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Remembering Bob Moog........
As I was driving home from work today, and listening to NPR's All Things Considered, I heard them say "Coming up next: Remembering Bob Moog". I had already read a couple of months ago that he had an inoperable brain tumor, and once I heard those words, I knew that he had passed on. I then listened as they gave a brief history and talked about his inventions and developments -- most notably, the theremin and the synthesizer. They also had sound clips and interview with people who have played Moog gear, including Wendy Carlos and Stevie Wonder.
Who was Bob Moog? He wasn't a musician. He was an inventor, a tinkerer, a creative genius. Born in New York City in 1934, his father was an engineer and his mother was a piano teacher. He earned degrees at Queens College, Columbia University, and Cornell (Ph.D. in Engineering Physics). In 1954, he formed his own company in Trumansburg, making theremin kits.
In 1964, he developed the first of his synthesizers. What separated his synthesizers from those of other manufacturers was that they were designed to be used by musicians, not electronics geeks, scientists, or technicians. Over the years, he collaborated with many well-known musicians in an effort to make his products more usable. The Minimoog, which first came out in 1970, was a portable synth that can be taken on the road. From 1970-1981, nearly 12,000 Minimoogs were produced. (The one I own, serial number 5780, and pictured above, was made in October 1974.) There are other models out there, from the Realistic ConcertMate MG-1 (made for Radio Shack but the OEM was Moog) to the Polymoog and Memorymoog to the huge modular systems still in use today.
The company had its ups and downs. There were mergers (with MuSonics), acquisitions (by Norlin), and moves (Moog moved to Buffalo in the early '70s.) In 1978, Bob left the company he started, moved to Asheville NC, and formed Big Briar. The original Moog Music folded in 1986. In 2002, he was able to obtain the rights to the name "Moog Music".
The new Moog Music's signature products are the Moogerfooger series of effects pedals, the PianoBar, and the Minimoog Voyager.
Bob was one of my heroes. He put a lot of heart and soul into the devices he designed. I'm sad that I never got to meet him in person.
Listen to the All Things Considered feature
Listen to the Day to Day feature
Read the obit on CNN
Who was Bob Moog? He wasn't a musician. He was an inventor, a tinkerer, a creative genius. Born in New York City in 1934, his father was an engineer and his mother was a piano teacher. He earned degrees at Queens College, Columbia University, and Cornell (Ph.D. in Engineering Physics). In 1954, he formed his own company in Trumansburg, making theremin kits.
In 1964, he developed the first of his synthesizers. What separated his synthesizers from those of other manufacturers was that they were designed to be used by musicians, not electronics geeks, scientists, or technicians. Over the years, he collaborated with many well-known musicians in an effort to make his products more usable. The Minimoog, which first came out in 1970, was a portable synth that can be taken on the road. From 1970-1981, nearly 12,000 Minimoogs were produced. (The one I own, serial number 5780, and pictured above, was made in October 1974.) There are other models out there, from the Realistic ConcertMate MG-1 (made for Radio Shack but the OEM was Moog) to the Polymoog and Memorymoog to the huge modular systems still in use today.
The company had its ups and downs. There were mergers (with MuSonics), acquisitions (by Norlin), and moves (Moog moved to Buffalo in the early '70s.) In 1978, Bob left the company he started, moved to Asheville NC, and formed Big Briar. The original Moog Music folded in 1986. In 2002, he was able to obtain the rights to the name "Moog Music".
The new Moog Music's signature products are the Moogerfooger series of effects pedals, the PianoBar, and the Minimoog Voyager.
Bob was one of my heroes. He put a lot of heart and soul into the devices he designed. I'm sad that I never got to meet him in person.
Listen to the All Things Considered feature
Listen to the Day to Day feature
Read the obit on CNN