Richard Long

I met Richard at the Billboard 1977 at the Hotel Americana. He invited me at the Studio 54 and at his loft to listen to his system. WOW the man was a genius.

We installed a system in Canada later that year and as far as i am concerned, it was never equaled. Unfortunately that system disapeared when the club was sold. it was replaced by a piece of s . . t, that never even came close to Richard's system. I never found out where Richard's system went, but I know it was removed by the new installers.

RIP TO BOTH THOSE GUIYS THEY HELPED SHAPE THE ORIGINAL CLUB SOUND WOW

I am very sad to hear of the lost of Don and Vinny. I extend my sincere condolences to their family and loved ones. I also want to leave this word of comfort and hope found at Acts: 24:15.

My condolences to both families. May they R.I.P.
.

It is to my regret to inform about the deaths of two more of our original RLA Crew. Don Singer and Vinny Persico has joined Richard and Curtis in Eternal Rest. My heart goes out to their family and friends as there passing leaves a voit in our lifes.

With a heavy heart
Frank Zalewski

Trying to find Kenneth Powers who worked for Richard Long in the hey days.

anyone remember the name of a club Richard was involved with in the city of New Orleans? I found reference to the build in an old Billboard Magazine article...

wish I had been there, but i do recognize some of the very unique aspects to the RLA (and RLA-style) installs

Unfortunately Richard died of upper respiratory complications due to an immune disorder.

I have no idea why Richard died so early.
Does anyone here know what happened to him?
Thank you very much.

Jürgen

Frankie, try me again could not get your message.

Don

Hi Frankie,

Thanks for adding those vital details. As you know, it still had the same outcome as mentioned. If anything, it is what created the whole S54 mystic. Really great to hear from you. You were without a doubt one of Richard's finest and most loyal employees. It was my pleasure to have worked with you. Remember the Billboard Disco Forum when Richard won the titles: "Best Disco Sound Installer" and "Best Disco Sound Designer". It was a crazy night. Great to hear from you.

I worked for Richard through most of the early seventies cant say enough good things about him. My original plan was to build speaker cabinets for him of my own design but after looking at some of his I accepted the fact RLA were superior. The work space was small in that Broadway loft but somehow we all made it work, right Frankie!
Glad to hear everyone coming out of the old woodwork for ole Richard he was truly one of a kind.
Frankie, whats up Don not doing to good contact me to say hi.

Hi Henry,
As the story goes it was the opening night of Studio 54. There was so little time before opening and it was a madhouse. Richard and Harry Muntz were acoustivoicing the sound system on the dance floor with very loud pink noise. Ian Schrager, the owner of 54", and world renowned theatrical lighting designer Paul Marantz came to the rail of the balcony. Marantz yelled down to Richard on the dance floor, "Shut off that noise, Long". Richard's reply was "I'll shut the noise off and everyone will dance to your lights". Without a moment's hesitation Ian turned to Paul and said, "Shut up Marantz." Those were great times and so many storied I miss them all. We had a great Crew right Henry

Frank Zalewski
New York

When were the consoles made i don't remember consoles and Richard Long Logo blank panels like them

Nice set DJ Steve. Reminds me of my old three turntable set at my moms apartment 20 years ago. I will submit my old set on this website soon. Now i am trying to build a Pioneer 4 LAN connected deck CDJ 2000 set. I need to get new school to play old school classics. I can't lift the crates anymore, LOL! SD Cards & hard drives do the trick now.
Peace,
Angel

Yo Mike G.

I think the system you're referring to is now at the Mighty in SF..

great system that is..

i seen Rich back in the 80's and brought my first piece from him a RLA crossovr made a big difference in my system Club ATERLIFE

Yeah I remember hearing that it was a synagog at one time but as the name Inferno wasn't there a major fire there. For some reason your name seems to ring a bell but I am not sure from where. Back then I was doing Pro sound for live acts and not at all in to the club or disco scene unless I was bringing in a PA system for a live event. Back in the 70's I was the ASM at the Academy of Music on 14th and then for a while when it became the palladium. Pre disco daze.

the inferno - I was a friend of Richard and had a disco mixer company (GLI). Inferno was one of Richard's earlier installations - but was done after he moved to Broadway. I will always remember this install as during construction we always entered from the service entrance. When the club finally opened, we went through the entrance and I was very suprised to recognize the building as my old temple(!)that I attended around 1960. Very high ceilings and used Altec A-7 (there was a tiny budget for sound when the club opened). The walls were painted from images of Dante's Inferno.

