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Electronic Music Pioneer Bob Moog Dies at 71 |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 22 August 2005 |
Electronic music pioneer and founder of Moog Music Inc., Dr. Robert
Moog, died yesterday afternoon at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was
71. Dr. Moog had been diagnosed with brain cancer (glioblastoma
multiforme or GBM) in late April 2005. He had received both radiation
treatment and chemotherapy to help combat the disease.
He is
survived by his wife, Ileana, his four children, Laura Moog Lanier,
Matthew Moog, Michelle Moog-Koussa, and Renee Moog; his step-daughter
Miranda Richmond; and the mother of his children, Shirleigh Moog.
Moog Music Inc. company president, Michael Adams, shared the following
thoughts about Bob:
"Bob
has been such a huge inspiration to all of us. In losing him, we lose a
creator, visionary and friend. He was someone who taught us well and he
was proud of this company and its people."
"Bob shaped music
in deep and meaningful ways by changing how music could be produced and
ultimately, how it would sound. He contributed to a new soundscape--a
legacy that we will continue in his honor. He was a musical pioneer for
the love of it and musicians everywhere have had the opportunity to
expand their own creative horizons with Bob's inventions. He will truly
be missed by all of us, but we take comfort in the fact that his
musical innovations will live on in the music he inspired and the
products we will continue to make."
50 Years of Shaping Sound
Moog
started building theremins as a teenager and established the R.A. Moog
Company in 1954. One of the first electronic musical instruments, the
theremin provides a unique, tremulous sound and is played without the
thereminist touching it. In 1963, Moog created the first Moog Modular
synthesizer, with the more portable Minimoog(R) following in 1970. The
Minimoog opened the world of synthesized music to thousands of
musicians. Moog sold Moog Music in 1971 to Bill Waytena who then sold
it to Norlin Music in 1975. Moog left Moog Music, a division of Norlin
Music in 1977. In 1978, Moog founded Big Briar Inc., in the mountains
of Western North Carolina, which then took the Moog Music name in May
2002. Today, the Asheville-based company designs and builds
high-quality analog synthesizers, guitar effects modules, theremins,
and a unique controller for acoustic piano called the PianoBar.
Moog
remained active with the company up to the day he was diagnosed with
cancer. Adams, who has been president of Moog Music since May 2002,
notes: "Bob and I had been planning his retirement for next year, and
in that process we identified two very talented people to continue
Bob's legacy of musical innovations, Steve Dunnington and Cyril Lance.
Steve is a graduate of UNC-Asheville's Recording Arts Music program. He
has worked closely with Bob since 1994. Cyril is a senior engineer with
a degree in physics from Cornell University."
Moog's
instruments have influenced many styles of music from jazz to rock, R
& B to classical. Moog keyboards can be heard in the music of
artists as diverse as funk masters Parliament and Funkadelic; rock
icons Yes, the Beatles, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer; and jazz greats
Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. Today, top musicians still seek out
Moog instruments. Moog keyboards and the music they helped create have
enjoyed a strong following among players and aficionados. The sound of
a Moog is truly distinctive--artists and competitors around the world
speak of the "Moog sound." And the original theremins designed by Moog
enjoy a renaissance today. They are used by popular groups and serious
musicians for effects, electronica and classical music. Musicians and
studio technicians across many musical genres have woven the timeless
Sound of Moog into an integral part of our musical culture.
More About Bob
Moog
was a warm, outgoing man who enjoyed meeting people from all over the
world. He especially appreciated what his wife says he called "the
magical connection" between music-makers and their instruments.
Moog
received a BS in Physics from Queens College (New York City), a BS in
Electrical Engineering from Columbia University (New York City), and
his PhD in Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 1965. He
received his honorary doctorates from Polytechnic University, Lycoming
College, and Berklee College of Music. His many awards include the
Silver Medal of The Audio Engineering Society, the Trustee's Award in
1970 and a Technical GRAMMY in 2002 from the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences, the Billboard Magazine Trendsetter's
Award, Seamus award from the Society of Electroacoustic Music in the
United States, and the Polar Music Prize from The Royal Swedish Academy
of Music. He wrote and lectured extensively on a variety of topics in
music technology and man-machine interface, and contributed major
articles to Encyclopedia Britannica and the Encyclopedia of Applied
Physics.
A public memorial celebration is planned at the
Orange Peel in Asheville, N.C. for noon Wednesday, August 24. Fans and
friends can also direct their sympathies or remembrances to
www.caringbridge.com/visit/bobmoog.
Moog's family has
established The Bob Moog Foundation dedicated to the advancement of
electronic music in his memory. Many of his longtime collaborators
including musicians, engineers and educators have agreed to sit on its
executive board including David Borden, Wendy Carlos, Joel Chadabe,
John Eaton, David Mash, and Rick Wakeman. For more information about
the foundation, contact Matthew Moog at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
For photos or more information about Bob Moog or his musical
innovations, please visit www.moogmusic.com.
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 Friday, 05 December 2008
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