A Proud Tradition

Carey's Milllinery & Notions
1897 - Lenox, Iowa - My grandfather Ivan Carey on extreme left with his brother and sister, Mom and Dad and employees.
Inside Store

First Paying Customer

CS First Customer 78
CareySound began making stereo speakers in my backyard tin he summer of 1978 and this was our first customer. I'm sorry I can't remember his name but he was a friend of Mark Sechrist of High Point, a customer and friend of mine from my days at Sound Systems, Inc.

The Beginings of the Infamous White PA

CS Pro1 System 78 IMG_0002
This was the first PA system I built from plans I had designed in college 6 years prior. My reference source for this design had come from a book on loudspeaker design by William Cohen and If I remember right it was published sometime in the 1950's. There was math involved in the design of the horn but that was still in the area of 'cut and try'. I believe I constructed the W box sub from particle board. I still use that book today for passive filter design's. This was built around 1979.

"Anything Audio for a Buck"

CS Recording Sesion 78
I guess that's still my motto. This was a recording session in my first building on Spring Garden Street. That was in 1979 and was located in the basement behind Synder Construction. Yep, you guessed it. That's a EV TAPCO 6100RB and 6100EB mixing console. It was sold very shortly thereafter to Simon Ritchy for use at Papillon's nightclub. I can't remember who I was recording but I think it may have been Eddie Knight's band Blue Kangaroo.

Carey Sound & Lights & Son(s)

Plazazz 82

John is my back-seat driver for this Plazazz concert in the governmental plaza in downtown Greensboro. I sure am proud of my boys.

Stop Laughing Now

We all had to start somewhere.
Delbert @ Pappilions 83
Our comming out party as a national act production provider began with Simon Ritchy once again helping us out and hiring us to do audio and lights at his Papillon's nightclub for headliner Delbert McClinton. It was our first show with a national act followed two days later with Elvin Bishop downtown at the Boardwalk. That's me with my spiffy Carey Sound t-shirt and orange Pual Klipsh hat the night of the show. Nice back stage pass on my belt too. I can remember Hugh Sarvis's comment on my custom-T to this day. But that's another story.

We Move Uptown

S Elm St
This was taken in our second storefront in the 200 block of South Elm Street. You had to come in the back door from the alley to find us. Good friend Simon Ritchy took pity on me and hired a carpenter to help during construction.

CareySound PA #3 and Crew

DepotCSCrew
Back left Mike Armeniox, right Jay Speetjins
Front left Tripp Cains, right Ken Carey

Doesn't everybody have a picture like this one around somewhere? This was taken around 1985 in the parking lot of the Depot in downtown Greensboro. Notice the legendary Soundcraft 800 32X8 monster console and not to mention the KT DN27 eq we purchased from Rockin Road Audio of Hank Williams, Jr. fame located in Atlanta. I paid $10,000 dollars for the desk and $700 for the EQ, huge money at the time. Cliff Miller was our best rental customer of that desk when he needed something bigger than his EV TAPCO Panjo desk. In addition to the Panjo and 800 console in the picture is the 40 channel EV Catalina console and a hand built 16X10 monitor console based on an early A&H desk. The Catalina and monitor desk were eventually sold to Jim Reese and the money was spent investing in the company Moto Lights who made the first commercial moving light fixture to be sold in the US.

We built two of these systems. The other one went to Associated Sound Products of Raleigh, NC.