Stargazer Sound

🎸 Del Casher, the guitarist and electronic music pioneer credited with helping develop the wah-wah pedal, has died aged 88.

First developed in the 1960s, the effect gave guitarists a whole new way to make their instruments speak, adding that unmistakable sweeping, vocal-like sound to rock, funk and psychedelia.

Casher's invention went on to become a staple of electric guitar, famously used by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and countless others. It's hard to imagine some of rock's most iconic guitar moments without it.

A pretty big legacy for something operated with your foot. 🖤

This…… we need more of this!!

For all the guitarists out there,, these are probably the best pick-ups I’ve ever used. Super clear, articulate and punchy. Give them a try if you get a chance. Phil McKnight from the Know Your Gear podcast, his Northern Lights pickups now made by DiMarzio 

Highly recommended!!

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In 1978, a struggling songwriter was living on food stamps in Los Angeles when the telephone rang.

The man calling was Maurice White, the leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, her favorite band.

He wanted her to help write their next album.

Her name was Allee Willis, and the first song they worked on together would become one of the most beloved recordings in popular music.

“September.”

When Allee arrived at the studio, the band was already playing an infectious melody. She immediately hoped it was the song Maurice wanted her to work on.

It was.

But there was one problem.

The chorus contained a string of nonsense syllables: “Ba-dee-ya.”

Allee hated them. She was a lyricist. Words were supposed to mean something.

She repeatedly begged Maurice to replace them. As the deadline approached, she was practically pleading.

Maurice refused. The sounds felt right, and that mattered more than their literal meaning.

Allee eventually accepted his judgment.

Those syllables became one of the most recognizable choruses in music history.

But her own story was just as extraordinary.

Born in Detroit in 1947, Allee grew up listening to Motown. She was fascinated by the sounds coming from the city's recording studios.

She never learned to read musical notation or play an instrument. Instead, she relied on her ear, instinct, and an extraordinary understanding of what made people respond to music.

Before her breakthrough, she struggled financially and faced repeated rejection from music publishers.

After “September,” everything changed.

She co-wrote Earth, Wind & Fire's “Boogie Wonderland,” the Pointer Sisters' “Neutron Dance,” , "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" for The Pet Shop Boys and the theme from Friends, “I'll Be There for You.”

She also helped write the Broadway musical The Color Purple.

Her songs sold more than 60 million records.

And Allee was impossible to overlook.

She wore outrageous clothes, collected thousands of pieces of kitsch, created eccentric artwork, and hosted legendary parties at her colorful Los Angeles home, Willis Wonderland.

Her life was an ongoing celebration of everything unusual.

In 2018, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

She died on Christmas Eve 2019, aged 72.

Allee Willis never learned to read music, yet millions of people knew her melodies by heart.

And every September, the world still sings the nonsense syllables she once fought to remove.

Remembering Ace Frehley 🔥
(April 27, 1951 – October 16, 2025) 🕊️

Ace Frehley, the legendary original lead guitarist and founding member of KISS, whose explosive guitar sound, larger-than-life stage presence, and unforgettable Spaceman persona helped shape the history of hard rock...🔥

Frehley helped establish KISS in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss. In 1978, Ace released his self-titled solo album as part of KISS's simultaneous solo-album project. It became the most commercially successful of the four individual releases, powered by his hit cover of “New York Groove.” After leaving KISS in 1982, he formed Frehley's Comet and continued exploring his own musical direction before reuniting with the original lineup in 1996. His second tenure with the band lasted until 2002.

Ace turned the instrument into part of the spectacle, matching his musical identity with the theatrical world of KISS. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2014. His final solo studio album, “10,000 Volts,” arrived in 2024.

Gone, but never forgotten.!! 🕊️