John Wilford, also known as ‘Wilf ’ was born in Palmers Green, North London
in 1948. He left school at 14 and started work in a company building lighting
equipment where he learnt how to wire circuits and read schematic diagrams.
At 16 he started an apprenticeship at an electrical repair shop repairing radios,
televisions, record players and tape recorders. He attended Southgate Technical
College where he gained City and Guilds certificates in Radio, Television and
Electronics Servicing.
In 1965 he joined a semi-pro group as a roadie setting up their equipment.
In 1969 he went full time professionally working as a sound engineer with
British bands touring the UK and Europe.
In 1972 he joined Midas Amplification where he built sound mixing
consoles for many famous touring artistes including Pink Floyd’s Quadraphonic
mixing desk. In 1974 he was offered a job with Colosseum Acoustics, a sound
rental company as a sound engineer where he took large sound system’s on tour
around Europe with many well-known British and American artistes, eventually
setting up his own sound company in Nashville, USA which he later sold to his
partner.
He also worked freelance as a tour manager, production manager and sound
engineer with other sound companies including Entec and Concert Sound
touring with internationally known artistes on world tours. After a brief venture
where he built and ran his own sound company in Newcastle, England he sold
that and returned to Concert Sound where he remained until retiring in 1995.