APRIL 3 I ROLAND I OBITUARY
Founder of Roland Dies at 87

Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland Corporation, passed away on April 1. He was 87 years old.

The Japanese engineer "created more than a successful business with a host of important innovations in electronic musical instruments," wrote Dan Del Fiorentino, NAMM music historian who conducted several interviews with Kakehashi for the NAMM Oral History program. "He also paid tribute throughout his career to those who first inspired him."

Kakehashi was born in Japan in 1930 and formed Ace Electronics in 1964. With the expansion of electronics in the late 1960s, he formed the Roland Corporation, which soon became one of the leaders in the industry. His innovative products at Roland include the TR-808, TR-909 and TB-303 drum machine and synthesizers.

"Perhaps the only thing more impressive than Mr. Kakehashi's success was his own personal energetic passion for music and the many, many friends he made along the way," Del Fiorentino wrote.

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