By James Chevrette
Among the many booths at KnowledgeFest in Las Vegas recently, one quiet exhibit drew a surprising amount of attention. It had no products, no flashy displays, just a few posters and a man named David Black, accompanied by his wife Jan.
Black has released a self-funded documentary on Vimeo on the early days of Alpine Electronics. It runs over three hours and chronicles an era that helped shape the industry we work in today. You can see it here.
For anyone under forty, Black’s name may not immediately register. But for those who grew up in the car audio industry, Black is an industry icon. As one of Alpine Electronics’ first six employees, Black led the company’s aftermarket advertising campaigns as EVP from 1979 to 1994. One of Black’s campaigns, the Alpine Lamborghini collaboration of the early 1980s, might be one of the top campaigns ever in car audio. The posters still hang in install bays, showrooms, and offices across North America.
In a sit down interview, Black described being inspired by Yamaha in the early 1980s–a creative spark that ultimately led to the legendary Lamborghini collaboration.
Black spoke about the Alpine family, employees and dealers across North America who made the brand something more than a product line. Alpine, he made clear, was a tight-knit community.
This community still thrives today. Multiple Facebook groups with more than 25,000 members continue to buy, sell, and trade gear featuring the iconic green chicklet styling on early Alpine radios, along with vintage cellular phones and accessories. Enthusiast groups dedicated to repairing and restoring Alpine products are as active as ever, and the fabled Alpine 7909 continues with its devoted following.
If you’re looking for a dose of nostalgia or a piece of timeless artwork, visit www.thealpinetouch.com. Proceeds from artwork sales go toward offsetting the cost of producing the documentary.
Just watched episode #1 – and it was great. So Happy to see David & Rich doing well. So much history in a relatively short time frame. I think our Dad was “Talked Into” becoming one of the first dozen or so Alpine dealers by Reese himself! As Dad used to tell the story Reese would say “Joe – I know they’re more expensive – and the quality isn’t there YET…. but get on board – it’s gonna be a heck of a ride” Thanks for the trip down memory lane – I’ll be watching episode # 2 soon.
Fond Regards to you both,
Jodi O’Connor
Jo-Di’s Sound Center
There was nothing better than five stripes!
/////Alpine
I was very fortunate to work with Dave for many years. He was ALPINE and the driving force behind their success in the US. Dave always thought outside the box and his marketing strategies were outstanding. Glad to see he is still at it with passion as he always was.
Congratulations, Dave. I remember Alpine US’s 10th anniversary party in November 1988, almost 40 years ago, and the Maui dealer trip. Hard work but fun. I can’t wait to see the documentary. Glad to see you’re still having fun.
Where do we see the documentary? I wonder if there is any reference to Reese Haggot. I’m confident that the young among us won’t recognized the name. Was when Alpine led the way for all to follow… Now…?