As highlighted at the end of part one of this series, events of the late 1920s and early 1930s nearly forced Laurens Hammond to close The Hammond Clock Company. The invention and sales of the Hammond Electric Bridge Table bought Hammond enough time to fully develop his most important invention: The Hammond Organ. The Hammond […]
Digest
Musings of musicians and thoughts of thinkers.
Laurens Hammond & the Development of the Hammond Organ: Part I
Laurens Hammond, the inventor of the Hammond Organ, was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1895. In 1897, Hammond’s father died and his mother, Idea Hammond, moved all four kids to Europe, where they moved around between England, France, and Germany. While in Europe, Hammond began to dabble in engineering and invention. In 1907 at the […]
Tom’s Turntable: She Rides With Me
If you know the song “She Rides With Me” by Paul Petersen, well you must either be a fan of obscure 1960s rock and roll, a collector of all kinds of Mickey Mouse trivia or, if you are reading this, an aficionado of the Leslie speaker. This song is widely believed to have been the […]
The Early Days of the Leslie Speaker
It was May 31, 1947 and you were looking for something to do in Tinseltown. An ad in the Hollywood-Citizen News caught your eye. It was for The Epicure, a restaurant/night club located at 5510 Hollywood Boulevard. Maybe the free parking makes you want to check it out. Or maybe it’s the top sirloin steak […]
That Time Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake Rocked the Hammond Organ
This tale is not about a record in Tom’s collection nor even is it a classic story of how a Leslie and Hammond interfaced. No, this is the story of how Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake came together to create one of the most rousing moments in country music in the past decade. You can […]
The Year That Changed Everything We Know About Leslie Speakers
In 1965, while I and practically every other kid in the United States was trying to the find latest Beatles album, or even anything that sounded like it came from Britain, two events were happening that would change my life and I didn’t even know it. First, the backstory. Don Leslie was an inventor who […]
Tom’s Turntable: Five Great Tracks
While the combination of a Hammond B3 and a Leslie speaker goes back to 1930s church music, the dynamic duo really caught the world’s imagination in the late 1960s as a number of rock acts adopted the sound. Here are five of our underrated favorites from that era that you may find on Tom’s turntable. […]
Tom’s Turntable: Rumours
Every so often we take a look at an album that impacted the life of Tom O’Hanlan, the founder of BookerLAB. Some albums put you in a certain moment in time – a day, a month, a year even. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours puts you in an era – a half decade in fact. This was […]
Tom’s Turntable: Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)
Every so often we take a look at an album that impacted the life of Tom O’Hanlan, the founder of BookerLAB. The scene: A record shop somewhere in Northern Virginia The time: 1974 The protagonist: Tom O’Hanlan This is how I would start the script for how I discovered one of the loudest and most […]
Tom’s Turntable: Dark Side of the Moon
Every so often we take a look at an album that impacted the life of Tom O’Hanlan, the founder of BookerLAB. Thumping that sounds akin to a heartbeat. The ticks of a clock. Cash registers ringing up sales. Indistinct voices chattering away. Great albums should not start this way, but that is how Dark Side […]
News/Press
The latest and greatest: products, shows and more.
BookerLAB Solutions Highlighted During Big River Get Down
LIBERTY, SC, USA September 22, 2023 – Two of the featured artists in this weekend’s annual Big River Get Down event will showcase solutions from BookerLAB. Headlining the event on Friday is St. Paul & The Broken Bones with BookerLAB’s Fusion Preamp Interface and MiniBox Tour, part of the UL-recognized SideCar Cable System. On Saturday, […]
BookerLAB Announced as Main Sponsor for SC Hall of Fame Induction Show
LIBERTY, SC, USA May 24, 2023 – BookerLAB, Inc. is the main sponsor for the upcoming South Carolina Entertainment & Music Hall of Fame Induction Show. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Dr. Mac Arnold, Dixiana, Kerry Marx, Bill Ellis, Bob Hooper, and Jim Miles. “Through BookerLAB we work to show our appreciation for […]
BookerLAB Premieres Two New Products and Upgraded Amplifier at the 2022 NAMM Show
LIBERTY, SC, USA May 31, 2022 – BookerLAB, Inc. announces two new products to premiere at the 2022 NAMM Show: the Rendition 11-Pin Interface Pedal and the D6 Infusion Console Line Out Cable. These products will be available for demonstration alongside the newest version of BookerLAB’s Rebellion Amplifier and the Fusion Preamp Interface Pedal. BookerLAB […]
BookerLAB Delivers on Precision Upgrade Promise with New Rebellion Amplifier and Fusion Preamp Pedal
LIBERTY, SC, USA July 13, 2021 – BookerLAB, Inc. announces two new products that will debut at this year’s Summer 2021 NAMM Show. Capitalizing on first-hand experience and the expertise of industry veterans, BookerLAB has designed a solid-state amplifier, Rebellion, and a preamp interface pedal, Fusion. “I’ve built my career around the significance of solid-state […]
TOWN Magazine – March 2021
Our founder Tom O’Hanlan was profiled in TOWN Magazine, specifically their “Art of Craft” edition: celebrating the time-honored traditions of our local artisans. TOWN Magazine: March 2021 […]
Upstate Business Journal and Fire at Will Podcast
You may have noticed BookerLAB in two recent and very different media stories. First there was a great article on the company in the Upstate Business Journal. Then there was a great interview with our founder, Tom O’Hanlan on the Fire At Will Podcast. We are very excited for both of these stories sharing the […]
BookerLAB Debuts New Products at the 2020 NAMM Show
LIBERTY, SC, USA January 16, 2020 – BookerLAB is introducing a series of new products to customers and industry partners at this year’s 2020 NAMM Show. In the two years since BookerLAB first hit the music market at the 2017 NAMM Show, they have expanded their network of likeminded musicians and industry veterans. As a […]
BookerLAB’s new products and website bolster the vintage musical equipment market
LIBERTY, SC, USA April 25, 2019 – BookerLAB is expanding its footprint in the vintage musical equipment market with a new web presence and the release of four products. First and foremost, BookerLAB is dedicated to furthering the appreciation and usefulness of the vintage Leslie speaker and music associated with this wonderful invention. A secondary […]
BookerLAB Joins the Vintage Music Market with Advanced Motor Controller
LIBERTY, SC, USA January 24, 2018 – BookerLAB, the newest member of the vintage music market, will debut at the 2018 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show on January 25. Spearheaded by Thomas Booker O’Hanlan, BookerLAB is committed to preserving vintage legacies by providing relevant upgrades that maintain the quality of vintage musical instruments […]
