A local retail pioneer passes

My friend Joe asked me the other day if I really hated Paul Heath that much that I would publish an obituary on Amar Bose and not him.  

HUH?!! I didn't even know he died! Granted, I maybe saw him once a year at most and usually at Joe's shop.

   Below is the Obituary:

January 23, 2013 

LIVONIA — Paul Frederick Heath, 82, of Livonia, N.Y. succumbed to Leukemia under his daughters’ care at home on Sunday, January 20, 2013.

Paul served his country in the Air Force during the Korean War, and enjoyed many years of self-employment at Paul Heath Audio.

He is predeceased by his wife, Eileen O’Connell Heath, and survived by his son, Robert Heath of Prunedale, Calif.; daughters, Paula (Christopher) Coughlin and Pamela (Mark) Smith; and grandchildren, Harley, John and Jake of Livonia, N.Y.

At Paul’s request, no service will be held. Arrangements entrusted to the Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home Inc., Livonia – Honeoye.

 I was awestruck! He was waaaayy too cagey to die! I have referred to him several times in this blog. I did a fair amount of business over the years, and worked with his son Bob at JB Sound. Always an interesting story, always a hard sales pitch, I remember him as a hell of a salesman! It didn't matter if you were in the business or not, if you walked into his store you got the sales pitch. I'm still stuck with a pair of Acoustic Arts Messenger speakers that I first heard in his store.Every week something new, he generally only got one or two of anything, and it was always better than what he had last week

.He was instrumental during the early years of Merlin music systems,partnering with Bobby and helping him get established.The Orion Blue Book listed him as an importer for many of the brands he carried.I often pull out old issues of Audio magazine that I still have  from the '70s. and see ads for his store in the back classifieds.

 I remember him most for the Hill Type 1/ Plasmatronics speakers he demoed at one of the home shows.

They had plasma/ion tweeters which were emitting ozone and putting people to sleep! They made him stop playing them.



 To the best of my knowledge he started on State St. across from the Kodak office. The execs would walk over at lunchtime to see what was new. I remember Allison One speakers, JR149s,Hartley speakers, SAE,and a few things I had never heard of  the first time I went there. Years later he ended up in Henrietta, then downtown off of Monroe Ave. sharing a store with Mike Stroethers. Mike also passed years ago, I'm beginning to think this is not a healthy hobby to have, we have lost many over the years.
 Paul, Mike, Bill Kelliher (one of my previous bosses the"B" of JB), my good friend Greg Douglas, Glen who was Mike Fenton's technician, Gary another audio friend, and even I myself have been diagnosed with cancer.

  " Momma don't let your babies grow up to play HiFi".........

  Must be some kind of radiation from the power transformers or something.

  Anway, hard as I tried, I can't find a picture of Paul anywhere. If anybody out there has one and can email it to me or post it here I think that would be nice.

 Please don't attempt to pass off one of Jack Nicholson, I know the difference.    


                                               thanks!