Ikutaro Kakehashi

He founded Roland in 1972 and was involved in the development of various influential electronic instruments, such as the TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines and the TB-303 and Juno-60 synthesizers, in addition to Boss guitar amplifiers and effects pedals.

During a mass food shortage, he contracted tuberculosis and spent several years in a sanitarium, where he became a clinical trial test patient for an experimental medicine antibiotic drug, streptomycin, which improved his condition.

In 1964, he developed the first fully transistorized electronic drum instrument, the R1 Rhythm Ace, which was exhibited at the Summer NAMM Convention in 1964.

[1] While their rival companies Moog and ARP targeted professional musicians and academics, Kakehashi, who had no musical training, wanted to appeal to amateurs and hobbyists, and focused on miniaturization, affordability and simplicity.

[19] Although it was not an immediate commercial success, the 808 was eventually used on more hit records than any other drum machine[20] and became a cornerstone of the emerging electronic and hip hop genres.

[10][23] In the early 1980s, no standardized means of synchronizing electronic musical instruments manufactured by different companies existed,[24] which Kakehashi felt was limiting the growth of the industry.

[25] He proposed developing a standard with representatives from Oberheim Electronics, Sequential Circuits, Yamaha, Korg and Kawai.

[28][29] MIDI allowed communication between different instruments and general-purpose computers to play a role in music production.

[26] In 2013, after a clash with management,[34] Kakehashi left Roland and founded ATV Corporation, an audiovisual electronics company.

[6][35][10] Tributes came from musicians such as Tommy Snyder of Godiego,[36] Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle,[36] Samantha Ronson, Matthew Herbert, Marc Almond of Soft Cell, Martyn Ware of the Human League, and producer Paul Epworth.

[1] In 1991, Kakehashi was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music for his contribution to the development and popularization of electronic instruments.

In 2013, Kakehashi received a Technical Grammy Award, shared with Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits, for the invention of MIDI.

[39] In 2017, Electronic Musician magazine listed thirty of his instruments and innovations that have influenced popular music over the course of fifty years.