Mentioned by sound engineer John Kelton in this Mix Online article about Kickin Out the Footlights... Again.

"The board was an SSL 9000 J and Starstruck has a good bit of outboard equipment that we used, too,” Kelton says. “For tape we used a Studer 827 16-track for the drums and bass and a Studer 827 24-track for everybody else. That was fed into a Pro Tools HD system. I mixed on an SSL 4056 G+ at Keith's studio and mixed to the new 900 [tape] that used to be the Emtec; this is the first thing we've done on it. We used the Ampex ATR-100 half-inch. For mics, Merle was an old Neumann 47 into a Martech preamp and LA-2 compressor that was hardly used at all. George was an older-stock U87 into a Martech into a Teletronix LA1 compressor that we've used with him for a while. There was no EQ on either one of them.”

Mentioned across Universal Audio literature, which highlights how Autry's use of the LA-1 for his radio show and records paved the way for mainstream acceptance of the compressor.

• November 8, 2004 - "Analog Obsession: Teletronix History Revealed, LA-2A Honored by TEC Hall of Fame, LA-610 Furthers Line, Precision Preamplifier Announced", article from Universal Audio WebZine Vol. 2, #9, October/November (AES) 2004

Clearly, the LA-1 was not a huge success; industry acceptance was difficult. In fact, the LA-1 got a harsh response after its demo at ABC, who complained about the messy point-to-point wiring. At this time, printed circuit boards were in vogue; but as gear-geeks know, point-to-point wiring is a desirable luxury and art that very few manufacturers still employ--UA's Teletronix LA-2A re-issue is among them.

Fortunately, Lawrence gets his LA-1 into the hands of the legendary singing cowboy Gene Autry, who himself loves the unit and uses the LA-1 for his own radio and recording dates. Gene Autry was instrumental in the LA-1 gaining momentum, for which Lawrence was always grateful.

• 2008 - Universal Audio LA-610 MKII Manual

The LA-1 was not a big commercial success, but it did find its way into the hands of singing cowboy Gene Autry, who used it extensively for his own radio and recording dates, thus helping give it a degree of exposure and encouraging Lawrence to continue refining the design.

• February 22, 2013 - "A History of the Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier", article from the Universal Audio blog

In 1958, Jim Lawrence founded the Teletronix Engineering Company in Pasadena, California, manufacturing broadcast products such as transmitter tubes, emergency tone generators, and full-scale radio transmitters. His first leveling amplifier was the Teletronix LA-1, of which only about one hundred units were ever made. One got into the hands of the legendary singing cowboy Gene Autry, who loved it and used it for his radio program and recording sessions. Autry’s fondness for the LA-1 was instrumental in its gaining acceptance.