How Pete Drake Helped Create Today's Modern Music Back in the 1950s

Pete Drake's use of the "Talk Box" help give birth to a sound that would usher in modern music as we know it today

In 1950, Drake drove to Nashville and saw Jerry Byrd at the Grand Ole Opry, and was inspired to buy a steel guitar. He was a member of several country music bands, and would later release a few songs that landed on the Billboard top 100.

His use of the "talk box," where he would modulate his voice using his steel guitar, would later be carried on by artists like Stevie Wonder, Peter Frampton, Joe Walsh, Roger Troutman, Jeff Beck, Daft Punk, and so many more.

The Talk Box was originally invented in 1939 and was made famous by Alvino Rey and his wife Luise King (video below).

While we're at it, here's the story about how a 4-bar drum loop gave birth to different genres of music. It's the most sampled loop in music history.