By George Petersen
MIDDLETOWN, WI – Longtime pro audio industry veteran Earl “Buzz” Goodwin passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 after a long bout with cancer. He was 62. Born on January 1, 1951, in Lynn, MA, Buzz developed a love for music very early in life and was a talented guitarist/singer/songwriter both as a solo artist as well as with bands such as Silverado, which he co-founded in 1973 with Carl Shillo. Silverado signed to RCA Records in 1976 with the debut album by the same name and had some chart successes with followup LP’s on RCA and CBS.
Buzz left the band years ago to begin a successful (and far more stable) career in pro audio sales. During his 25-plus years in that vocation, he held senior positions with Audio-Technica, CAD Microphones, FDW-Worldwide, Harman Music Group (dbx, BSS Audio, DigiTech/DOD), JBL and Lexicon Pro. Buzz played a key part in the launch of numerous industry standard products such as the Lexicon 960L reverb/multieffects and Audio-Technica’s 40-Series microphones.
Buzz frequently applied his sharp sense of humor into marketing, such as the “Bad Boys of Audio” campaign for CAD mics, which featured images of himself and co-worker Bruce Forbes in leather jackets and tough poses, despite both of them being some of the nicest people you could meet. But throughout his career, Buzz’s love of music, infectious smile and outgoing personality were all factors in his success. He had many friends worldwide and surely will be missed.
Buzz is survived by his wife, Suzanne Goodwin, who filled his last 13-plus years with love, joy and faith. Buzz is also survived by his parents, Earl E. and Dorothy Jean Goodwin, sister Cindy (Erich) Smith, of Dallas, TX, brother Kenneth (Kathy) of upstate, NY, brother Paul (Liz) of Essex, CT, son, Jesse of Norwich, CT, and in-laws of Ohio.
A memorial service for Buzz is planned for Friday, March 29, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, at 542 N Pleasant View Rd, Middleton, WI 53562. Visitation begins at 2pm, with a Memorial Talk at 3pm.
In lieu of flowers, condolences and contributions can be made to the surviving spouse in care of Informed Choice Funerals, 3325 E Washington Ave, Madison, WI, http://www.informedchoicefunerals.com. The service will be videotaped and will be accessible via the Internet afterward.
