Jim Marshall
July 29, 1923 – April 5, 2012
Jim Marshall, or has he was commonly known throughout the rock world, “The Lord of Loud,” was the founder of Marshall Amplification. It was while he owned a London music shop in the early ’60s that Marshall and a young apprentice began tinkering with designs that would soon become the Marshall amp. The idea was born out of complaints from such young customers as Pete Townshend and Ritchie Blackmore that they couldn’t get the sound they were looking for out of their own amps. With s new prototype in hand, Marshall launched Marshall Amplification in 1962 and ran the company ever since. Over the decades, Marshall amp loyalists have included almost every notable rock guitarist the world has ever known. Marshall, along with Leo Fender, Les Paul, and Seth Lover, has been called one of the four forefathers of rock music. Jim Marshall was 88 when he passed away on April 5, 2012.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.