LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS

  Richard (Dick) E. Phelan was born and raised in the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg. Dick had an initial love of sports and music. He graduated from John Harris HS in 1963. While in high school, he began his music career with a group of other classmates forming “The Organization” (which included future founder of The Magnificent Men, Bob Angelucci). This group became very successful locally promoting weekend teen dances.

After graduation and Marine reserve basic training, he returned to the area and got a job with Penn World Attractions (with the legendary promoters Maynard McKissick and Bruce Rohrbach). His responsibility was to book local bands (El Dantes, Thundering Sentries, The Endells, Lightning Decades, etc.) with local colleges. He soon became the prime promoter for local college fraternity parties establishing lasting relationships with schools like F&M and Bucknell.

While on the road in 1964, he found a property on N Front St. in Harrisburg that was for lease and he had a vision that would soon become “The Barn.” The go-to spot for all the local high-school kids for the weekend dances with all of the top local bands.

He soon outgrew that location and decided to go big with the acquisition of a parcel of farm property in suburban Harrisburg, on which, he opened The Raven on Thanksgiving weekend in 1965. Opening night the house band was “The Magnificent Seven” (soon to become The Magnificent Men). The Raven drew sold out weekend crowds of local teenagers. The Raven featured all the top R&B talent from Philly, Motown, Chicago, and Memphis. The list of entertainers appearing there was Hall of Fame worthy (the first big name act was The Impressions). Dick established a very close relationship with Motown and would very often help them break new acts.

By 1968, Dick was looking for bigger venues to promote his musical connections. He sold The Raven (it became The Rover) and embarked on a career of promotion national acts all over the east coast. He was a road manager and promoter for such acts as Grand Funk Railroad, Uriah Heep, an early version of Chicago, Aerosmith, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and more! He had the first US booking for a new British artist, Elton John. He also controlled a northeast corridor of minor league hockey rinks, which became perfect venues for concerts.

Unfortunately, Dick never took pictures, got autographs, or collected memorabilia. It was all about business and his love of music. Dick’s stories alone are a Hall of Fame treasury of incredible memories and behind the scenes antics.

Later in life, Dick’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish a string of successful restaurants, numbering as many as 19. This included the famous Gingerbread Man franchise and another special music venue, Rod’s Roadhouse.

Dick Phelan a legendary Central PA music icon.

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 In 1955, Roy and Ellen Clair gifted their sons Gene and Roy Jr. a small public address system consisting of a loudspeaker, integrated preamp & power amplifier, and a single microphone. Inspired by their new equipment, they began renting their gear and sound reinforcement services to local dances and events. This developed into a deeper interest in technology, and they incorporated speaker re-coning into their burgeoning audio business.

In the coming years, Franklin & Marshall College requested the brothers’ services to support headlining acts in their 4,000-seat facility, Mayser Gymnasium. In April of 1966, The Four Seasons toured through F&M, and the Clair brothers were hired to provide the audio system for the concert. The Four Seasons left Lancaster impressed by the way they had sounded playing through the Clair system -  so much so that just days after the performance, they invited the Clair brothers to join them on tour. The resulting partnership marked one of the first known instances of touring sound, a practice that would emerge into a global industry.

In 1970, Roy and Gene Clair officially incorporated Clair Bros. Audio Enterprises, Inc, the business that would become Clair Global, the world’s largest live sound reinforcement provider. Over the next 50 years, the brand that the brothers built continued to reach milestone after milestone, and in 1980, Clair Global established its first presence outside the US: Clair Japan in Yokohama. The company expanded its domestic footprint by adding an office in Nashville, TN, in 1990, and continued to grow nationally and internationally through the 90’s with partnerships in Australia and Switzerland. The two decades following the new millennium would see Clair Global expand into five continents, ten countries, and 16 locations worldwide. The business has diversified to provide more than just touring sound, including: Wi-Fi and data services, large-scale broadcast events like the Super Bowl and the Grammys, integrated technology systems in venues like Sofi Stadium and Radio City Music Hall, international festivals, sporting events and so much more.

The legacy of innovation and determination that Gene and Roy engrained into the DNA of Clair lives on today through the leadership of their family, and the company’s vision to boldly advance technology-driven experiences.  This aspiration serves as both a charge for the future as well as a reminder of the ingenious and pioneering spirit of the founders, Gene and Roy Clair.

 In a career that spans over four decades, John Harris has worn almost every hat in the regional music industry scene, except musician. He started scouting and booking bands as a nightclub manager at the age of 23.  From 1981 and well into the '90s, Harris was fully engaged in the biz as promoter/talent buyer at the Metron. Along with being associate producer at Makoul Productions (City Island Concerts) and manager of bands including: The Pikers, The Sharks and KIX, Harris also promoted his own concerts and special events.

He re-defined the role of middle-agent for decades at venues throughout Central Pennsylvania including Gullifty's Underground (Camp Hill), The Village (Lancaster), The Silo (Reading), The Crowbar (State College), The West Shore Hardware Bar/Buck Wild's/Blarney's, and Tubby's (Duncannon).  For years Harris would work with The City Of Harrisburg for Reservoir Park, July 4th, Kipona, ArtsFest, and concerts on Market Square. In 2004, while booking shows at Dragonfly, Harris produced the initial Kix Reunion show. Kix would go on to perform at his annual Black Friday Shows at the Radisson Convention Center for over a decade.

In 1997, while manager of the Best Western Conference Center & Courtyard Night Club (New Cumberland), he started the annual Millennium Music Conference & Showcase. MMC went on for 25 years and at its height would sell out hotels and host over 100 music industry professionals and 300 acts and artists showcasing at 30 local live music venues in and around Harrisburg. In 2008 Harris started the Singer-Songwriter of Cape May Conference (NJ) which ran for 12 years until the pandemic.

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