ORANGE COUNTY Infos

                              

Where were you born?
Wendell, ID

What made you decide to pursue sound reinforcement in the music business?
My domination of the world of speakers began at 9, I would get my wagon and go to the dump in Jerome, ID and rescue the speakers out of televisions and radios. I had no dad and my mom didn’t drive or own a car so the garage was mine.

When did you build your first sound system?
While in Idaho I built my first speaker in shop in high school, it was a stereo magnavox speaker in a box with no back. I used a Vox Super Beatle as the amplifier that I plugged my microphones into and that was my first PA system. I became the sound man for a band called Soul Insanity and worked with them for a while.

When did you move to California?
In June of 1968. I was 17.

What else have you done as a job?
After I moved to California in 1968 I worked in a machine shop as my first job, then got hooked up with a band called Dynamo Hum.

We heard you were in the military?
From 1970 to 1973 and from 1970 to 1971 I was in Viet Nam as a field soldier radio operator.

What is your educational background?
I got my GED in the army 1970, my AA at Cerritos College in Geology and Writing.

So, once you were out of the military and back in California, you were done with Cerritos College and ready to get back into Audio, what did you do?
I collected my big 15 inch dual horn loaded homemade horn boxes. I didn’t have any high frequency horns so I just turned the eq up on the high end and I had JBL D-130’s in them so it worked…kind of. I had a Kustom 8 channel board, I didn’t know what a snake was so I mixed from the side of the board at the side of the stage. It was powered by a Phase Linear 400 Power Amp. The first real real gig for that set-up was in 1976 in Seal Beach between the buildings. We built a stage out of milk crates and plywood and celebrated the Bi-Centennial on July 4, 1976. I was introduced to Kevin Kreis by Gary who was playing in a band with Brian Tannehill. Kevin and I got to know each other while the band rehearsed in my garage on Mapledale in Norwalk. After Kevin and Brian hooked up with Craig Miller A La Carte was born and following that first gig in Seal Beach continued to grow in popularity.

                                                                
Tell about your first sound company:
My sound company, Intrack, provided the sound for them wherever they played. Intrack also provided the sound for the band that was to become Smile, the band that was to become Eulogy featuring guitar player Rusty Anderson now playing in Paul McCartneys band. I did many gigs at the Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk.

What came next?
I then met a guy by the name of Alan Harniteaux who owned Encore Audio. Alan and I joined forces in late 1978 or early 1979. Alan had more Phase Linear 400 amplifiers in his gear and big JBL 4550 and 4560’s and JBL horns which were godlike to mean because I didn’t even have any horns. Alan saw what I could do with what I had and took me under his wing. It  didn’t take long for me to outshine Alan while remaining great friends. Encore Audio and Audible were the two sound companies in LA at that time that did all the big local gigs. Tasco and Showco were around at that time and they did the touring bands. Alan and I started going to Hollywood Sound when they were located on Ivar in Hollywood and started rebuilding Hollywood Sound’s PA while still doing shows around town including A La Carte and many of the Golden West Ballroom gigs.

Anything interesting we should know about Alan?
Before Alan and I hooked up he was actually Van Halen’s backyard sound man. Once we joined forces and Alan started working with A La Carte that pissed off Van Halen. When A La Carte and Van Halen played together at the Proud Bird there were two stages. Van Halen had a small PA over on one stage and Alan and I, just to piss off David Lee Roth, brought in a stage, sound and lights and A La Carte kicked their ass.

                                               
How long were you with Encore?
Until we lost all the equipment. Alan took a gig with Rick Nelson and went on tour with him. Bobby Allen and I had all the gear and we would do the local shows. Alan came back from being on a tour with Rick and his manager. Rick Nelson and his manager bought a club in Visalia and they needed sound and lights. So Alan sold them his PA, Phil Ealy sold them lighting and Hollywood Sound sold them a console. We went up to Visalia and installed the whole system. The club subsequently failed and we went to get our gear because we were never paid. When we walked into the club the were ten giant cowboys around the front of the stage armed with shotguns and they would not let us take the gear, not Phil, not Hollywood Sound and not us. We left and got an injunction to retrieve our gear. When we went back it was all gone and Alan’s 26 foot truck was gone. Rick’s manager took the truck loaded with gear and drove it to his home in Palm Springs, heavily insured the truck and it’s contents and parked it in front of his home. Well lo and behold the truck disappeared with all the gear in it. The insurance money was used to lease an airplane. The DC-3 that Rick eventually crashed and died in. Without the gear and without Alan Encore Audio ended and I went to work for Hollywood Sound and started teaching at Long Beach City College.

When was that?
This was in the early eighties. I was teaching sound reinforcement. Tim Parsch was working there with me and he was teaching studio at that time. Tim and I are currently collaborating. But back in those younger days we all seemed to have access to a lot of ways of getting in trouble.

Trouble?
It became apparent to me that I needed to “change my ways”. I moved out of the home I shared with my mom and sister and moved to Glendora for a fresh start. I was out of the sound business and out of the music business and was in the tree care business. I moved into a home in the Glendora Hills on the property of the home I eventually occupied until it recently burned down. Now I am moving back into the first home I lived in on that property.

Well, you’re no longer in the tree business are you?
I left the tree biz and went back into the sound business. I got a shop in San Dimas and started building and rebuilding sound systems; cabinets again. I did the first Long Beach Jazz Festival after rebuilding the sound system for CMI. I was the Stage Manager for the next 15 years for RJ Cobb Productions. I continued to work at Hollywood Sound off and on. I have rebuilt many, many sound systems. I have been building and designing speaker cabinets and sound systems ever since.

You weren’t always known as Bill Jenkins sound were you?
Bill Jenkins Sound was BBI in the late eighties or early nineties. Jack H. who worked with me, decided in his infinite wisdom that we should name the company after the term the English used for bass cabinets and that was Bottoms. So it was Billy Bottoms Inclosures, BBI. I eventually lost the DBA for that name as a number of other sound cabinet manufacturers took the initials and began using them.

What has Bill Jenkins Sound been doing?
I’ve been building a line of PA equipment, a lot of subwoofers and just recently started working with a company called MAD, Magnetic Audio Devices, an incredible speaker technology that has been used in multiple government applications. They now want to move into the sound/music world and not just high velocity speech or public address. we have had a couple of meetings and I have presented them with some great ideas that they really like. We’ll see where it goes. The equipment they currently manufacture is the best in the field bar none.

Who have you worked with since you have been Bill Jenkins Sound?
It seems that the rap and hip-hop industry has taken note of my product and has adopted it. They’re using my subs in a lot of the studios that are out there. Aftermath, Eminem, Akon, Paramount Studios, Hansen Studios and many more. The subs and the mains in Harvelle’s Long Beach and Harvelle’s Santa Monica.

                
Are any of your designs patented?
All of my designs are patented. The new ones are in the process of being patented.

Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Open up a donut shop, don’t do this. Try to stay away from the Audio Disease, it is a disease as I call it and if you get into it, give me a call, I’ll see if the Dr. can help.

What are the goals of Bill Jenkins Sound?
World Domination. No, actually I really need to rebuild my house.

What are the plans for the future?
There’s some great new minds out there and some great new ears. All that has to happen is for them to be shown a new product which I hope will be the MAD technology, the HPV and we’ll set the music industry on it’s ear! No one should be satisfied with what they have, I’m going to make some huge changes this year with people, buildings and stuff like that.