Lansing Manufacturing Machine Shop, 6900 McKinley Ave.
© Harman International , Courtesy Mark Gander and John Eargle

The purpose of this section is to present major histories related to the legacy and heritage of James B. Lansing. This was the first section developed for this website and was only possible through the generosity of John Eargle. John shared with us the detailed notes he developed over the past two decades in documenting the history of JBL and its founder. These notes allowed us to develop new avenues of investigation to try and piece together the puzzle that was the life and times of James B. Lansing. As a result, we are able to present a number of new history articles devoted to specific aspects of Lansing's legacy in addition to John's seminal work.

" A Brief History of James B. Lansing and James B. Lansing Sound Inc.", by John Eargle, can be considered the core of this entire website. It remains the definitive account of Lansing history and is the foundation for all subsequent information presented on this site. It is an overview of the man and the companies he was associated with.

"Altec Lansing" represents our initial effort at documenting the history of the Altec Lansing Corporation. It currently consists of a timeline of the significant events associated with this company. Over time, we hope to develop a more comprehensive narrative history of the company.

"JBL in the Seventies" is a detailed chronicle of what is arguably the most significant period in this company's history. This was the decade that saw the JBL's greatest growth and rise to market dominance. This history is told by one of the most influential people in JBL's ultimate success - Arnold Wolf. It is currently a work in progress that will be added to over time.

"JBL Professional" documents JBL's endeavors in the professional sound markets. While JBL initially established its reputation in the high end consumer market, it was not long before the JBL brand was preeminent in the professional field. This section documents that rise to preeminence.