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John Nady, founder of 'wireless revolution' in rock, dies at 79
John Nady, founder of ‘wireless revolution’ in rock, dies at 79
Mr. Nady’s innovations with cordless mics and guitars in the 1970s were soon adopted by the biggest names in rock including the Rolling Stones.
John Nady, inventor of the wireless microphone, with a prototype model in the 1970s. (Nady Systems)
By Brian Murphy
October 18, 2024 at 6:33 p.m. EDT
As the Rolling Stones began planning a U.S. concert tour in 1981, the band reached out to an audio innovator who had tinkered for years at his kitchen table. The Stones knew about John Nady’s groundbreaking work with wireless microphones and guitars for performers such as Neil Young and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Mick Jagger and the band wanted something no one had seen before: a 12-channel, fully wireless network so they could roam untethered on the stage, which included two 50-foot runways that jutted into the audience. The system worked, and Jagger relished the new freedoms — such as strutting with the mic stuck in the waistband of his pants.
“If the Stones had used wire, it would have been a jungle onstage,” recalled Mr. Nady, who died Aug. 2 at a hospital in Oakland, Calif., at age 79. ... The music world took notice of the Stones. By the mid-1980s, nearly every band in rock and other genres had gone wireless with equipment designed by Mr. Nady (pronounced nay-dee). When Guitar Player magazine in 2005 ranked the 101 landmark moments in modern guitar history, the “wireless revolution” started by Mr. Nady in the 1970s was ranked No. 68.
Mr. Nady’s experiments began at the crossroads of his two identities — an engineer by day and a rocker by night. He began playing the guitar as a teenager and started to get serious with music while working toward a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. ... “That’s when I became a real hippie,” he said in an interview on the Grail, a podcast that showcases innovation.
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From left, John Nady with his band Titanic in the 1970s with Richard Rose (vocalist), Rick Martinez (drums), David Shuman (bass). (Nady Systems)
{snip}
By Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy joined The Washington Post after more than 20 years as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in Europe and the Middle East. Murphy has reported from more than 50 countries and has written four books.follow on X @BrianFMurphy
Mr. Nady’s innovations with cordless mics and guitars in the 1970s were soon adopted by the biggest names in rock including the Rolling Stones.
John Nady, inventor of the wireless microphone, with a prototype model in the 1970s. (Nady Systems)
By Brian Murphy
October 18, 2024 at 6:33 p.m. EDT
As the Rolling Stones began planning a U.S. concert tour in 1981, the band reached out to an audio innovator who had tinkered for years at his kitchen table. The Stones knew about John Nady’s groundbreaking work with wireless microphones and guitars for performers such as Neil Young and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Mick Jagger and the band wanted something no one had seen before: a 12-channel, fully wireless network so they could roam untethered on the stage, which included two 50-foot runways that jutted into the audience. The system worked, and Jagger relished the new freedoms — such as strutting with the mic stuck in the waistband of his pants.
“If the Stones had used wire, it would have been a jungle onstage,” recalled Mr. Nady, who died Aug. 2 at a hospital in Oakland, Calif., at age 79. ... The music world took notice of the Stones. By the mid-1980s, nearly every band in rock and other genres had gone wireless with equipment designed by Mr. Nady (pronounced nay-dee). When Guitar Player magazine in 2005 ranked the 101 landmark moments in modern guitar history, the “wireless revolution” started by Mr. Nady in the 1970s was ranked No. 68.
Mr. Nady’s experiments began at the crossroads of his two identities — an engineer by day and a rocker by night. He began playing the guitar as a teenager and started to get serious with music while working toward a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. ... “That’s when I became a real hippie,” he said in an interview on the Grail, a podcast that showcases innovation.
{snip}
From left, John Nady with his band Titanic in the 1970s with Richard Rose (vocalist), Rick Martinez (drums), David Shuman (bass). (Nady Systems)
{snip}
By Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy joined The Washington Post after more than 20 years as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief for the Associated Press in Europe and the Middle East. Murphy has reported from more than 50 countries and has written four books.follow on X @BrianFMurphy
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