Synthesizers
Rick Wakeman was a powerful force in the development of progressive rock thanks in large part to his keyboard musicianship, songwriting and his deep passion for electronic musical instruments. His influence as a keyboardist can’t be fully expressed; however, most of the products he used on stage...
Michael Boddicker grew up in a music store, one his parents formed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and where his love for music began! His amazing musical career has covered many areas, although in Hollywood he is known for his film scores and composing. In the music industry he is well known as a pioneer...
Larry Dunn played a key role in the success of the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire! As the keyboardist for the group he added new sounds in the innovative era of electronic musical instruments. As Musical Director for the group he set high standards of creative and musical performances...
Edgar Winter grew up in a musical family, his older brother being the blues legend Johnny Winter. Edgar played in several of his brother’s bands before forming his own bands, always with a focus on rock and roll. He pioneered the synthesizer in many settings and is the inventor of the keyboard...
Lee Hargrove grew up in a musical home, one that not only produced Lee and his life long career in music, but also his sister, Linda Hargrove, who became a successful songwriter in Nashville (she penned hits for George Jones, Johnny Cash and others). Lee too wrote songs, although his focus was on...
Chris Jasper is the funk and soul keyboardist, singer and composer who played a key role in the Isley Brothers sound. He later helped form Isley-Jasper-Isley, which, like the Isley Brothers era, resulted in several classic hit recordings. Chris has also enjoyed a long solo career which has...
Dave Luce grew up in a musical home and in fact wrote his doctoral thesis on the analysis of musical instruments back in 1959. As an interesting side note, that thesis was sponsored in part by NAMM. Dave set out to study nuclear physics when he saw a bulletin board listing for a research study on...
Tom White is the President of the MIDI Manufacturing Association. The organization was created following the 1983 introduction of MIDI at the NAMM Show. Since that time Tom has created a strong mission along with strategies to grow the association. The mission includes insuring interoperability...
Dave Biro became fascinated with electronic music the second he watched Rick Wakeman perform in the late 1960s. He soon set off on an odyssey to create his own instrument. Dave worked to develop a synthesizer that would respond faster than those available at the time and increase the...
Ed Cornett was hired by Yamaha to head the team in charge of creating the DX7. His story of the long hours, creative and innovative team members and the support of the company uncover the key elements that came together to create one of the most successful musical instruments of its time. Ed grew...