Richard Bates

Richard Bates devoured each and every record album with Moog synthesizers in the 1960s and early 70s. He was fascinated by the famous Hooked On Bach album by Wendy Carlos and took a great interest in learning just how those magical sounds were being made. He furthered his education in electronics while serving in the US Air Force and became a service technician for Thomas Organs, while also performing on theater organs in the Denver area. It is there where Richard met Don Lewis who had dreams of creating an instrument for which he could control dozens of synthesizers at the same time and play it live. They called in LEO (the Live Electronic Organ) and it went on to inspire countless musicians to create their own sounds as well several musical innovations, including MIDI.