MATRIXSYNTH: Moog Music Pays Tribute to Keith Emerson

Moog Music sent the following out to subscribers of their newsletter. I thought I'd share it with those that aren't subscribed, as well as capturing it in the archives. Keith was legendary.

"Thank you, Keith Emerson

'In general, everything we've ever done has always been in collaboration with musicians... there's constant experimentation. Keith Emerson was the first guy that really, in a professional way, took a large modular system on stage and made it work.' - Bob Moog

The sudden loss of Keith Emerson, a beloved member of the Moog Family, has profoundly impacted us. We were shocked and saddened to lose our hero, friend and collaborator so soon.
Keith discovered the Moog synthesizer with his band The Nice in 1969. Shortly thereafter, he reached out to Bob Moog and acquired one of the first Moog modular synthesizers, which was built for the Museum Of Modern Art's "Jazz In The Garden" public performance. From then on, the names Emerson and Moog were entwined forever. Keith became the most-visible proponent of the synthesizer revolution, using the Moog loyally onstage for almost every show of his career. Emerson became the brightest name in the world of progressive rock music, his influence and creativity rivaled only by Jimi Hendrix. He was a masterful musician in many styles, but also a renowned showman who understood that elaborate theatrics would elevate the experience of the audience to a fever pitch. Part of his "show" was to faithfully include the monstrous wall of modules and cables that his Moog had become over the years, as it had developed an instantly recognizable sound that no other instrument could duplicate.

In 2015, nearly 45 years after the beginning, Moog and Emerson worked to create newly-built exact duplicates of Keith's legendary modular instrument. Matching his original Moog to painstaking details, the new EMMS (Emerson Moog Modular System) was the first artist signature-series Moog synthesizer. It was an honor to recognize the great contribution Keith Emerson has made to the long Moog history, and to his enormous influence felt still today on the world of synthesis.

Through his enduring friendship with Bob Moog, his pioneering use of the Moog Modular and his lifetime of creative collaborations with Moog Music, Keith's fingerprints are on the very DNA of electronic synthesized sound. We can say for certain, that our company would not be where it is today without Keith's prophetic contributions. Our hearts are broken knowing our journey together has come to a close.

Thank you, Keith. Your spirit will live on forever in those electric moments when technical brilliance and unconstrained expression collide."

Bob Moog and Keith Emerson, 1974 (photo credit: Greg Hochman)

"Bob Moog and Keith Emerson (photo credit: Damian Dovarganes/AP)"

"Bob Moog and Keith Emerson at the NAMM trade show, 1998 (photo credit: Keiichi)"

"Keith and Bob perform together on-stage in 1998 (photo credit: Keiichi)"

"Keith Emerson performing at Moogfest, 2014 (photo credit: Bill Kopp)"

"Keith Emerson and Herb Deutsch help Moog unveil the recreated Emerson Moog Modular System, 2014 (photo credit: Moog Music Inc)"

"Keith testing the Emerson Moog Modular System during a visit to the Moog Factory in Asheville, NC, 2014 (photo credit: Jeffrey Delannoy)"

"Keith Emerson, Moog marketing guru David Van Kouevering and programmer/producer Bob Margouleff catching up at NAMM, 2016 (photo credit: Moog Music Inc)"