Del Casher, the man who gave rock its wah-wah sound, has died at 88
Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah-wah pedal, has died at 88.
TMZ was first to report the news. A fundraiser set up to support his widow, Eiko, says Casher died on October 1 after a battle with cancer. It also says Covid badly hurt his sound studio business, forcing him to sell prized guitars and equipment, and that the couple had taken out a reverse mortgage on their home.
Born Delton Kacher in Hammond, Indiana, Casher played with stars such as Gene Autry and Lawrence Welk in the 1950s and early 1960s. Then, while playing electric guitar for the Thomas Organ company's Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra, he began chasing a sound he could hear in his head: a guitar that sounded like a trumpet.
Working with company engineer Brad Plunkett, he found it by accident, turning a knob back and forth and hearing the cry that became the wah-wah. The Cry Baby pedal arrived in 1967, but guitarists ignored it at first.
Everything changed when Frank Zappa passed a pedal to Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix made the sound famous on Electric Ladyland, using it on Voodoo Child, Burning of the Midnight Lamp and All Along the Watchtower. Eric Clapton took it up with Cream on Tales of Brave Ulysses, and soon Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour were using it too. The wah-wah even drove Isaac Hayes to a number one hit with Theme From Shaft.
Casher also backed Elvis Presley and can be seen playing guitar in the King's 1964 film Roustabout. He once said he only wanted guitar players to think of him now and then.
"Remember me," he said.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: EntertainmentNow
#DelCasher #WahWahPedal #JimiHendrix #RockMusic #MusicLegend
Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah-wah pedal, has died at 88.
TMZ was first to report the news. A fundraiser set up to support his widow, Eiko, says Casher died on October 1 after a battle with cancer. It also says Covid badly hurt his sound studio business, forcing him to sell prized guitars and equipment, and that the couple had taken out a reverse mortgage on their home.
Born Delton Kacher in Hammond, Indiana, Casher played with stars such as Gene Autry and Lawrence Welk in the 1950s and early 1960s. Then, while playing electric guitar for the Thomas Organ company's Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra, he began chasing a sound he could hear in his head: a guitar that sounded like a trumpet.
Working with company engineer Brad Plunkett, he found it by accident, turning a knob back and forth and hearing the cry that became the wah-wah. The Cry Baby pedal arrived in 1967, but guitarists ignored it at first.
Everything changed when Frank Zappa passed a pedal to Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix made the sound famous on Electric Ladyland, using it on Voodoo Child, Burning of the Midnight Lamp and All Along the Watchtower. Eric Clapton took it up with Cream on Tales of Brave Ulysses, and soon Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour were using it too. The wah-wah even drove Isaac Hayes to a number one hit with Theme From Shaft.
Casher also backed Elvis Presley and can be seen playing guitar in the King's 1964 film Roustabout. He once said he only wanted guitar players to think of him now and then.
"Remember me," he said.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: EntertainmentNow
#DelCasher #WahWahPedal #JimiHendrix #RockMusic #MusicLegend
Del Casher, the man who gave rock its wah-wah sound, has died at 88
Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah-wah pedal, has died at 88.
TMZ was first to report the news. A fundraiser set up to support his widow, Eiko, says Casher died on October 1 after a battle with cancer. It also says Covid badly hurt his sound studio business, forcing him to sell prized guitars and equipment, and that the couple had taken out a reverse mortgage on their home.
Born Delton Kacher in Hammond, Indiana, Casher played with stars such as Gene Autry and Lawrence Welk in the 1950s and early 1960s. Then, while playing electric guitar for the Thomas Organ company's Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra, he began chasing a sound he could hear in his head: a guitar that sounded like a trumpet.
Working with company engineer Brad Plunkett, he found it by accident, turning a knob back and forth and hearing the cry that became the wah-wah. The Cry Baby pedal arrived in 1967, but guitarists ignored it at first.
Everything changed when Frank Zappa passed a pedal to Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix made the sound famous on Electric Ladyland, using it on Voodoo Child, Burning of the Midnight Lamp and All Along the Watchtower. Eric Clapton took it up with Cream on Tales of Brave Ulysses, and soon Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour were using it too. The wah-wah even drove Isaac Hayes to a number one hit with Theme From Shaft.
Casher also backed Elvis Presley and can be seen playing guitar in the King's 1964 film Roustabout. He once said he only wanted guitar players to think of him now and then.
"Remember me," he said.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Source: EntertainmentNow
#DelCasher #WahWahPedal #JimiHendrix #RockMusic #MusicLegend
