The "From Stereo To The World" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished my breakfast at the Lititz Family Cupboard and was standing in the parking lot talking with former colleague and teacher, Mark.  Asked him where they were going to build the new business in Lititz called "Rock Lititz."  He gently pushed on my shoulder, turning me slightly around, and pointed as he said, "There."  

Right behind me, to the south of the restaurant's parking lot was a large variety of heavy moving equipment on the farm to the west.  When a rock or pop star prepares to go on tour, practice and rehearsals are an important part of the preparation.  So where do they practice.  Evidently there aren't too many places in the states for that to happen so recently, on the farm behind me right off SR501, construction began on an innovative facility named Rock Lititz Studio.  Why Lititz?  Well, my story begins years ago in the mid-1960s when I was taking a class in woodworking at Millersville State Teachers College. The two-hour long class held three times a week was part of the Industrial Arts curriculum to teach students how to teach wood shop to Jr. and Sr. High School students.  My class was titled Wood II and required me to design and construct a project of wood that would show a variety of wood joints and construction methods.  Since I was thinking of getting married, I decided I would make a stereo unit with a turntable, receiver, amplifier and speakers.  Drew my design with measurements on graph paper and submitted it to my instructor, Mr. Eshelman, for approval.  Shortly I was selecting my walnut wood from the storage room, cutting it to size, making the joints necessary, gluing and sanding the project.  As I worked on it I realized that I wasn't the only student in the class of about a dozen that was making a stereo unit.  One other guy had chosen to make the same project, but his design was more of a colonial style cabinet than my modern version.  During that semester in college I made a new friend in class named Roy.  We talked about our projects, helping each other when needed and when he offered to help me with the components for my stereo I was more than willing to accept his help.  I told him how much I could afford and within a week I had everything I needed for a top-notch unit.  

Roy and Gene Clair when they first opened their business. 

Wasn't long before I realized he knew so much more about electronics than I ever would know.  Roy and his brother Gene grew up in Lititz where their parents owned and operated a grocery store.  In 1955 their father bought them a small PA system which they eventually rented to bands, schools and churches.  Money they earned from the rental was used to upgrade and add to their collection of electronic equipment.  Then they opened a reconditioning business for loudspeakers.  In the early '60s Gene worked as a technician for Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA which gave him and Roy more chances to rent their equipment.  Then in 1966, the year after Roy and I took the wood shop class together, the brothers got their big break.  They provided the sound system for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at a show at F&M.  The musicians were so impressed with the brothers that Roy was invited into their dressing room where he talked about why the system sounded so good.  The tour manager was so impressed with Roy and his brother that they were asked to join them on the road for the rest of the tour, bringing their sound system with them.  

And so, Clair Brothers began.  Soon Jefferson Airplane, Blood Sweat and Tears, Elvis and others were using them on their tours.  Then Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night and James Taylor joined in the parade to the Clair Brothers garage where they worked.  In 1970 they founded SHOWCO and in the '90s added MD Systems.  Today they are still located in Lititz at One Ellen Ave.  They are the premier global sound reinforcement provider and acknowledged audio industry leader offering a complete array of state-of-the-art products, technical staff and services to the professional touring industry.  To go along with their business, another similar company, Tait Towers opened on West Lincoln Avenue in Lititz opened in 1986.  Tait designs and builds the finest set and stage creations in the world.  Next came a company called Atomic which specializes in lighting and scenery for concerts.  In Lititz!! If you have never heard of Lititz before, maybe you will remember that name after reading this story.  And, to top that off, Rock Lititz has broken ground.  The campus, on the farm field behind me, will cost more than $100 million to develop and will create 600 new jobs and pump $3 million into the local economy.    Lititz, known recently as "America's Coolest Small Town" is definitely on the entertainment map!  All this because of a pair of brothers who took off running when their dad gave them a PA system.  Gene recently died and Roy has given much of his duties to the next generation of Clair's, but I will always remember that stereo cabinet that I made as my connection to some of the most famous people in the rock industry.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.