06/05/2026
As we celebrate 60 years in business, the Clair Global Archives highlight another milestone, showing how our commitment to excellence under pressure won the trust of one of the world's most iconic performers.
September 1970 marked the end of an eventful summer for Roy Clair. He had spent June and July behind the Iron Curtain with Blood, Sweat & Tears on a U.S. State Department-backed tour. Now back in Lititz, his phone was ringing again. Tom Hulett of Concerts West, the biggest promoter in America, was on the line. Along with Jerry Weintraub, Hulett was pursuing a legendary client. Following a sound-troubled Phoenix show organized by the artist's label, Hulett saw an opportunity to demonstrate his value. He was determined to ensure the next performance in St. Louis was flawless. When asked which artist Roy would like most to work with, he said 'Elvis.' Hulett delivered the news: 'You got him.'
The stakes were high when the Clair team arrived in St. Louis for the show on September 10, 1970. Elvis's camp was deeply skeptical of his massive loudspeaker system; tour manager Tom Diskin, having been off the road since 1956 and unaccustomed to such technology, insisted on removing the gear. Hulett intervened, and it was decided Elvis would make the final call. The tension peaked when Elvis skipped soundcheck entirely, leaving Clair and Hulett hovering at the stage edge, ready to kill the power if the sound failed. But it didn't fail. As Hulett remembered, within three notes, Presley heard himself clearly. He stopped, grinned, and declared, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have one heckuva show tonight.' That single performance forged a lasting bond between Elvis and Clair Bros. Roy Clair mixed monitors until 1971, when he passed the baton to Australian engineer Bruce Jackson. Clair’s work with Elvis proved pivotal, cementing its reputation as a premier concert sound company and driving innovations like large-scale hanging PA systems and custom touring consoles.
📷:
1: Roy Clair with Tom Diskin, Courtesy of Bill McCartney
2: Roy Clair at the Controls (Sept. 1973), Unknown Photographer
3: Roy Clair, Marty Heisey for Lancaster New Era (Aug. 16, 1982)
4: Elvis tour credentials, Clair Global Archives, Courtesy of Tom Eisemann
