The Last Seat in the House: The Story of Hanley Sound (American Made Music Series)

There is a slicker, punchier, shorter read hidden within The Last Seat in the House, but if you want the full tour – Access All Areas – of Bill Hanley, Hanley Sound Inc, the emergence of the live sound industry in America, and all the key events surrounding it, then John Kane has the ticket. ― Fast-and-wide.com

Hanley’s story from Kane’s point of view starts with the notion of Hanley as a disruptor of technology and as innovator in business leadership. Set over 450 pages, the book takes the reader on a multi-tracked journey, satisfying both audiophile and music fans alike. -- Simon Duff ― LSiOnline

I have three books in queue for book reviews, and stacks of books for fun or to make me a better person besides my bed and on the floor under my desk, but The Last Seat in the House is the one I keep picking up and thinking about. Author John Kane gives us a fascinating story of the development of sound amplification for large concerts and events―mainly rock concerts, but also pop, folk, jazz, and orchestral music, plus presidential inaugurations, political rallies, and anti-war protests―primarily by tracing the career of Bill Hanley, the founder of Hanley Sound, the company that provided the sound system for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. -- Karl G. Ruling ― Protocol

Known as the "Father of Festival Sound," Bill Hanley (b. 1937) made his indelible mark as a sound engineer at the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Hanley is credited with creating the sound of Woodstock, which literally made the massive festival possible. Stories of his on-the-fly solutions resonate as legend among festivalgoers, music lovers, and sound engineers. Since the 1950s his passion for audio has changed the way audiences listen to and technicians approach quality live concert sound.

John Kane examines Hanley’s echoing impact on the entire field of sound engineering, that crucial but often-overlooked carrier wave of contemporary music. Hanley’s innovations founded the sound reinforcement industry and launched a new area of technology, rich with clarity and intelligibility. By the early seventies the post-Woodstock festival mass gathering movement collapsed. The music industry shifted, and new sound companies surfaced. After huge financial losses and facing stiff competition, Hanley lost his hold on a business he helped create. By studying both his history during the festivals and his independent business ventures, Kane seeks to present an honest portrayal of Hanley and his acumen and contributions.

Since 2011, Kane conducted extensive research, including over one hundred interviews with music legends from the production and performance side of the industry. These carefully selected respondents witnessed Hanley’s expertise at various events and venues like Lyndon B. Johnson’s second inauguration, the Newport Folk/Jazz Festivals, the Beatles' final tour of 1966, the Fillmore East, Madison Square Garden, and more. The Last Seat in the House will intrigue and inform anyone who cares about the modern music industry.

Fascinating read. . . . audio pioneering from the ‘Father of Festival Sound’ Bill Hanley and well written by John Kane -- Paul "Pab" Boothroyd, Sir Paul McCartney's live sound engineer

Fascinating read. . . . audio pioneering from the ?Father of Festival Sound? Bill Hanley and well written by John Kane -- Paul "Pab" Boothroyd, Sir Paul McCartney's live sound engineer

Over the course of three months in the spring of 2018, I researched and tracked down a network of Woodstock attendees. Previous research on Woodstock opened doors to resources that allowed me these connections. I conducted the interviews by telephone. They have been arranged in a somewhat chronological flow, ordered by when the interviewees arrived at the festival. This sequence makes up the chapter titles. I've provided only the first names, ages, and the locations from which the interviewees departed in order to reach the event. 
Bellak organized his Woodstock photo collection by day, and this order is observed in the book. The photos can be viewed as a stand-alone aspect, but they do powerfully illustrate many things the interviewees remember about their Woodstock experiences; in places, captions draw out these connections. A comprehensive reading of all the interviews reveals common features that almost everyone who was interviewed noted and remembered. In this way a unique and truer picture is built up of this significant event in American cultural history. 
Joh Kane
From Pilgrims of Woodstock

John Kane is faculty in the Design and Media Department at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. He is author of Pilgrims of Woodstock: Never-Before-Seen Photos. He is currently working on the documentary The Last Seat in the House about Bill Hanley. Learn more about his research at www.thelastseatinthehouse.com.