Few inventions have so directly shaped the fundamental character of popular music as has the Moog synthesizer. Dr. Robert Moog's brainchild, first introduced to the world in 1964, heralded the potential versatility of the looming presence of electronic keyboards. Within twenty years of its arrival, the technology behind the Moog synthesizer had completely transformed the global soundscape of popular music.
Dr. Moog himself had been a protege of the inventor of the theremin, Leon Theremin. Moog set about implementing some of the conceptual principles of the theremin -- particularly the ability of a musician to smoothly modulate, or bend, a sound signal as it was being played -- into a keyboard interface. Though the Moog received relatively minor attention from fringe music experimentalists when it was first released, the synthesizer did not wait long for the mainstream to discover its powerful capabilities.
Throughout the 1970s, popular art-rock and progressive-rock bands wove the Moog into their heady repertoires. Bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Rush built loyal fan followings in large part on the strength of musical progressions that were constructed around the distinct spacy-sounding presence of the Moog. Both of those bands routinely sold millions of records and topped album charts.
For his part, Dr. Moog struggled with all of the legal implications that accompanied his name becoming synonymous with his invention. His company, Moog Music, never completely capitalized on its phenomenal success as a brand. Despite this, Robert Moog, upon his death in 2005, left behind the Bob Moog Foundation, which continues to share his significant impact on the music world with new generations of musicians.
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