As the longtime front of house engineer for James Taylor, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, and many others, he’s mixed everything from intimate theater shows to massive outdoor performances for hundreds of thousands of people. But what drives him has never really been the résumé.

It’s the people walking out smiling.

In this conversation, David reflects on the path from hauling PA and carrying a spotlight in a North Hollywood country bar to mixing some of the most celebrated tours in modern music history. Along the way, he shares stories about the Doobie Brothers, Graceland, James Taylor, analog gear, mentorship, touring culture, and what it actually takes to survive in live sound for over five decades.

More than anything, this episode is about service to the music, service to the artist, and the responsibility of helping audiences feel something real.

"I would hope people remember me as someone who made millions of people happy. To be a clear enough window between them and the artist they came to admire — that's the best feedback I can get. It's all part of the love." — David Morgan

About David Morgan

David Morgan is a legendary front of house engineer whose career spans more than five decades. His touring history includes Paul Simon, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Fleetwood Mac, Barry Manilow, Simon & Garfunkel, the Doobie Brothers, and many more.

He has received eleven TEC Award nominations, winning for Steely Dan’s Y2K Tour in 2001, and received the Parnelli Award in 2019 for his work with Fleetwood Mac. He also wrote a long-running column for FOH Magazine and has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Blackbird Academy.

More importantly, he remains one of the most respected and humble people in live sound.


Originally released in November 2020.

Ken’s career spans more than four decades and includes artists such as Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, Shirley MacLaine, Anita Baker, Liza Minnelli, Chris Isaak, Julio Iglesias, and many more. But what makes his story fascinating is not just the list of artists. It’s the path he took to get there.

Growing up around electronics and ham radio through his family’s business, Ken started building recording rigs and modifying mixers while still in high school. Long before live sound had established rules or standardized systems, he was learning through experimentation, failure, curiosity, and instinct.

In this conversation, Ken reflects on the early days of regional sound companies, homemade consoles, analog outboard gear, Atlantic City showroom productions, the transition from analog to digital mixing, and the endless pursuit of what he calls “audio nirvana.” 

Along the way, he shares stories about:

•  recording local bands with a custom-built Gately Pro Kit mixer, 
•  discovering live sound while working with regional PA companies in the 1970s, 
•  troubleshooting a Doobie Brothers tour console failure, 
•  learning from legendary engineers and system techs, 
•  navigating difficult artists and high-pressure situations, 
•  and why honesty, consistency, and challenge matter just as much as technical ability. 

More than anything, this episode captures the mindset of a generation that helped build modern live sound from the ground up, often without formal training, established workflows, or even proper equipment.

For Ken, the goal has always remained the same:
 make it sound great, make people happy, and keep chasing the next level.

You can check out more of Ken’s work here www.newmanaudio.com