This is not meant as a slam on Richard but going back as far as I go. The comment by DJ Skill in Brooklyn talks about the Bumper Disco at Coney Island. Actually it was the Eldorado Bumper cars. When the opened up in the early 70's they started out with about 8 Altec A-7 cabinets with 3 Double 15" W boxes some 1 and 2 inch throated horns and some really ancient amps using all passive crossovers. Peter Buxboum and his brother in law Sandy went to the place I worked at called Quantum Audio @ 17th st and Park Ave South. One block away from Maxes KC. The truth is that after they came to us for a consultation they told us they were ready to roll. They even left a deposit to get the ball rolling. A month later I saw work going on at the bumper cars. It was a whole bunch of sound equipment going in. It turns out that after they came to us they went to RLA who offered them a better price. When I saw what was going on and going in i was a bit miffed. What was really interesting was that we had an exclusive with a speaker cabinet maker in Falls Church Va. Who took the JBL Double 15" scoops and upscaled them for 2X18" speakers. RLA had ordered 8 of them from us and Richard was also a client we sold it to him for a lower price then someone who just walked in the door. When all was said and done the system installed at the Eldorado Bumper Cars was the same system we had pain stakenly designed for it. Yes we made some money on some of the equipment that RLA bought from us but we lost money as well. We had ordered about 10 Crown DC 300A's 6 D-150's and a few D-50's Active 4 way crossovers and back then a 4 way crossover was cutting edge. The system was going to go from the Double 18 scoop with CETEC GAUSS MODEL 3880 18"s along with the existing double 15 W boxes 20 single 15's with Gauss coming in at about 250 HZ up to 800 Hz and a combination of CLS 60 and 90* radial horns with Gauss HF 4000 drivers and JBL acoustic radiator horns for the short throw set at 800Hz and special boxes to hold either 4 or 6 JBL 075 bullets coming in about 8-10khz. We had all that equipment either on order or in stock ready to roll. I never blamed Richard for this because when he was approached with the plans in hand he was not aware that they had come to us first and never bothered to tell him I am sure if he knew he would have turned them down.

On to something else here. Didn't RLA do the installation at the club known as the Inferno that burnt down in the early 70's?

working as a DJ at the Roxy in NYC for 5 years [1979 -1984] and being in charge of maintaining the sound system that he installed there, I feel privileged to have been a DJ all those years spinning on that system..ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING ROOMS HE MADE!!
And to have been in NYC at that time to regally listen to all the RLA systems in NYC in the late 70's and early 80's every night [Garage , studio, palladium] to list just a few...they were THE BEST BY FAR!!
Thanks Richard
Will miss you for ever, Will never be a nother
Claudioaudio

Frankie Z,

Hi, I hear many rumors on The RLA crossover..
Can you fill me in with some info ?? Did you have
anything to do with it or do you know who did??

Great to see you here

I'll never forget the time my friend West and I went to a convention in NYC it had
to be around 79- early 80's and
all the big names were there with these great big rooms trying I mean trying to
show off there sound. RICHARD had the smallest room In The building, but when
I walked through the door , I swore I was at the garage He had a reel to reel
of are LORD -LARRY LEVAN- playing i thoght I would DIE . A sound I never thought
was or could be possible. Thank you RICHARD you are dearly missed
To you and Larry - REST IN PEACE - One he'll of a job well done. AMEN

Yes Call Gary Stewart at
GSA in Las Vegas

ANYONE HAVE ACCESS TO A RLA AMERICANAS?

Twilight Zone was in Toronto Canada owned by the Assons I do not remember what we installed there it was a long time ago
Sorry
Kenny powers

Hello to all! I was wondering if any of the guys that worked with the late Mr. Long could or would share some of the details about the Twilight Zone install he did in Toronto. Extremely interested! Thank you.

