Bob Casale
| Bob Casale | |
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Casale performing live, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Edward Pizzute Jr. |
| Also known as | Bob 2 |
| Born |
July 14, 1952 Kent, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2014 (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1973–2014 |
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Robert Edward "Bob" Casale, Jr. (born Robert Edward Pizzute, Jr.; July 14, 1952 – February 17, 2014), or Bob 2, was an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer and audio engineer.
Casale's music career spanned more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist of the new wave band Devo, which released a Top 20 hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It". The band has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. He was the younger brother of their co-founder and bass guitarist Gerald Casale.
Robert Edward Pizzute Jr. was born on July 14, 1952, in Kent, Ohio. He was born with the last name Pizzute because his father had legally changed his name from Robert Edward Casale to that of his foster parents. In the same year as Bob's birth, his father changed his name back to his birth name. Casale graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1970 and originally trained as a radiographer.
In early 1970, Bob Lewis and Gerald Casale formed the idea of the "devolution" of the human race after Casale's friend Jeffrey Miller was killed by Ohio National Guardsmen firing on a student demonstration. Casale joined Devo in 1973, after being recruited by his brother Gerald. After the band underwent a few line-up changes, Bob Casale became part of the most popular five-piece incarnation, which consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with drummer Alan Myers. Casale later claimed that "[We formed the band because] it was a more immediate way of self-expression that required less money and no outside permission." In 1981, Casale with Devo served as Toni Basil's backing band on Word of Mouth, her debut album, which included versions of three Devo songs, recorded with Basil singing lead.
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