Phil Dudderidge

Phil Dudderidge (born 6 February 1949 in Watford, England) is an English sound engineer. He is a notable figure in the professional audio industry, having worked as Led Zeppelin's first dedicated live soundman, and later co-founding Soundcraft Electronics before serving as Chairman of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.

Dudderidge attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, Hertfordshire, but dropped out of school at the age of 17. In 1967, he worked for the noted UK underground newspaper International Times delivering the paper and posters from Osiris Visions to outlets around London. While there, he met Osiris Visions owner and record producer / band manager Joe Boyd and ended up working as a roadie / chauffeur for Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band. Dudderidge later worked with Pete Brown and The Battered Ornaments and Soft Machine.

In 1970, Charlie Watkins (of WEM PA fame) introduced Dudderidge to Led Zeppelin, beginning not only Dudderidge's first live sound engineer assignment, but also the notable position of Led Zeppelin's first dedicated live sound engineer (and "WEM expert"). This job lasted from March to May 1970, encompassing tour dates in both Europe and the U.S.

While house engineer for the Implosion concerts at the Roundhouse in London, Dudderidge worked with Hiwatt to develop professional sound reinforcement systems. He then partnered with Paul Dobson and Graham Blyth to form his first company, RSD, building custom PA systems for Roy Wood's Wizzard and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel amongst others, with custom-built mixing consoles derived from a Bill Kelsey original design. During the '70s, Blyth and Dudderidge with Roger Lindsay, owned Europa Concert Systems, a live sound company that catered to American bands touring Europe.

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