Dr. Robert A Moog
About Bob Moog
Bob Moog was born in Queens, New York in 1934. He considered himself a geeky, socially awkward kid with a passion for electronics. From an early age Bob built small radios, amps, three note organs and other such projects in the basement workshop with his father George Moog, who was an electrical engineer for Con Edison. At age 14, Bob built his first theremin and a life-long love was born. Bob was taken by the elegant design and expressive nature of this early electronic musical instrument and dedicated much of his spare time, when he wasn’t attending the Bronx High School of Science or practicing the piano, perfecting his own design and studying the design of his idol, Leon Theremin. At age 19, Bob published his first article entitled “The Theremin” in Radio and Television News, in January 1954. That article spawned requests from readers for Bob to create a theremin kit for sale and R.A. Moog, Co. was born.
Bob studied at Queens College and Columbia University in New York City where he obtained his bachelors in physics and his masters in electrical engineering. He moved upstate to Ithaca, New York in 1957 to obtain his Ph.D. in engineering physics, and married Shirley Leigh in 1958. Bob spent the following years working on his Ph.D. and running a successful theremin kit business. In 1963, Bob met experimental jazz musician and Hofstra professor Herb Deutsch at a New York State Educator’s Music Conference and they began talking about new possibilities for composing music with new electronically generated sounds. The rest, as they say, is history.
In collaboration with Herb Deutsch, Bob invented the Moog synthesizer in 1964, and in so doing revolutionized the face of almost every genre of music. You can read much more about Bob and his pioneering career through the following informative links:
http://www.answers.com/topic/moog-music-inc
http://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art0398.html?printable=1
http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0409.html
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Moog_synthesizer
http://www.wendycarlos.com/moog/index.html
http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/moog/
One thing we know for sure is that Bob Moog touched tens of thousands of lives through his life and work, which serves as a powerful example of how one man’s dedication, perseverance and vision can make a significant impact on society. Bob Moog, the self-described geeky-toolmaker-turned-visionary, is our inspiration. We are humbled to be carrying on his legacy through the Bob Moog Foundation.
Related Posts:
In The Workshop (by John Eaton)
Memories Of Bob
