Two of the most memorable ads in Shure history debuted in the 1990s – created by Jack Levy Associates, an advertising agency in Chicago.
SM58 Legends In Rock – Stonehenge of England
SM58 Legend In Rock – Hieroglyphs of Egypt
In February 2024, my next-door neighbor, Matt, sent a text to me, “I recently found a mic in my basement. Had it for decades. You might want it for the Shure museum.” Matt and I have been neighbors for over twenty years. I knew he worked in advertising, but Shure had only been mentioned in passing. I was curious about his mic.
Upon arriving home after work, I went straightaway to Matt’s door and rang the bell. He answered, grinning broadly.
“Do you remember the SM58 ads with Stonehenge and the Egyptian tomb,” he asked.
“Of course. Both are classics”
“I have the SM58 used for the ads. Here it is.”
He hands me a black cloth bag concealing an SM58. I look inside. The mic is from the 1990s. Certainly could be the same mic.
Matt explained,
“I worked for Jack Levy in the 1990s. I was on the creative team for the ads and present at the photo shoot. Shure sent the SM58 to me and never asked for it to be returned. It’s been in the basement ever since. Thought it was time for the mic to go home. Do you want it?”
Do I want it? “Yes, please.”
The Shure historian just happens to live next door to where the mic has resided for decades?!?
My bride claims it was fate. I believe it is a coincidence. As to calculating the odds of this eerie occurrence, I’ll leave that to the statisticians.
That’s a signpost up ahead: your next stop – the Twilight Zone!
The SM58 used for these ads
Related information: Spinal Tap and the SM58 at Glastonbury – 2009
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
The first project for Shure completed by Jack Levy Associates was a logo update in 1982. Below are the logos, pre- and post- update.
Logo, 1981
Logo, 1982
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The USS New Jersey is an Iowa-class battleship commissioned in 1943. During World War II, this vessel shelled targets on Guam and Okinawa, and protected aircraft carriers in the Marshall Islands. During the Korean War, the ship participated in raids along the North Korean coast, and then was retired to the reserve fleet. Reactivated in the 1980s by the Navy, the USS New Jersey was modernized to carry missiles. Satellite communication (SATCOM) capability was also added. In 2001, the Navy donated the USS New Jersey to the Home Port Alliance of Camden, New Jersey, where it now functions as a museum.
USS New Jersey Museum
Museum visitors might notice a Shure handset, Model H169/U, as part of the SATCOM equipment on board. The H169/U battle-announce handset was manufactured for the U.S. military. Introduced circa 1965 and discontinued circa 1992, the handset contained a noise-cancelling mic element and a preamplifier circuit board. As expected, a Shure transducer was deployed when 100% reliability was paramount.
Shure H169/U handset with SATCOM equipment
Shure H169/U military-grade handset
M. Pettersen
April 2024
