38:, in the area of Iowa known as the Iowa Great Lakes region. Co-founders and original owners Roger Blunt, Cliff Plagman and John Senn started the process of building the studio in February 1965, officially opening for business on June 1, 1965. IGL Recording Company was the second known recording facility in the state at the time and the first to use multi-track tape machines. After its opening until its closing in 1980 the studio hosted hundreds of groups and individuals, releasing over 200 records. The recording that brought IGL to the attention of a broader audience was
198:. A local dee-jay, Peter McClain, played the song when he was emceeing dances at the ballroom. Denny Storey (October 31, 1943 – September 13, 2018) and John Senn (September 29, 1940 – July 18, 2019), both members of the Runaways, had talked about doing their own version of the song. On one occasion while setting up for a dance at the PlaMor, Storey grabbed his guitar and showed Senn an approach to the song he thought would work well. In July 1965, the group recorded nine songs at IGL, one of which was Storey's take on
84:. Plagman, who was adept at electronics, had his own business selling and repairing TVs at this time. Blunt was still improving his skills at recording and was gaining insight into the reproduction of sound. Senn was involved with the performance end of music and was aware of the needs of musicians for a more conveniently located recording facility. Combining their talents the three gentlemen moved forward to make the studio a reality.
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send copies to various record distributors in hopes they would pick up the studios offerings. Cost to the client of 1000 45s was $ 300; 1000 albums with jackets were $ 1510. As a reference, the retail cost of a 45 in 1965 ran approximately 50 cents, an album cost around $ 2.98 (mono) to $ 3.98 (stereo). A package deal was also available which consisted of 3 hours of recording time and 1000 45 singles for a cost of $ 345.
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and had recorded a band whose members included Senn and
Maranell in 1961. Due to the less than acceptable quality of this recording, Blunt, along with his tape recorder, accompanied the group to a radio station in Minnesota to record the group in what was hoped to be a better environment for such an endeavor. This event planted the idea for what became IGL.
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In 1973 the studio expanded by adding IGL Music Inc. which was considered a division of the IGL Recording Co. IGL Music was primarily a record store, but also offered musical instrument accessories such as guitars strings, straps, drum accessories and sheet music. At the time of its opening the store
100:
as a "template", IGL was built in approximately 5 months at a cost of over $ 10,000 for gear and an undetermined cost for the labor the trio put into the project. Adjusted for inflation the cost would now be over $ 82,000 for the gear alone. The partners decided to name the facility after the area in
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IGL's fee in 1965 for use of the facility, which included an engineer, was $ 45/hour. The fee had increased to $ 55/hr by the time the facility closed. As part of this cost, IGL would send copies of 45s to area radio stations as well as radio stations in the artist's home area. The studio would also
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M49 mics, one
Neumann U67 mic along with other mics, outboard gear, stands and cabling. A single track Ampex recorder was purchased in 1966. Then, in 1972, an Ampex 2-track mastering recorder and an Ampex 8-track recorder were added to the facility along with more outboard gear. The studio space was
213:. At one point in the evening Michaels played the group's 45 of the song and got a favorable reaction from the crowd. Michaels told the band he would add the 45 to the station's rotation for 3 weeks, if it generated a good response he would keep it on; if not, it would be removed from the playlist.
63:
The Iowa Great Lakes
Recording Company, Inc.—or simply IGL—was founded by Roger Blunt, Cliff Plagman and John Senn. Senn became acquainted with Blunt and Plagman through a bandmate, Chuck Maranell, who worked at the same hardware store with the pair in 1960. Blunt owned a reel to reel tape recorder
42:
by Dee Jay and the
Runaways, which was initially released on IGL's own label and later leased to Mercury/Smash Records. The studio recorded many different styles of music including rock, pop, gospel, polka and school choirs. On January 1, 1980, John Senn, sole owner at the time, closed the studio.
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The song took off and distributors from the region initially placed orders for over 5000 copies of the 45. The quantity of copies on the IGL label that were sold numbered between 8 and 9 thousand prior to the song being leased according to Senn in an interview with KUOO radio's Becky
Thoreson. The
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The studio changed ownership at various times during its life span. In 1980 John Senn, who was then sole owner of the facility, decided to close the studio due in part to declining business. One factor to which the decline in clients was attributed was the rise in popularity of disco music. Other
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Aside from offering a professional space and the gear necessary to record, IGL also offered to handle the pressing and packaging of the recorded product. The artist could choose the IGL/Sonic imprint or could design their own label if desired. On the advice of
Blacketer, IGL used Wakefield
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Throughout the history of the IGL Recording Co. the following individuals were owners of the facility: co-founders, Plagman and Blunt of
Milford along with Senn of Spirit Lake. Other owners during the period the studio was in operation were Dennis Kintzi of Milford, Dave Peterson of
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factors, like the growing affordability of semipro products for recording at home which started to appear in the mid 1970s, along with the number of bands declining after the boom which followed the
British Invasion in the early 1960s, likely contributed too.
87:
The location of the studio was in the back of
Plagman's store (formerly known as the Palmer Building) at the corner of 9th St. and Highway 71 in Milford, Iowa. Plagman had become acquainted with Vic Blacketer who was a distributor of radio broadcast gear in
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Five of the former owners, which includes the 3 founders, have died – Roger Blunt in 1994, Cliff
Plagman in 2007, Dee Swenson in 2015, Jerry Wolford in 2009, and John Senn (born September 29, 1940) who died on July 18, 2019, at age 78. He resided in
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since they were a one-stop for all of IGL's needs in this area. An additional service offered was the availability of studio musicians if clients needed additional support - ranging from either a single instrument to a whole backing group.
