Groundbreaking Audio Engineer Who Enhanced ‘The Who’ And ‘The Grateful Dead’ Dies At 83

Bob Heil, a groundbreaking audio engineer whose work helped to improve the sound of such classic rock bands as The Who and The Grateful Dead has reportedly died at the age of 83.

Heil produced the audio systems that these bands used to fill auditoriums and concert halls. He helped create the legendary shows cherished by millions of fans worldwide.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credits Heil with “creating the template for modern rock sound systems.” His influence in regards to live rock performances cannot be understated.

In 2006, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame actually installed a public display of Heil’s mixers and speaker boards.

Though the audio legend passed away on February 28th, his death has not been reported until now. He died in a hospital in Belleville, Illinois. News of his death was confirmed by his daughter Julie Staley.

Heil is credited with bringing a ‘rich sonic coloring’ to the theaters in which the bands he assisted played. He gained his appreciated for sound at the Fox Theater in St. Louis in the 1920s, when the young man took a job behind the theater’s Wurlitzer pipe organ.

Heil said of the experience,

We had to voice and tune 3,500 pipes, from one inch to 32 feet. Voicing taught me to listen. Very few people know how to listen. Listening, you’ve got to mentally go in and dissect.

Bob Heil

If you attended a rock concert at any point since the 1960s, you have heard the influence of Bob Heil. Without his dedication to audio, we would not have the electric live performances of The Who, or the Grateful Dead to look back on.

His work also still lives on, as those who have come after Heil in the audio industry are simply following in his footsteps. His contributions to his field will far outlive his body.

Rest in peace, Bob Heil!