Richard was a genius,a great boss and friend its nice to see guys that really knew him like Frankie Zalewski,Brad Plunket, Anis B, Gary Stewart and Henry Collins write about him You guys were friends with him. Makes me think of the old days

Deeply impressed by Dorian Gray and the wonderful, fantastic RLA speaker system.
Im am owner of some JBL Alnico monitors 4310 and 4343 and earlier I rebuild a pair of very big monsters of rear loaded horns seen and heard at Dorian Gray in Frankfurt.
RLA sound has changed my life thirty years ago.

I have had the great pleasure to work with Richard during the disco era in the seventies and eighties. I knew Richard when he lived on St Marks place and was installing custom built Bose 901 speakers (Bing Chin)in his earlier installations. I wrote the article in Music and Sound Retailer on his Studio 54 installation when he was known as Disco Sound Associates. I designed the logo for both Disco Sound Associates and later the RLA logo when he moved his operation to Broadway. Richard was the one responsible for my interest in pro sound and inspired me to pursue this industry with a real passion when I left in 1979 to work in Japan on the Pioneer Electronics account and later launch DX magazine back in 1996. I remember when Richard swore by Thorens turntables and refused to touch a direct drive turntable. When I was working at Panasonic writing product catalogs in the early seventies I was introduced to the SP10 direct drive turntable. The SL1100A was later introduced and I finally got Richard to try one in an installation. The turntables howled like crazy when the bass was cranked up. Richard, being the genius that he was, came up with his unique four-point rubber band suspension system which overcame the problem.

There are many more memories of Richard Long that I can recall, some very painful ones. The one I recall most was when he won "Best Disco Sound Designer and Installer Awards" at Billboard's Disco Forum for Paradise Garage.

To all those out there that have had the privilege of knowing Richard Long, may his memory never die. Does anyone actually recall what really happened on the opening night of Studio 54? Only a handful of RLA personnel know the real story.

I have been a mobile DJ for the past 25 years and was lucky enough to experience the Paridise Garage, Zanzibar, Roxy, Empire Roller Disco, the Bumper Disco at Coney Island, and several other RLA club systems in the early 80's. The RICHARD LONG SOUND SYSTEMS were so distinct with so much clarity, it was and will always be a force to be reckoned with! To prove it look at how sought after all of his cabinets and crossovers are today. That is not by accident! True lovers of good sound recognize quality when they hear it. I love the Cerwin Vega motto back in the day "LOUD IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAN" Everybody with some sort of sound system can sound loud, just turn it up to the max! The question is can you drive your system, sound loud, maintain a clean overall sound, and in the interim have a conversation with someone directly in front of your speakers at a normal speaking level without trying to yell over nothing but blaring and distortion. In all probability you cant unless you have a Richard Long Crossover and know how to hook up a system! I have been blessed for the past year to own an original RLA 3000 crossover along with a Bozak and Original Urie 1620 mixer. The sound created by his crossover hooked up to either of these mixers amazes me EVERY SINGLE TIME I TURN ON! I didn't know Richard Long but like someone said in a previous comment I know his sound because I heard it in the clubs back in the day, and now I hear it just about every day on my own personal system! Richard Long thanks for all of your contributions to the DISCO and DANCE MUSIC SOUND SYSTEM DESIGNS around the world. You will be missed but never forgotten!

I met Mr. Richard Long when I was about fourteen years old. After several years, I called him my friend. He was extremely generous with his time, advice, and finances. A phenomenally gifted artisan who manufactured the most awesome sound systems imaginable. Unfortunately, I remember when he was dying. It was a sad time for all of us who knew him...There will always be a place for Richard in the deepest recesses of my heart...Rest well my friend/You were loved more than you could ever know.

I had the pleasure of discovering the RLA sound system in 1992 while attendng a club at 177 Townsend in San Francisco, CA. I knew back then that I was experiencing the best club sound system ever. From that point on I became a frequent patron of the club until its closing in 2002, partly because of that system. Over the years I learned about what kind of system it was as well as who had designed it. For me the name Richard Long had a certain mystique attached to it but I know that it was because that system rocked like no other. I have never heard another system that could even come close to the RLA, such a rich sound with thundering bass tones. Unfortunately the RLA at 177 Townsend was the last remaining ones on the west coast. Since the clubs closure I have wondered whatever happened to that system.