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From 1961 until 1964 the trio of Blunt, Plagman and Senn had informal discussions on putting together a recording studio in their area. At that time the closest studio in Iowa was 350 miles away. Other choices were
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which it was located. Although the endeavor was officially incorporated as the Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company, Inc. the "Inc." was often left unsaid as the name was already a mouthful.
169:(IGL STLP-33152) by Shekina Glory. This garage/psych/XIAN album from 1976 has become a valued artifact by those who appreciate the genre with copies selling for upwards of $ 1025.
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reached #85. As a result of the recording's popularity, the facility where it was recorded gained considerable publicity also and IGL Recording was off and running.
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The recording that had the most impact on the IGL Recording Co. was Dee Jay and the Runaways recording of Myron Lee and the Caddies 1961 song
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on April 30, 1966, and remained there for 14 weeks reaching #45. In Canada, the song reached #56 and the follow-up single
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station received requests from 8 major labels to lease the recording. Michaels recommended that IGL and the band go with
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265:. Senn opened a studio named IGL Audio in 1983 and was one of the founders of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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for pressing services. For album cover fabrication, IGL used the W.A. Fisher Advertising & Printing Co. in
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133:. At some time in the early 1970s, the facility switched to the Queen City Album Co. (now QCA, Inc.) in
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which was emceed by Jim Michaels, a dee-jay at one of central Iowa's AM Top 40 stations at the time -
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92:. Seeking his advice, Blacketer gave his approval on the space the trio chose for the studio. Using
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313:(First ed.). Arnold's Park, IA: Sweet Memories Publishing; Sweet Memories, Inc. p. 15.
181:. It also led to the group being the only one from Iowa during the 1960s to appear nationally on
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by Dee Jay and the Runaways, another notable recording done at IGL was the album
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also expanded and modified around this time to better serve the clientele.
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452:"50th Anniversary of Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company Planned July 16th"
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3-track recorder using 2" tape, two Ampex 4-channel mixing consoles, four
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When IGL opened on June 1, 1965, its equipment list was as follows: one
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Callahan, Mike; Edwards, David; Eyries, Patrice; Watts, Randy.
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In January 1966, the group was playing for a dance in
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Peterson, David; Kintzi, Dennis; Senn, John (2016).
1161:Buildings and structures in Dickinson County, Iowa
1032:"Milford Cemetery, Milford, Dickinson County, IA"
43:The IGL Recording Co. has been inducted into the
34:was a recording studio located at 906 9th St. in
853:"Local Band Recording Hits KIOA Top 9 & 40"
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747:"Dee Jay & the Runaways - Peter Rabbit"
537:"NW Iowa Band Releases New Record Recently"
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927:"RPM Top 100 Singles - September 5, 1966"
361:. Massachusetts, USA: Arf! Arf! Records.
18:Draft:Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company
945:"Dee Jay & the Runaways to Reunite"
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153:The first release on the IGL label was
53:South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
32:Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company, Inc
1166:American companies established in 1965
1156:Recording studios in the United States
1006:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
975:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
778:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
718:"Shekina Glory - Have You Considered?"
670:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
572:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
414:The Milford Mail and The Terril Record
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828:Turner Funeral Home (July 19, 2019).
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311:Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company
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374:"Reunion, Book Release Coincide"
1141:Defunct companies based in Iowa
774:"Storey Releases New Recording"
45:Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame
1151:1980 disestablishments in Iowa
971:"Your Town, My Town, Our Town"
969:Parks, Bill (March 17, 1966).
1:
804:"2019 Inductees Denny Storey"
486:. Both Sides Now Publications
1002:"Band Jamboree This Weekend"
273:, at the time of his death.
49:Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
1146:1965 establishments in Iowa
851:Staff (February 17, 1966).
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1083:"Jeanette Delores Swenson"
664:Staff (October 18, 1973).
623:. Quality Record Pressings
566:Staff (February 9, 1967).
225:label. The 45 entered the
484:"The Smash Records Story"
359:The IGL Rock Story Vol. 1
1171:Former recording studios
1000:Staff (March 24, 1966).
772:Staff (August 8, 1974).
666:"New Music Store Opens"
535:Staff (March 7, 1974).
408:Staff (June 24, 1965).
357:Lindgren, Erik (1994).
1109:"Jerry (Page) Wolford"
645:. W.A. Fisher Printing
643:"W.A. Fisher Printing"
601:. MinniePaul Music.com
541:The Spirit Lake Beacon
510:"IGL Recording Studio"
458:. Wave Interactive LLC
1057:"Clifford R. Plagman"
949:Dickinson County News
112:Sentry monitors, one
830:"John Senn Obituary"
753:. Michael Jack Kirby
234:He's Not Your Friend
167:Have You Considered?
806:. iowarocknroll.com
249:, Jerry Wolford of
188:Where the Action Is
1113:The Daily Reporter
1061:The Daily Reporter
857:Spirit Lake Beacon
378:The Daily Reporter
320:978-0-9762718-7-1
271:Spirit Lake, Iowa
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516:. Arf! Arf!
251:Spirit Lake
155:Jenny Jenny
127:Phoenix, AZ
70:Minneapolis
1135:Categories
1087:Legacy.com
810:August 19,
277:References
183:Dick Clark
94:Sun Studio
888:Billboard
698:. Popsike
649:March 11,
627:March 11,
599:"Canoise"
259:Ocheyedan
240:Personnel
228:Billboard
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230:Hot 100
118:Neumann
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