Circa 1926 - 45

From yesteryears travelling Show folk to today's Specialist
Suppliers to the Entertainment Industry, I would like to
introduce you to the services of John Henry's Ltd.

Best wishes for the Millennium,

A Brief History

John Henry's, previously The JHE Group of companies (John Henry Enterprises, JHE Audio Ltd and JHE Overseas Ltd) is the leading multi-disciplinary service organisation for the entertainment industry in the UK and Europe. Over the past 29 years we have seen the radical growth and development of that industry and accordingly, our organisation has evolved and diversified by responding to its needs, developing new business opportunities along the way.

Twenty nine years ago we began by developing a then, unique, portable stage riser system for touring artists. These clients then required a place to rehearse and equipment to rehearse and perform with. They were able to find all these services at John Henry Enterprises, 1a Market Road, Islington (1978-82). Since our relocation to Brewery Road, Islington, in 1982, we have been developing the 42,000-sq. ft. site into a home base for the provision of our comprehensive range of specialist services. Today you can find the following under the one roof:

Audio Department
Backline Department
Equipment Sales
Rehearsal Studios
The Pro Shop
Event Production
Staging Department
Flightcase Department
Power Distribution
Transport & Crewing
Storage

Our client base includes international touring and recording artists, both in the classical and pop fields; all the major record companies; television and recording studios; concert promoters, festival and event organisers. At our London headquarters we have a core staff of thirty-four employees, which can expand to however many required during the busy summer festival season.

In 1992 we opened our first overseas based operation in Dubai UAE, where we provide the following services:

· Musical Equipment Rental and Sales
· Staging Rental and Stage Set Design
· Sound Reinforcement - System Rental, Sales and Installation
· Concert and Event Lighting - Rental, Sales and Installation
· Local and International Transport of equipment
· Crewing and Event Production Management

Here we supply the diverse requirements of a growing international city and the surrounding region, servicing indoor and outdoor live music events; corporate exhibitions and product launches; private functions; venue installations and theatrical productions. Eight core staff man this operation, with freelance technicians brought in both locally and from the UK when required.

In 1996 we set up a website (www.jhe.co.uk) to promote our services and raise awareness about our activities. Clients and potential clients worldwide can now e-mail our London or Dubai offices and receive a rapid response to their enquiries. The site is updated every two months with new information. The site is currently being revamped from the ground up with a focus on interaction and technical information on the range of services that the company offer. With all departments now email ready the Internet is proving to be a fast and efficient form of communication not only internally but also on a global scale. In addition to the Website, every two years we produce a new brochure and ratecard. The new edition is currently in production.