Shure began life as the Shure Radio Company in April 1925 by Sidney Shure and was a one-man company selling radio component kits before factory-built radio sets were marketed. When the Great Depression hit the United States of America, the market for radio component kits declined and Shure became the exclusive distributor for a small microphone manufacturer.
Skip to the late 1930s and we see the release of the Model 55 Unidyne Shure microphone. This classic microphone defined an era and is still available today. Used by a series of historic figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy to deliver their messages, the 55 Unidyne was the basis of microphones that even became an integral accessory for performers like king of rock ‘n’ roll Elvis Presley.
In 1951 the Shure Model 55S was introduced and this is the microphone that is often simply referred to as the ‘Elvis Mic’ due to its frequent use by Elvis Presley and is actually the microphone that was depicted with Elvis on the commemorative Elvis stamp issued in 1993 by the U.S. Postal Service.
The 1950s also saw another fantastic innovation from Shure; the world’s first wireless microphone system for performers; the Shure Vagabond which was powered by two hearing aid batteries – a far cry from Shure wireless microphones available today.
Moving into the 1960s and Shure produce two of the most popular and successful microphones of all time. Firstly, in 1965 Shure launched the Shure SM57 (with the SM standing for “Studio Microphone”). The Shure SM57 is a unidirectional dynamic studio microphone, renowned across the world for unparalleled performance as an instrument microphone.
For example, Shure have received a special GRAMMY award from NARAS for their technical contributions to the music industry. Also, the Shure Unidyne received the IEEE Milestone Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
The iconic Shure Unidyne I Model 55 Microphone was added to the Art Institute of Chicago’s 20th and 21st century architecture and design permanent collection.
The legendary SM58 has officially been recognised as the most popular vocal microphone in the world. Shure users around the world include The Who, Maroon 5, Jay-Z, Twenty One Pilots plus thousands more.
This recognition further cements Shure's legacy amongst the most trusted audio brands in the world!
Whatever your audio needs are, chances are that Shure has it covered. As official Shure UK dealers, if you want to check out some Shure gear then make sure you browse our stock online at PMT Online or come into one of our stores and check things out for yourself!
