History
In 1973, Charles Kitch, a guitar player and entrepreneur, was working at the Arnold & Morgan Music store when he received the unexpected call that would change the course of the next four decades. Charlie Stone, Elvis Presley’s tour manager, had called the music store looking to rent backline gear for Elvis’s show in Dallas the next day. The store owner told Charlie that he could buy the gear just like everyone else. Instead, Charles started pulling together the required gear including his personal Fender guitar and amp. With the assistance of a friend who had business cards and a 4-track recording studio called Sound Productions, they were able to supply the gear needed for Elvis. That one gig turned into a 30-day tour with Elvis, and Concerts West, the promoter, called the pair back a few weeks later requesting backline rental for Chicago and Three Dog Night tours.
Charles quit the music store and within a year after touring with Elvis, Sound Productions was providing backline and tech support for some of the biggest names in Rock ‘n Roll. The list includes the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Billy Joel, David Bowie, The Kinks, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Taylor and many others. SoundPro became the backline provider for most tours that were serviced by Showco, a full-service production company out of Dallas, Texas.
SoundPro started fabricating custom electronic and speaker systems for touring bands requiring partnerships with vendors like JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, UREI and others. When bands and production companies wanted to buy the products, they rented and Showco contracted SoundPro to sell off their older sound systems, the transition to pro audio sales and repair was natural. The growing company even became the exclusive dealer for Showco’s new speaker line, the SS Series. After running ads in Performance Magazine, Billboard and REP magazines, Charles was selling new and used gear all around the country.
In 1982 SoundPro started a new phase of growth with custom designed installs for hotel clubs for the Trammel Crow Company around the country. By 1985, to avoid competing with SoundPro’s contractor customers, the decision was made to focus on sales and distribution. The expertise in production, design and installation enabled the sales team to provide a higher level of service than competitors could offer.
On July 13, 2012, Sound Productions expanded their office and grew into a new location in Irving, Texas. In September of 2020, SoundPro opened a second office in Madison Wisconsin to better serve their growing customer base which includes house of worship, production, education, corporate, musicians, hospitality and more. Today, Sound Productions is one of the industry’s leading retailers and distributors of pro audio, video and lighting equipment with a sales staff comprised of knowledgeable account managers with both production and installation expertise.