I got to meet Richard when he was fine tuning the Garage System. I remember telling him that there were songs I heard on the radio that I didn't like but when I heard it on the Garage sound system, I feel in love with the tune. I've been around the world and I still can't find a club that can go up against the Garage. The closest was Zanzibar which is another of Richard's creation. For years my RLA X-2000 crossover sat in my rack until this year when I decided to take it out of retirement. Let me tell you, I did a beach party and decided not to use the Ashley crossover but to use the RLA. The bass that came out of the cabinets was never before heard. Incredible!! People came up and was asking about the sound system. I pointed at the X-2000 which is probably about 25 years old and told them that is the reason for the incredible bass that they heard. RIP to the master.

Oh yea, Frankie Z, when my dad passed, you know he left me ALL the original diagrams of all the ORIGINAL RLA cabinets!!!

Rich was a cool dude. My father,"Curtis "Phase 1" Forte', worked for him for a while, building the ever-so monsterous BERTHAS, C-HORNS, AMERICANAS etc. He even named a cabinet after my dad, called The FORTE'!(Remember that, Frankie?) I was really young back then - just trying to get in the DJ game. I remember Rich saying, "why would you want to "destroy" records like that!?" LOL! Right after that he gave me and AMERICANA. I guess, even thugh it was noise to him, he wanted my noise to sound the best. R.I.P. Rich. You were always a cool dude.
(Hey Frankie Z, I still remember the stories about you guys going to ACTION PARK and putting baby oil on the bottom of the sleds so they'd go faster. I wish I could've seen your faces when you realized that THE BRAKES didn't work either!! LOL!!)

In memory of Richard, I would like to state that his legal name is Richard Fredrick Long. I know because many a times I looked at my paycheck with his name on it.
Frank Zalewski

I thank Richard over and over for giving me my business,without his incredible products and ideas I probably have no path in life. GOD Bless you Richard Fredrick Long for blessing me with some of your magic.

www.gsany.com

www.myspace.com/garystewartaudio

Richard Long sound system made me want to be a dj, growing up in long island city/Queens Bridge he used to bring his systems to QB park and let djs pual brown & the disco twins spin it, i was just 12 years old but i remember it so well......RIP TO THE MASTER OF SOUND.

I Have a few RLA pieces, The Man is a Legend, He is truly missed... There will never be another Richard Long...ever...

I never met Richard, but on my first experience at the Paradise Garage, I met his sound system. It was so well engineered, even the bass was absolutely PRECISE. You can feel the whole sound not realizing that the bass just punched a hole through you. I will never experience something like that again.

In memory of the genius who gave us Cesoir, Studio 54, Pardise Garage, CLubhouse, Melons and Zanzibar, you are deeply missed. Club music is not the same without you. I am glad to have been able to visit most of the clubs mentioned experience greatness.

Richard Long Sound opend Germany Ears at 1978 in the legendary Club "Dorian Gray" at the Frankfurt Airport. From 1978 till 2000 when the club closed the sound was such perfekt and great. I´m glad to had the privilege to live in that periode of time...

I had the pleasure of working with Kenny after he took over RLA. I did the light installs for OJ Productions, later known as NightWing Group,Inc. Working with Kenny and Eric(Kenny's right hand) on different projects was a blast. From the LA Stock Exchange, 64 West in STL to maintenance work around the city. I can tell you without a doubt, Richard knew audio! I actually saw the formulas and design sketches for the Berthas and other systems. Pure genius with audio design. Anyone out there knows Kenny or Eric drop me a line. bashtek@hotmail.com

Amen to that Kevin,,always remember,,ASIDE FROM GOD,, MUSIC IS THE ANSWER,,AND LOVE IS THE MESSAGE...PEACE

As a working DJ in NYC since 1984 I have had the great pleasure of playing on a couple of RLA systems and even though I have played some recent very expensive systems I have to say I always knew I was playing on a RLA system even if I didnt know he had designed it right away. You just know when you are in a room and it just sounds so right no matter what the size or dimension of the room. On of my most favorite small rooms that richard designed before his untimely death was Nells where I was a resident DJ for many years in the late eighties and early nineties and when new owners bought it I begged and pleaded with them not to tear it out, but like most clueless club owners nowadays they didnt take my advice and the room now sounds like crap! Richard inspired me to create great sound as much as Larry Levan inspired me to become a DJ and I am so blessed to have lived and learned from the best and carry that with me wherever I play.

