Andre J. Millard

Andre Millard was born and grew up in London's East end, at the height of Mod culture. A chance encounter with a band called The Who in a North London pub led to a lifetime infatuation with loud guitar music.

Excellently educated at Emory University in the United States, Millard earned a PhD in History and joined the Thomas A Edison papers, where he helped edit the voluminous papers of the great inventor and devised the refurnishing plan for Edison's West Orange lab--the Edison National Historic Site. His book "Edison and the Business of Invention" followed Edison's career as entrepreneur and businessman.

Millard joined the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and ran the American Studies program for many years. He is currently Professor of History.

His academic interests focus on the interplay of technology and culture and the way that these two powerful forces criss cross the Atlantic. He has looked at the way that technologies like sound recording not only affect our daily lives but also help define who we are.