Gershon Kingsley facts for kids

Gershon Kingsley (born Götz Gustav Ksinski; October 28, 1922 – December 10, 2019) was a German-American composer. He was a true pioneer in the world of electronic music and helped make the Moog synthesizer famous.

Kingsley was also part of the electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley. He started the First Moog Quartet, which was a group that performed with synthesizers. He even wrote rock-inspired music for Jewish religious ceremonies. His most famous song is the catchy 1969 electronic tune "Popcorn".

Kingsley worked on many Broadway musicals as a conductor and arranger. He also wrote music for movies, TV shows, and commercials. His music was very diverse, from experimental sounds to popular tunes. He also composed classical pieces and an opera. Kingsley won awards like two Clio Awards for his advertising music and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bob Moog Foundation. He passed away on December 10, 2019, at 97 years old.

About Gershon Kingsley

His Early Life and Music

Gershon Kingsley was born Götz Gustav Ksinski in 1922 in Bochum, Germany. His father was a carpet dealer and pianist, and his mother was a homemaker. His family ran a big carpet shop in Berlin.

In 1938, when he was 15, Kingsley had to leave Germany. This was because his father was Jewish, and the Nazis were persecuting Jewish people. He went to Palestine, which is now Israel. There, he joined a kibbutz, which is a special community where people live and work together.

Even though he taught himself to play the piano, he also joined the Hagana (a Jewish defense group). He played jazz music in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He also studied music at the Jerusalem conservatory. Later, his parents and brother moved to Cuba and then to the United States. Kingsley joined them in America eight years later.

After World War II, Kingsley moved to America. He graduated from the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music in 1946. He started working as a conductor for Broadway shows. He also changed his name to Gershon, honoring a son of Moses.

Making Electronic Music

In 1964, Kingsley started working as an arranger at Vanguard Records. The next year, he met a French musician named Jean-Jacques Perrey. They formed a duo called Perrey and Kingsley. They released two albums together: The In Sound from Way Out! in 1966 and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations in 1967.

One of their songs, "Baroque Hoedown" from their 1967 album, became very famous. Walt Disney Productions used it as the theme for their Main Street Electrical Parade at their theme parks! Another song, "The Savers," was used as the theme for the game show The Joker's Wild. It also won a Clio Award for a TV commercial for No-Cal diet drinks.

Solo Career and "Popcorn"

In 1969, Kingsley started his solo career. He released an album called Music to Moog By. This album featured covers of popular songs played on the Moog synthesizer. These included songs by Ludwig van Beethoven like "Für Elise" and The Beatles songs like "Nowhere Man".

The album also had original songs. One of these was "Popcorn", which became his most famous song. It's a fun, bouncy electronic tune that many people still recognize today.

The First Moog Quartet

Kingsley then formed a band called the First Moog Quartet in 1970. A famous concert organizer, Sol Hurok, wanted to hear the Moog synthesizer played live. So, Kingsley put together this group.

On January 30, 1970, the First Moog Quartet made history. They were the first group to ever play electronic music at Carnegie Hall in New York City! The inventor of the Moog synthesizer, Robert Moog, was even there. The group later went on a university tour and worked with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The First Moog Quartet recorded one album in 1970, also called First Moog Quartet. It had live recordings from their tour. Some of their music was very experimental, with spoken words and poetry mixed with electronic sounds. Kingsley continued to explore new sounds, later using early digital synthesizers like the Fairlight and Synclavier. He also wrote the short musical jingle for WGBH-TV in Boston, which you might still hear on PBS shows.

See also

• Jean-Jacques Perrey
• Popcorn
• Baroque Hoedown