Gershon Kingsley, 1922-2019

Synth pioneer Gershon Kingsley is dead at 97.

Kingsley was most famous for his 1969 song Popcorn, which was one of the first electronic singles to hit the airwaves. The song became a hit for the group Hot Butter in 1972, and Crazy Frog revived it again in 2005. (Aphex Twin and Muse have covered it, too). Kingsley also co-wrote Baroque Hoedown, which was used as the theme song to Disneylands Main Street Electrical Parade, with fellow synth pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey. His song Rebirth has been sampled in multiple hip-hop songs, including Freddie Gibbs and Madlibs Soul Right.

Kingsley joins musical partner Jean-Jacques Perrey, who died in 2016.

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