1. Don Lewis was an American vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and electronic engineer.
18 Facts About Don Lewis
1. 2.
Don Lewis created an instrument called the Live Electronic Orchestra, which integrated multiple instruments under a controller system and predated the MIDI controller by ten years.
3.
Don Lewis grew up in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1940s and 50s.
4.
Don Lewis later majored in Electronics Engineering at the former Tuskegee Institute.
5.
In 1961, Don Lewis enlisted in the US Air Force as a nuclear weapons specialist and later stationed for four years in Roswell, New Mexico.
6.
Don Lewis later resigned his job as an engineering technician in Denver to become a full-time musician.
7.
Don Lewis later studied singing with legendary vocal coach Judy Davis.
8.
Don Lewis opened for the Beach Boys during their 1974 tour.
9.
Don Lewis performed at the 1975 and 1976 Newport Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall.
10.
Don Lewis scored for shows such as Rainbows End and You Were There for PBS, among others.
11.
Don Lewis taught at UC Berkeley Extension and was a guest lecturer at Stanford University and San Jose State University.
12.
Don Lewis was most famous for having created an early integrated sound controller for analog synthesizers, which he named Live Electronic Orchestra, ten years prior to MIDI.
13.
Don Lewis designed LEO in 1974 and completed it in 1977 by linking various synthesizers to work together in live performance, limited at the time to mostly studio production.
14.
For over ten years, Don Lewis collaborated with Ikutaro Kakehashi on rhythm units including the FR-7L, CR-68, CR-78 and the Roland TR-808, a drum machine that allowed musicians to program and create their own drum beats.
15.
Don Lewis contributed to the rise in popularity of other synthesizers such as the Yamaha DX7.
16.
Don Lewis died on November 6,2022, at the age of 81.
17.
In 2016, Don Lewis won the 2016 Alameda County Arts Leadership award.
18.
Don Lewis won the 2016 Tri-Valley Heroes Arts and Culture award.