Farewell to a Friend
Bruce Jackson 1949 – 2011
On January 31, 2011, the professional audio industry lost a dear friend and colleague when Bruce Jackson died in a single engine plane crash near Furnace Creek, CA, in Death Valley National Park. He was 62. We are especially saddened by this tragic news, as Bruce had been part of our Clair “family” for more than 30 years.
We came to know Bruce back in 1969 when he introduced himself to Clair Brothers co-founder Roy Clair during Blood Sweat and Tears’ Australian tour. Roy noticed quickly that the young Jackson was smart, knowledgeable and extremely interested in everything about the audio industry, and invited him to visit the next time he was in the U.S. Jackson would eventually accept the offer—not only to visit, but to work for the company.
Bruce grew up in Sydney, Australia, founding JANDS out of his bedroom at the age of 18 with friend Phil Storey. While Jackson sold his part of the company two years later, JANDS remains a force in the entertainment production industry.
At Clair Brothers, Bruce developed a number of innovations — from the first fold-out console to mixing consoles with parametric EQ and plasma bar-graph meters to new standards for stadium house and delay systems. His contributions to the company and the sound reinforcement industry not only created standards but raised the bar of excellence.
“Bruce and I became instant friends and had a lot of great times both professionally and personally,” Roy recalls. “He had the ability to think through problems and always come to a resolution. Bruce brought us a fresh perspective and some cutting-edge ideas while we were still a young company which were, quite simply, integral in setting us, and our systems, apart from others in the business. We were fortunate to have had someone like him on our team.”
Jackson’s reputation as a pioneer and innovator in design and engineering quickly spread throughout the sound reinforcement industry, and his ability to deliver excellence put him in high demand.
He worked for an impressive list of artists, providing front-of-house duties for acts that included Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand, and earning him GRAMMY®, Parnelli and TEC Awards. The respect he had achieved in the industry was unmistakable when he was named audio director for the Sydney 2000 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.
Jackson was also a pioneering force in digital audio, helping to launch the Fairlight CMI, followed by his founding of Apogee Electronics. After selling his share of Apogee, he helped lead a co-development project between Clair Brothers and Lake Technology, a partnership which resulted in the Clair iO digital loudspeaker controller. With Lake and business partner Dave McGrath, he would go on to develop a commercial version, the Lake Contour. When Lake was acquired by Dolby Laboratories in 2004, he became a Dolby employee, helping to bring the Dolby Lake Processor to the market and establishing the company as an important player in the world of live sound.
“We were incredibly fortunate to witness firsthand how Bruce’s talent and abilities were able to literally change the whole live event experience,” said Troy Clair, Clair Global president. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Bruce’s family; he was an incredible friend and will be dearly missed.”
