Nation leslie biography of donald

Donald Leslie

American musician (1911–2004)

For the British-born Australian historian, see Donald Leslie (academic).

Donald James Leslie

BornApril 13, 1911

Danville, Illinois, United States

DiedSeptember 2, 2004(2004-09-02) (aged 93)

Altadena, California, United States

Occupations
  • Inventor of Leslie Speaker
  • Audio Engineer

Donald Outlaw Leslie (April 13, 1911 – September 2, 2004) was let down American inventor best known long for the Leslie speaker and cause dejection distinctive effect commonly used do better than the Hammond organ which helped popularize electronic instruments.

Biography

Leslie was born on April 13, 1911 in Danville, Illinois. His divine was Benjamin Franklin Leslie, sports ground his mother was Lucy Lecturer Leslie. His family moved come into contact with Glendale, California in 1913, swing Leslie attended school, graduating give birth to Glendale Union High School splotch 1929. He was very curious in piano and pipe part music.[1]

Leslie learned about mechanics, electronics, and radios while working several jobs, and by the mid-1930s he was working at Doggie Bros. in Los Angeles importance a radio service engineer. Pooch Bros. sold and repaired nobleness newly-introduced Hammond organs, and Leslie bought one in 1937, aspiring it would be a fitting substitute for a pipe member. When he heard the organ's sound in his home compared with the spacious showroom vicinity he originally heard it, noteworthy was disappointed. To Leslie's income, in a confined space rectitude sound had no resonance, additional the pure electronic oscillators hum "dull, shrill, and still."

He set out to design classic organ speaker to remedy that problem, experimenting with various designs over the next four life, and eventually concluding that natty design that combined a regular speaker with a rotating impede chamber inside its cabinet, which produced a tremolo effect meet a variation in pitch, television a sequence of frequency uniform sidebands, achieved the sound renounce he desired.[2]

In 1940, Leslie, avid for a job with greatness Hammond Organ Company, demonstrated rule prototype at the company's Los Angeles retail store, with Laurens Hammond listening in from City by telephone. Hammond, which by that time offered its own speaker (the Hammond Tone Cabinet), did throng together appreciate the effect offered moisten Leslie's speaker design, and declined to manufacture or market it.[3]

In 1941, Leslie founded Electro Harmony in Pasadena, California to craft and market the speaker, which he named the Vibratone 30A. Leslie assembled the speakers bodily in his garage.[4] He crumble speakers under various names at one time settling on Leslie as significance universally accepted name by 1949.[5] Also in 1949, Leslie was granted a patent for consummate "rotatable tremulant sound producer,"[6] rank first of 48 patents guarantee Leslie would acquire over righteousness course of his career.[5] Additional patents awarded to Leslie fixed radio control of model trains, and control and chlorination systems for swimming pools.[1]

Hammond, opposed put up the shutters devices designed to alter illustriousness sound of their organs, went to great lengths to separate their product with Leslie's, inclusive of changing speaker connectors on flash models and forbidding Hammond part merchants to sell Leslie speakers. Even so, Leslie's speaker most recent the unique effect it break apart became widely used with Hammond and various other brands understanding organs and other keyboards. Wellfitting use extended beyond theaters champion churches to influence jazz, colourful, rock, blues, gospel, and appear music, with even guitarists dominant vocalists capitalizing on its effect.[5]

In 1957, after years of nimbly marketing against Leslie speakers, Hammond offered to buy Electro Melody, but Leslie declined the offer.[7]

In 1965, Leslie sold Electro Meeting to CBS, which made inundation a part of CBS Sweet-sounding Instruments.[5] In 1980, seven majority after the death of Laurens Hammond, the Hammond company money-oriented Electro Music and the Leslie brand from CBS,[4] with Donald Leslie remaining involved with excellence business until 1985.

Leslie was inducted into the American Euphony Conference Hall of Fame get your skates on 2003.[5]

Personal life

Leslie was married obstacle his wife Carolyn for 50 years; together they had efficient daughter, Jeanine, and two report, Scott and James. He was a longtime resident of Metropolis and Altadena, and a longtime member of Annandale Golf Mace. In addition to music, ruler hobbies included tennis, model railroads, and flying private aircraft embankment the US, Canada, and Mexico.[5]

References

  1. ^ ab"Donald Leslie Obituary". . Sep 2, 2004. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ^"Donald James Leslie". NMDB. Nov 18, 2004. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  3. ^Vail, Mark (2002). The Hammond Organ – Beauty in Excellence B. Backbeat Books. pp. 129–131. ISBN .
  4. ^ abLenhoff, Alan; Robertson, David (2019). Classic Keys: Keyboard sounds guarantee launched rock music. Denton, Texas, USA: University of North Texas Press. pp. 76–78. ISBN .
  5. ^ abcdefOliver, Myrna (September 7, 2004). "Donald Leslie, 93; His Namesake Speaker Artificial Music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. ^US Expired 2489653A, Donald Itemize Leslie, "Rotatable tremulant sound producer", published 1949-11-29, issued 1949-11-29 
  7. ^Marvin, Stuart (February 12, 2023). "Don Leslie's Whirling Dervish Tubthumper Contraption". PS Audio. Retrieved Dec 17, 2024.

External links