Email: info@enakmics.com Phone: 215-356-8991 Channel: youtube.com/@enakmic
Our Founder
A lot of people think Clarence was born old. Not true! Clarence grew up on a farm in the deep south. Southern New Jersey in Newport! He spent his formative years as a foster child. While the farm had running water, they also only had an outhouse!
Clarence was a typical teenager who grew up during The Greatest Generation.
Clarence Kane started his career as a US Army Reconnaissance Scout during World War II. After the war he used his GI Bill to go to The Philadelphia Electronics Institute, graduating 2 years later. Almost immediately, he began working for RCA (Camden, NJ) in 1952. In his first assignment, Clarence installed studio systems around the world but got into microphone repair to get off the road and have dinner with his wife, Beryl, every day after work.
I got to spend a fair amount of time with Beryl on my trips to Pitman for lessons. We almost always started with coffee with Beryl. I would always bring Beryl a modest bouquet of flowers from a grocery store, but she acted as if I had hired a Hollywood florist!
It is important to note that Clarence was not a musician and he never recorded a single note. Instead, Clarence chose to become an extremely talented technician who was always focused on superior service skills and customer care, regardless if it was for RCA or himself as ENAK.
Clarence worked hard to master the repair of any ribbon microphone that came into the RCA CRAE repair facility.
The king of Ribbon Mics meets King Elvis!
Clarence in 1986 with his favorite mic, an RCA KB-2A, aka The Paintbrush.
Once RCA discontinued repair services in 1973 (see About ENAK) Clarence started his own repair business with RCA’s blessing and support. RCA gave all repairs to Clarence, who still worked at RCA. He worked on the mics nights and weekends. For many years he only did work for RCA. Then in 1985 he opened his doors to anyone who wanted his services.
He called his new venture ENAK, which is Kane spelled backwards.
A young Clarence at the workbench ENAK still has!
Over the many years, Clarence met many people, some famous, some simply musicians and studio owners. Clarence made no distinction and treated everyone with respect, performing top-notch service on everything he touched. Clarence had a watercolor photo in his shop and he was always strangely quiet about its origin. When I once asked him who the second person was in the painting he simply casually mentioned “Ricky Skaggs.” For those not into Bluegrass, Ricky Skaggs is an amazing multi-instrumentalist who is one of the world’s best mandolin players. Ricky even offered to fly Clarence and his wife Beryl down to Nashville, all expenses paid so they could see him perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Clarence politely refused, he liked staying home.
Clarence had a LOT of fans. Here is a shot of Osie Brown. Oz respected Clarence so much that even today he will only refer to him as Mr. Kane.
Clarence worked on mics well past his 97th birthday, only quitting when he was 90 days away from passing. Clarence will be missed by many people, not only for his talents, but because everyone appreciated his gentle good natured personality.
Clarence made it into different trade journals and magazines.
Here are a couple:
Curt Vincent - TapeOp
Ty Ford - Ty Ford Blog
James O'Neal - Radio World
Luke Carpenter - YouTube
(Not Luke Petersen of Pitman Mics)
This is the only microphone that frustrated Clarence. It is a dual ribbon Italian microphone which Clarence claims drove him insane!
