08/04/2025
James West: The Sound of Genius
If you've ever made a phone call, recorded a voice memo, or used a hearing aid, you owe a thank you to James Edward West. Quiet in demeanor but thunderous in impact, West changed how the world hears itself—yet his name is barely spoken outside science circles.
Born in 1931 in Prince Edward County, Virginia, West grew up fascinated by electricity. After a childhood shock from a radio, his curiosity only grew. Despite the hurdles of being a Black man in Jim Crow America, he earned a physics degree and landed a job at Bell Labs—a place known for innovation but not always inclusion.
What did West do there? Oh, just revolutionize sound.
In 1962, alongside colleague Gerhard Sessler, West co-invented the electret microphone. Small, reliable, and inexpensive, it was a breakthrough. Before this, microphones were bulky and fragile. West’s design? Compact and durable. Today, over 90% of microphones—in phones, camcorders, laptops—use his technology.
West holds over 250 patents. But he didn’t stop at invention. He championed STEM access for minority students, co-founded initiatives to bring more women and people of color into engineering, and taught at Johns Hopkins well into his 80s.
James West gave us the power to hear the world more clearly. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time the world finally listened to his story.