I was priviledged to be a friend of
Richard's as well a supplier of some of the equipment he used in his fabulous systems.
What a great time. What a great guy. He was fun, he was brilliant and his life was much too short.
Brad Plunkett

Hello All,
I don’t know too much about these RLA systems. I am a lighting tech at a club built in the late 60's or early 70's in MA. For anyone that is familiar with the area it used to be the Chateau Deville chain of function facilities, each had a nightclub or theater within. Anyhow, during some maintenance, I took a closer look at the speaker cabs that are hanging from the ceiling. Each is marked with "RLA AMERICANA" and a model number. Today, these cabs are fully loaded with JBL drivers, does anyone know how they may have been originally loaded and any other info about RLA systems from that time. How big did RLA become, what would someone back then expect to pay for an RLA system? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
~miguel
Monteiro3@hotmail.com

I met Richard Long in New York at his converted supermarket in the 80's and he was working on some equipment to go into a club in New York. Richard had sold and Installed the sound system in the Twilight Zone in Toronto and it was one of the best sound systems in the world. Many others tried to duplicate this sound, The club lasted almost 20 years, I will admit to this day there has never been a better system builder in any club environment than Richard Long.(RLA)--Simply the best.(There lined up at the pearly gates to get in tonight Where do you think thunder comes from..)

It was not just about sound and processing which Richard was the master of, but also about room acoustics and sonic pressure. You always left the club feeling like you had been worked over by Bass and crystal clean highs.

Your not a top DJ unless you have played and taken control on a RLA system.

If anyone knows of an original RLA sound system for sale please contact me, I am buying......

Club Designer and Connoisseur
Chris Arthur
Toronto, Canada

Hi , im looking for information pics , etc about the sound system installed by RLA in VENEZUELA ( city hall disco )

Thanks in advance

i was lucky to get to experience one of his systems at a one of a kind late 80's houston club called NRG. The experience changed my life and now twenty years later the music is still my life.
Thank you!


paul dyne
pen and ink recordings
Houston House Collective

Richard's designs are still among, if not THE, best sounding pieces of gear.... EVER

it is truly amazing what was being done by him....


I am glad that the world was allowed to borrow his talent for awhile...

ABSOLUTLY DELMAR...I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF..HE WAS A TRUE GENIUS..AND A MAN BEFORE HIS TIME..

i had the pleasure to meet the man himself as i was making up a moblie system for three different moblie dj group names like king charles disco twin and etc. Their was no one like Richard and i wish he was still here. God bless

There wasn't any sound system heard correctly at a club unless in was the Richard Long Sound System!

R.I.P.

TO FRANKIE Z,, STEVE McMAHON,,& DEEJAY DOC..I HOPE I MADE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH HIS PICTURE.....IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM, ALOT OF DJ'S WOULDN'T BE WHERE THEY ARE TODAY..AND THE KNOW WHO THEY ARE....PEACE

An Innovator, Designed Fantastic Professional Audio Gear For Large Scale Clubes. Invented A Legendary 3 Way Crossover That Was Instrumental In Defining The "Styles" In Which Great Disc Jockeys Performed.

RICHARD LONG WILL BE VERY MISSED, LARRY LAVAN INTRODUCED US,AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, HE WAS A MASTER OF SOUND...I'M SURE HE's HOOKING GOD UP WITH A GREAT SOUND SYSTEM,AND GUESS WHO's PLAYING.... LARRY THE MAN LEVAN... TILL WE MEET AGAIN YOUR FRIEND NOW AND ALWAYS DJ STEVE THE SAGA PEREZ R.I.P.

I worked for Richard Long for seven wonderful years installing our sound systems all over the world. His designs were original and the engineering was brilliant. He was a genius who was taken from us too soon. I miss you Richard you were a great boss and a better friend.

Frankie Zalewski
New York

As a DJ in NYC in the late 80's and 90's, I felt compelled to pay tribute to THE MAN who put the 'UMPH' into club music. I had the privilege of playing on several, broken-down versions of his influential Garage sound system and appreciated his genius every time. Unfortunately, I arrived in NY in 87 and had missed my opportunity to thank him in person. For anyone who gets that certain rush whenever they hear a tune crystal clear, yet overwhelmingly resonant, you owe a lot of your joyous experiences to this man. Thank you Richard for all the good times...

Steve McMahon
England.