Introduced in 1966, the Unidyne III SM58 was not an immediate success. It took ten years for this microphone to gain traction and find its way into the hands of top performers.
September 1966 through August 1967 was the first full year of SM58 sales. We sold fewer than one SM58 per business day that year…not a great start. By September 1972, it was ten SM58 mics sold per day. An improvement for certain, but not extraordinary. By September 1976, one hundred SM58 units were sold daily. Perhaps this mic did have a future.
In photos and footage of important rock festivals of the late 1960s, Shure mics are plentiful. One will observe numerous Unidyne III mics, such as the Model 545, Model 565, SM56, and SM57, but nary an SM58 is seen.
I’ve searched for 1970s footage where the SM58 is the frontline vocal mic. Here are four finds:
Rolling Stones, 1975 – Live at the LA Forum
Fleetwood Mac, 1976 – The Midnight Special
Peter Frampton, 1975 – The Midnight Special
Sixteen years after the SM58 introduction, the first print advertisement targeting the mic for live sound appeared in multiple magazines. It was 1982.
Over the next five decades, SM58 unit sales grew. The one millionth was manufactured in the 1990s. Now, at sixty years young, it is undisputedly the most popular vocal microphone in the world.
Related information: SM58 History Video
The SM57, Fleetwood Mac, and Other Tales
Shure Apps Tech Tips #3, 20, 33, 37, 183, 245, 246, 263, 271, 407
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
The earliest photo yet found of a major rock group using the SM58 is Cream performing in Chicago, October 1968. Your author attended this deafening concert. Before you ask, I was not employed by Shure at the time.
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The SM58 is not only for music. Many professional announcers prefer it.
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Our Unidyne transducers and SM microphones are key to Shure’s worldwide respect. The Unidyne I Model 55, introduced in 1939, was developed by genius transducer engineer Benjamin B. Bauer. The Unidyne II 55S, introduced in 1951, also bore the fingerprints of Ben Bauer. The Unidyne III that debuted in 1959 was the creation of polymath Ernie Seeler, a protégé of Ben Bauer. The SM product line was conceived by product marketing manager Bob Carr in 1963. Thank you, Ben. Thank you, Ernie. Thank you, Bob.
