By Request From Lee (Here are some pictures of Ed) Third Photo
Here is a photo of me taken sometime between 1979 and 1981. This is just a small part of the P.A. system (coming back from rental use) my friend designed for Heart (circa 1976 or 1977) and Randy Hansen (late 1970's). The Heart P.A. system was broken up into (4) P.A. systems used by Seattle bands; Rail, Shyanne, Crown and a band named Child I did sound for. The Randy Hansen system was capable down to below 20Hz as the drivers had a free air resonance in that region. The Randy Hansen system was later used by The Allies (they did a song Emma Peel that finished second on the basement tapes competition on MTV). The Allies later became The Brandos. Parts of that system were also used at the Backstage in the Ballard area of Seattle. The Heart system was one of the earliest line array P.A. systems ever built... all using direct-radiators. The wedges you see in the photo sitting upright were used in the Randy Hansen system. The cabinets where you see the wording "Interphase Acoustics" were used in the Heart P.A. system. By the way, the 73 Mustang Mach One is long gone.
I owned that Mustang from 1975 through approx. 1987. I had to sell it to pay off a debt I owed my friend Greg on a International U-Haul truck we acquired together from the Seattle rock band Child.
Randy Hansen was best known for doing a Jimi Hendrix tribute show. He traveled the U.S.A. with the P.A. system my friend built. Randy traveled Europe with Jimi's old backing band members from the Band of Gypsy's that included Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles. Randy also did a bunch of special effect guitar sounds for Francis Ford Copola's film "Apocalypse Now" movie. Today Hansen’s audience is worldwide, whether with The Randy Hansen Band or working with other entertainers. Steve Miller, Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, The Firm, Queen), Buddy Miles, Don Wilson (The Ventures), Alan White (Yes, Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon), Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, Roger Fisher (Heart), Bob Seger and Hendrix alumni Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, are just a few of the many musicians he’s performed with.
I went to see Bob Carver speak at the University Towers Hotel in the Seattle area back in the early 1980's. I was sitting behind (2) guys from the U of W who were ranting and raving about how great the PA system was that they heard at The Backstage in Ballard (suburb of Seattle). I tapped them on the shoulder and told them that was part of the Randy Hansen system that my friend Greg built. How ironic is that? I ended up renting it for use in Kane and/or McMahon Hall and they charged $5 a head. Well with over 1,000 people per event they were making a lot of money. I stayed around to baby sit the system and make sure nothing got blown up. I brought along my six pack of beer every time and on one occasion the dormitory monitor said I couldn't drink. So needless to say, I took my ball (I mean my P.A. system) home and that was the end of that. I also had a (4) keg stainless steel tavern bar with dual "speed" taps I bought for my recording studio and decided one day to sell it. So I got the brilliant idea to call the Interfraternity Council of Frat houses at the U of W and (4) guys were at my house within the hour. I asked if they needed me to hook it all up for them and they said nope that the distributors would do that for them. Must have been some kick-ass frat house!