Claude Lakey Woodwinds

Language
Navigation
Language

The Claude Lakey Legacy

1920s
The Roaring Twenties: A time of illegal cocktails, secret soirees, and immoral music.

Much more than the prohibition, the 1920s ushered in a new lifestyle. A time of great economic prosperity, major cities all around the globe experienced an artistic re-awakening. Named "The Jazz Age", the music of the era was driven underground with the alcohol, in secret clubs called "Speakeasies" the cities' youth divulged in excess at unprecedented levels.

The media blamed Jazz for the times' problems, but despite the efforts to repress the movement, it grew bigger still. Iconic musicians became the face of a new movement: Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Kid Ory, and Duke Ellington, were among the pioneers of early jazz.

1930s
The jazz of the 1920s began to evolve into larger "Big Bands" in the 1930s, giving way to swing music. This is when Claude Lakey made his entrance into the professional music scene.

After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the 1930s began with a solemn start. By autumn of that first year, families began to feel the toll of economic woes, and it reflected in the music industry. There was no extra income to spend on music, buying records dropped out of the picture for those hit the hardest, but they still had the radio, which in recent years had grown to be a hub for local entertainment. In 1933, at age 23, Claude Lakey had his first professional performance with the Joe Rivet Band. An accomplished musician, Claude played the saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, and violin. After his time alongside Joe Rivet, Claude continued his career with the Orrin Tucker band and Ben Young's band.

It was during this time that he met Tex Beneke, another young saxophone player. In 1936, Claude and Tex joined what would become the Glenn Miller Band. Glenn Miller had been crafting his arrangements and assembling his band since the early 1930s, and this first incarnation of the iconic institution featured a bold, saxophone heavy sound that defined the era. Unfortunately, Glenn Miller's first band failed to make a name for itself in the first go-round, and by mid-1938 it was time the members moved on to other ensembles. Through the Glenn Miller Band, Claude met trumpeter Harry James, who had gained credibility by playing with the "King of Swing", Benny Goodman. Harry was setting out to start his own band, and he asked Claude to join him.

1940s
The beginning of World War II ushered in many changes in jazz. Military bands became home to many of the best musicians of the time, and a new style of playing flourished.

Swing music continued to prevail over the airwaves during the beginning of the 1940s, a nationalism fueled the dixieland revival style along with be bop and cool jazz became popular. Musicians like Thelonious Monk, Clarlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie forged a way to break out of the "Swing" mold and continue the evolution of jazz music. In 1943 Claude left the Harry James Band and joined the Army where he played in several Army Bands during the war. When WWII ended, Claude returned to the Harry James Band and continued there until 1947. Jazz faced an onslaught of change during this decade.

Swing music was responsible for creating pop standards sung by crooners such as Frank Sinatra. We also see a revival of pure jazz during this time, artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday bridged the pop standards with the blues roots of jazz. Towards the end of the decade, Claude enrolled at North Texas State University to pursue higher music education. It was there that he met Dr. Eugene Hall, known for starting the famous "One O'Clock Lab Band", of which Claude became the first conductor in 1949.

1950s
The first decade since the 1920s with successful economic growth, the 1950s saw room to expand. The music scene was booming and musicians had the potential for unlimited success.

With the economy in its best form since the 1920s, people were able to spend money on music again. This contributed to prosperous sales of records and record players, an increased demand for listening to music in your home, and it introduced television programs centered around musicians on variety shows. All of this attention lead to the first crop of "Teen Idols", the leader of this pack being Elvis Presley.

The shift in the industry led Claude and his wife to move to the San Fernando Valley in the early 1950s where they opened the C&D Music Company, a music instrument store which sold everything from guitars to records to woodwind accessories. Claude invested in their new community by starting and directing the San Fernando Valley Youth Bands, which over the decades would develop the talents of many great musicians. In 1955, the same year he began the youth bands, Claude started working on the concept for the Original Claude Lakey Mouthpiece.

1960s
Aware of all the ways Jazz had influenced the genres of the current times, Claude set out to create a mouthpiece that would be able to accommodate a player's need to create a diverse range of sounds.

As a player himself, Claude knew what he wanted out of the ideal mouthpiece, he just needed to create it. At the beginning of this process, he purchased blanks from a variety of manufacturers, tested different facings, chamber sizes, but wasn't completely satisfied with the sound. So he created his own moulds. During this period, Claude made dozens of prototypes. Testing out different sizing, and tinkering with a piece while honing his skills and learning what a difference in sound each refinement created. The music industry was abuzz with new genres of music taking over the scene.

Rock n' Roll bands and pop music had taken over airwaves, and as these distant derivatives of jazz became prevalent, and the rise of hippie and counterculture youth created the demand for it, saxophones began to be used in a different context. Rock bands featured saxophone blaring above the noise of amplified instruments, powerful solos bridging the new era of music with its swinging predecessor. Claude recognized the way the industry was changing, and in crafting his Original mouthpiece, knew that working musicians needed complete diversity in genre to suit any gig they might play.

