In Memoriam: Bob Moog Passes Away

Today the world lost a legend:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- August 21, 2005 -- Bob died this afternoon at his home in Asheville, N.C. He was 71. Bob was 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 five children, Laura Moog Lanier, Matthew Moog, Michelle Moog-Koussa, Renee Moog, and Miranda Richmond; and the mother of his children, Shirleigh Moog.

For more information on the histry of Bob Moog's illustrious career, read here:

http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/moog/

Though setting a future standard for analogue synthesiser, the Moog Synthesiser Company did not survive the decade, larger companies such as Arp and Roland developed Moog's protoypes into more sophisticated and cost effective instruments. Robert Moog has returned to his roots and currently runs 'Big Briar' a company specialising in transistorised version of the Theremin

Robert Moog is the most important figure in the development and design of Analogue Synthesizers. His synthesizers revolutionized the music world and paved the way for the electronic music movement.

He will be greatly missed. If you know of him, and his work, and would like to use this space to remember him, please feel free to do so.

For those who wish to help preserve his legacy:

Bob'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 Chadabpe, John Eaton, David Mash, and Rick Wakeman. For more information about the foundation, contact Matthew Moog at [e-mail].

•  Three cheers for the moog man.

  by spot on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 09:33:00 PM PDT

  •  Nearly every time I dropped acid in my later

    college years, this blond kid from Manhattan would appear out of nowhere and say: "let's go visit the moog man." It wasn't until later that I finally realized that the moog man was the moog synthesizer in the basement of the music building, and although we never actually did visit the moog man, and although I don't even know what this kid's name was and why he only seemed to show up when we were tripping, I confess to having a longstanding fascination with "the moog man" and all his works.

    by spot on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:16:52 PM PDT

    •  That's a little bit more than we needed to know,

      LSD is a dangerous substance, period.

      by edavis on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 11:04:40 PM PDT

      •  Oh no I was at least as deranged before

        I started dropping acid.

        But I'm too old to do it anymore.

        Drugs are for kids.

        by spot on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 11:21:48 PM PDT

•  I'm sad to hear this

  I love synth.

  by Admiral Santa on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 09:36:44 PM PDT

•  The first time I ever heard of the moog

  was when I was a little pre-teen Beatle freak and read in one of their books that John used the Moog synth on Mean Mr. Mustard. Ever since then when I go to a show and see a really cool looking Moog on stage, I know i'm in for a good time. I wasnt even aware he was ill. Smiles for mr. moog

  by mkf on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:15:26 PM PDT

  •  as well as

    "Because" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

    class act.

    by AnthonySF on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:26:09 PM PDT

•  A sad passing.

  I dated a musician in the late 70s, early 80s.  A Moog was the shit, man.  Everyone salivated over having a Moog synth.  And rightfully so.  Nothing else can touch that sound.  Or coundn't then.  He was the frontman for a whole new movement of sound back then.

  Rest in peace, Moog Man.  

  by CJB on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:17:37 PM PDT

•  And, dude, always post a tip jar.

  I'd throw you some mojo just for bringing this to our attention.

  by CJB on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:21:13 PM PDT

  •  Tip Jar

    My first ever tip jar, actually.

    by roboton on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:50:31 PM PDT

•  sad indeed

  A legend passes away. :(

  1979 Moog tech demo
  

  by Astral on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:29:44 PM PDT

•  Bob Moog

  Combined the best of two worlds, artist and techno-geek. Brilliant!

  by Ramar on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:31:20 PM PDT

•  roboton, can you summarize please?

  I was in grade school at the time of the moog synthesizer -- and at the local dances, a very few bands had one of these devices which produced sounds of violins and strings, various keyboard sounds and even horns. For some reason the song "Whiter Shade of Pale" comes to mind. I'm not even sure the moog was used on it, but I was just set back in time... Did the group Yes use the moog early on? It would be cool to see people list songs of the era that used the moog, because those songs would illustrate better than anything the new sound that was capable of being produced for the first time by a band of 4 people...

  I'm an amateur appreciator of music production and engineering, so don't take it from me... (And I'm sure the links provided above describe everything perfectly well -- but sorry I don't want to go did it up.) So let me just ask:

  Wasn't the major concept here that inside the moog synth were a whole series of quarter-track tapes, each replicating the sound envelope of a particular instrument?  And the device was fairly huge because all these tapes/ instrument voices had to loop through the system?

  Well, that's my very amateur understanding of what it was. Also, wasn't the exterior housing white in color -- as opposed to the keyboard "standard" of black?

  Ooops -- it's Emily Litella time... No, now I remember, that was the mellotron (sp?) ... so I am all screwed up. sorry! But weren't the two systems contemporaneous with each other?

  by rhfactor on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:34:06 PM PDT

  •  Ahh moog

    It has taken me ten years of reading about the man, saliating over Moogs, playing Arps and Oberheims and Roland Analogs to develop the neurotic love that I have for those bleepy knobby constantly out-of-tune beasts.

    The Mini Moog is probably the most sought-after Analog synth. "What a Lucky Man He Was" is probably the most famous and best example of the Mini Moog's power.

    In the late 70's Bob Moog lost the rights to his name. In the late nineties, I remember leaping for joy when a good online aquaintance revealed to the Analog Heaven mailing list that he had "Just gotten the call from Bob and that Moog Music was his again."

    This was the same guy who was married by Bob at NAMM 2000 (I think).

    I have spent the last ten or so years on a couple of Analog Synth mailing lists, and we have watched Bob through the years as he released the Moog Voyager, which is now probably going to be the single most sought-after synth.

    Make no mistake, those who own any Moog gear just saw thier baddass-wicked synth become an outright priceless work of antique art.

    Bob Moog. What a trip man, I can't believe he is gone. He is my Obi-Wan Kenobi :-)

    by roboton on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:58:35 PM PDT

•  Thanks for posting this memoriam, roboton

  Where would Tangerine Dream's armchair travelling music be without the synth?
  Kraftwerk gets honorable mention as well.

  by edavis on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 10:58:22 PM PDT

•  comments from the caringbridge.com

  Guestbook:

  From Isao Tomita:

  Dear Dr. Moog,

  This is from Isao Tomita.  I was shocked by the news from Roland that you are in the hospital.  I am very much anxious for your quick recovery.

  In 1972, even before the release of my first album from RCA Records, I made a visit to MOOG Factory in Buffalo with my friend interpreter, Mr. Ayugai, and had a chance to show my  recorded tape to you.  I had already purchased MOOG III through Japanese Trading company, but a large synthesizer was completely new in Japan then, and there were no one to tell me how to use it.  I performed with my own way of trial-and-error method.

  This truned out to be a good result.  I still remember clearly your word.  You said "This is the expression by MOOG III nobody has ever made."

  Soon after my visit, RCA Records decided to release the series of my work.
         "Snowflakes Are Dancing: The Newest Debussy"
         "Moussorgsky:Pictures At an Exhibition"
         "The Planets"
  All three above were listed on top (No.1) of Billboard Classical Chart.

  I owe you for MOOG III which brought me a success, and further more your contribution to the developement of electronic instrument is highly noted and innumerable musicians in the world have received the benefit.

  I do wish and pray for your quick recovery.

  Isao Tomita

  Isao Tomita  
  

  by roboton on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 11:08:19 PM PDT