Karrie Keyes
Oral History Information
Karrie Keyes grew up with a deep appreciation and understanding of art. She played in both band and orchestra at school. As a teenager in Los Angeles in the early days of the punk rock movement, Karrie began helping load out gear for local bands. The staging company Rat Sound hired her and before long Karrie was mixing sound at live concerts by the likes of The Spin Doctors and Pearl Jam. As her reputation grew, she was asked to speak at various conferences, such as AES in 2012 where she was asked to join a panel of other women in Live Sound. The panel gave her a chance to meet others she had known about but never before met. This opportunity led to the creation of SoundGirls, an organization that unites women in the industry and encourages young professionals with the training and tools needed. For these efforts and her long career in Live Sound, Karrie was presented a Parnelli Audio Innovator Award during the NAMM Show in January 2020.