Arguably, without Bob Heil there would be no music industry as we know it. The first audio manufacturer enshrined in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the St Louis-born technician founded audio equipment company Heil Sound and — literally — wrote the book on how to engineer live concert sound.
The Practical Guide for Concert Sound, his 1978 publication, remains regarded as the leading book on of the topic. Heil’s breakthrough came in 1970 when the Grateful Dead hired him due to the imminent incarceration of their own soundman: he mixed the band for several years, and was also hired by The Who, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. Heil died on February 28, aged 83. — Agencies.
