IN MEMORIAM: Father of the Synthesizer:Robert Moog

Today, Tarkus bows his head in mourning.

One of the guiding lights of electronic music finally faded yesterday as Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, died at age 71. According to his company's website, Bob died at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in late April 2005.

The MOOG Synthesizer was the first truly successful attempt to generate musical sounds electronically and hit the music world in 1964. The true innovation was the piano-style keyboard (prior synthesizers were all switched and dials). After the incredibly influential SWITCHED ON BACH album by Wendy (Walter) Carlos in 1968 showed what the small, light and versatile machine could do, it was soon embraced by popular musicians searching for a 'new sound.' The Monkees use of the Moog on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd. actually predated the Beatles use throughout the ABBEY ROAD album. Moog, however, found his biggest salesmen in Keith Emerson whose legendary solo at the end of ELP's first single "Lucky Man," caused sales to skyrocket. Bob Moog liked to tell a the story of his backstage experience during ELP's 1972 US tour, watching Emerson throw knives into his keyboard and having his musician friend call it "the end of the world." Another popular Moog user (and programmer) was Stevie Wonder who won numerous Grammy awards in 1973 for his synthesizer rich TALKING BOOK and in 1974 grabbed the 'Album of the Year' award with yet another Moog tainted album Innervisions. Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic was another synthesizer show-man, as well as The Cure, Depeche Mode Duran Duran and Gary Numan.

But the Moog Synthesizer (as well as its followups, the MiniMoog, Micromoog, Minitmoog, Multimoog and Memorymoog) would always be connected with Progressive Rock. Keith Emerson said of the Moog in 2004 "the sound defined progressive music as we know it." The Moog was heard in the music of Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Vangelis, Santana, Manfred Mann, and Kraftwerk among countless others. The entire cult of the keyboard player rose out of these musicians, showing off their new gear and what it could do. Along with Keith Emerson, other prog keyboard greats who used the Moog include Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz and Geoff Downs of Yes, Tony Banks of Genesis, Peter Bardens of Camel, David Sinclair of Caravan, Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant, and Rick Wright of Pink Floyd.

As digital synthesizers became the standard in the eighties, Bob Moog and his synthesizers declined in importance. However, the mid-nineties saw many bands returning to the classic sound of the Moog and first and second generation Moogs became highly sought after by collectors and musicians, as well as the new synthesizers, theremins and bass pedals Moog was now building. New proponents of Moog products include Portishead, Nine Inch Nails, Air, Jason Mraz, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Crystal Method, and Ricky Martin.

Charles Carlini, a New York City concert promoter, staged Moogfest in May 2004 to mark a half-century since Moog founded his first company while still in college. "A lot of people today don't realize what this man brought to the masses," Carlini said. "He brought electronic music to the masses and changed the way we hear music." He will be sorely missed by many, including myself. And Tarkus, the half-armadillo, half-tank.