AUDIO
BILL THRASHER : A LIFE AT THE CONSOLE | Kent Morris
Bill Thrasher , Senior , a legend in the professional audio arena , passed away November 2 , 2022 . His impact on the world of sound reinforcement was immense and covered every scenario from small churches to the world ’ s largest stadiums . Bill ’ s influence crossed decades , from the 1960 ’ s to now and bounded through six continents around the world . He was best known for his renown work with Billy Graham , Disney World , and large Southern Baptist churches , but he was most comfortable taking his valuable time and sitting one-on-one with a young tech trying to find their way .
I first met Bill in 1984 as one of those young techs at an outdoor music festival where I was charged with overseeing the sound system . He graciously directed me away from an assured path of equipment destruction to usable sound with his charming demeanor and quick wit . From that moment , I became a member of the growing Bill Thrasher Fan Club . Other members gathered along the way included Mike Bell , Casey Johnson , Dennis Pope , Armando Fullwood , Dave Wagner , and hundreds more who recognized not just the genius behind those blazing blue eyes and abundant white mane , but the fact his genius was accessible to us in the trenches . Bill ’ s raison d ’ etre was to help others . He simply could not stand idly by and watch someone flounder . He always stepped in without hubris or disdain to guide the process toward a successful conclusion .
When taken together , his God-given technical prowess , innate teaching ability and straight- forward demeanor were the exact tools needed for him to be Bill Thrasher . He always answered the phone with a direct , “ Thrasher ” and you knew instantly this was a man of action with little regard for pomp or ceremony . He could determine the cause of an issue quicker than anyone else and would always have the simplest , most effective answer to a complex problem . Only Bill could oversee the insanely detailed world of putting on a Billy Graham Crusade and do it with flair . One of the most regaling stories of Bill and Dr . Graham involved a cabling issue under the grandstand when Bill was needed to find a solution quickly . On his hands and knees under the stands in the wet grass , Bill fiddled and fussed with the cables until he found the culprit . About that moment , Dr . Graham walked by and said , “ Is that Bill