Ikutaro Kakehashi

Ikutaro Kakehashi (Japanese梯 郁太郎, Kakehashi Ikutaro, born 1930 in Osaka ) is the founder of the company Roland Corporation, a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, studio equipment and software.

During the 1950s, he repaired electronic organs and developed new prototypes. 1954 opened Kakehashi a business for radio equipment, but still designed electric organs. In 1957 he began to sell them to what due to the enormous demand led to the creation of Ace Electronic Industries Inc. in 1960. In 1964, he had been expanded to include guitar amp its product offering, presented Kakehashi before the products in the United States. In 1968 there was a collaboration with the Hammond International Company, emerged from the same year Hammond Japan.

Kakehashi decided in 1972 to leave Ace Industries to found Roland. From 1970 to 1995 he was President there before it, replaced by Tadao Kikumoto, Chairman of the Board was.

Works

• Ikutaro Kakehashi, Robert Olsen: My life in music. ISBN 3-932275-45-4