Bob Pridden was born on 1946 and is an English audio engineer, roadie, and record producer, best known for his long-standing position as principal sound engineer for the rock band the Who.
13 Facts About Bob Pridden
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Bob Pridden has worked with a number of other rock musicians and with individual members of the Who on solo projects.
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Bob Pridden was born in 1946 in Ickenham, England, and married Lady Maria Noel.
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Bob Pridden became a roadie for the Who after talking to John Wolff, then the bands main roadie and driver.
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Bob Pridden made his debut as roadie at a gig in Streatham, London on 15 December 1966, and was promoted to sound engineer in 1969.
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Bob Pridden has provided the stage mix for every Who concert ever since.
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Bob Pridden is commonly credited for having created on-stage "wedge" monitors in the late '60s; previously, onstage performers had no way to hear themselves singing, so during the 1968 American tour he began placing a speaker cabinet on its side in front of the band.
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Bob Pridden then requested a slanted speaker cabinet that sat on the floor and tilted upwards toward the performer.
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Bob Pridden has worked both on stage and in the studio with many other of classic rock's major names, as well as with younger acts.
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Bob Pridden is credited on several of the Who's albums including Live at Leeds, and produced the 1973 Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert.
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Bob Pridden served as on stage sound engineer from the Who's 1969 tour onwards, and for David Bowie and Paul McCartney at Live Aid in 1985.
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Bob Pridden is unusual in the music business for having attained recognition for his technical rather than musical input, and is rare in the fact that his name is known when most roadies and engineers are not.
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Bob Pridden eventually retired from his post as The Who's onstage sound man in 2016.