Bill Hanley, 2013 March 29
Scope and Contents
In 1998, the Stan Getz Library at Berklee College of Music established an oral history program devoted to documenting the lives of musicians who have made significant contributions to the music world as well as the Berklee College of Music community. The oral history project aims to chronicle the rich and diverse history of Berklee and Boston music from those who have lived, shaped and defined it. The interviewees discuss their time spent at Berklee College of Music; their performances in and around Boston; and their experiences learning and playing music. Topics include jazz history, the Boston Jazz community, musical education, the early development of the Berklee College of Music. The collection includes born-digital audio visual recordings of interviews conducted by the Berklee Oral History Project. Also included are transcripts of all of the interviews and biographical sketches for some of the interviewees.
Dates
- Creation: 2013 March 29
Creator
- From the Collection: Berklee College of Music (Organization)
- From the Collection: Bouchard, Fred (Jazz writer) (Interviewer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Access to this collection is provided online here. See individual interview records for direct links to streaming video.
Biographical / Historical
Well-known sound engineer Bill Hanley was born in 1937 in Medford, Massachusetts. He is often called the "father of festival sound" and got his beginnings working as a sound engineering for concerts and venues back in the late 1950's. He started out in 1958 as the sound engineer for concert promoter George Wein, George Shearing and Gary Burton. In the 1960s he established Hanley Sound in Manhattan. In 1965 Bill Hanley was the sound engineer for the first rock show in Boston featuring the Velvet Underground. In 1969 he designed, built and operated the Woodstock sound system as well as recording the album master tapes. He has worked as the sound engineer for countless musical concerts between the 1960s and 2000s. Hanley received the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2006.
Sources: http://www.billhanley.org/bio/, https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2013/10/16/honor-for-medford-bill-hanley-father-festival-sound/dN3K4tBSptBYxcZ3Bc9wOO/story.html.
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Berklee Archives Repository