their contributions will never be forgotten.
It all started in 1956
when the owner of a mom and pop grocery store at Five Points (the
intersection of Cedar, Front and Liberty streets) in Lititz bought his boys
a public address system. It was a small gift that turned into a big
career.
"Gene and I never really had money as a motive to do
anything," Roy added. "Our first goal was actually to work
together as a brother team, and obviously when we got The Four Seasons we
were extremely happy because it seemed like we could do that. We're
just incredibly happy that we were lucky enough to get where we are
today."
Roy is currently working in an advisory capacity with
his son Barry at Clair Bros. Audio Systems in Manheim.
Gene retired
in 1995 and is now, as he calls himself, a "steward of the land."
He has a tree farm in northern Pennsylvania. Occasionally, he misses the
"day-to-day energy that goes into a show."
|