1970s
Realizing he had achieved his ideal mouthpiece, Claude made the decision to commit full-time to his manufacturing and opened his first mouthpiece shop.

Marking his confidence and commitment to the crafting of his ideal piece, Claude sold C&D Music Company to make more time for his new venture. He opened his first mouthpiece shop in the corner of the C&D music store. As professional musicians wandered through C&D for gear, Claude would ask them to try out his mouthpiece. As more and more musicians fell in love with his Original Mouthpiece, word spread quickly through the music community.

Music developed from the "gateway" rock of the 60s to an expanse of dozens of "rock" genres. The most popular of the day were southern rock, folk rock, jazz rock, and soft rock. Also gaining popularity was "Funk", an arm of "Soul" music. Rhythm and Blues music started gaining traction as well. All of this experimenting lead to crossing genres and instruments making their way to a variety of different ensembles.

1980s
As the popularity of mainstream media supported the pop charts, new genres pushed to the surface, and some old styles came back for a revival.

In the early 1980s we see a resurgence of jazz music again, this time in the form of smooth jazz. While synthetic instruments were still favored in the mainstream media, several genres pushed back against the lack of live musicians. Rock music took back its classic instrumentation in the 80s, and Contemporary R&B became the industry response to the soul music of the 1970s.

Adding disco-like beats and borrowing elements from hip-hop and blues to make a more danceable tune, artists like Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Earth, Wind & Fire were stars in this growing genre. With the growth of popularity through word of mouth, the growing facets of the industry, and increased demand for players, Claude quickly outgrew his corner shop. And in the early 1980s Claude decided to move the business to his hometown of Nacogdoches, Texas.

1990s
The 1990s ushered in the end of one chapter, but the beginning of the next for Claude Lakey Mouthpieces.

The 1990s saw music become even more segmented than it had before. Mainstream music split into dozens of genres, each with their own following and popularity. The market exploded with new takes on rock music such as grunge and punk rock. The changing soundscape made room for whatever talent it could find. Vocalists garnered a lot of the attention, as Mariah Carey became one of the most iconic names of the decade. Even with all of these changes, Claude continued to successfully manufacture at his Texas facility. But, early in 1990, Claude knew something was wrong. He was sick, and at 80 he knew if he didn't teach a predecessor the ropes, the business could deteriorate with him gone.

He called Nick, to whom he had sold C&D Music all those years ago, and asked him if he would learn the trade and take over the business. Nick flew out to Texas and began working side-by-side with Claude. During this time, it was confirmed that Claude had cancer. He was confident in his decision to pass on the legacy of making high quality, handcrafted mouthpieces to Nick, a man Claude trusted with his business and namesake. Soon after, Claude lost his battle with cancer. He is remembered fondly for his pioneering spirit, attention to quality, and great contribution to the music community.

2000s
Claude Lakey Inc., moved to it's current home: Seattle, Washington.

Continuing to use the same specifications, tools, and techniques with which Claude built the company. Nick grew the company in its new home of Seattle, Washington. Coming out of the first decade under Nick's ownership, he decided it was time to expand the brand and create another mouthpiece line. Partnering with local artists such as Jeff Kashiwa, he designed our Apollo Mouthpiece, expanding the Claude Lakey brand into a new medium: Brass. Continuing in the spirit of innovation the company was built upon, the Apollo line solidified Lakey's place as one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. The rapid growth of the internet at the beginning of the decade turned the music industry upside down. With unprecedented access to music, artists were now able to listen instantly, and distribute their own music freely.

Jazz music continued its growth from the smooth jazz era of the 1980s. Musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, and Wynton Marsalis stand out as innovators of this period. There was also a vocal jazz resurgence seen during this time. Singers such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones had chart topping hits with a blend of traditional jazz and modern rock sounds.

Present
Claude Lakey Mouthpieces celebrated "50 Years of Jazz" in 2013

Continuing to adhere to our high standard of quality, while expanding still, reaching a wide range of musicians, the Claude Lakey of today has come a long way from the corner shop in C&D music. With our products now available in stores in over twenty countries, we continue to keep the musician in mind as we develop new, innovative products to suit the needs of a wide variety of players. In 2013, Claude Lakey released its Compass Ligature, partnering with BOA technology, creators of the innovative reel and lace closure system. Using their patented click-reel technology to secure reeds with even, uniform pressure, the Compass revolutionizes the relationship between your mouthpiece and reed.

Inspired by the innovation Claude first had, of taking something standard and crafting it into something exceptional— we are inspired to continue his tradition of making the best piece possible. As we continue to grow through this current decade, we plan to see more products created with the same determination to challenge the status quo and forge a new path to help you achieve your best sound.