Musical Personalities Who Became Engineers

Feb. 5, 2024

Move beyond the bright lights and red carpet and discover the engineering talents of some of music’s most prominent players.

Cabe Atwell

Related To: Electronic Design

Herbie Hancock, electrical engineer

Herbie Hancock is a Billboard-charting, accomplished jazz musician. He’s played with prominent figures like Donald Byrd and Miles Davis. Surprisingly, however, music wasn’t his first love—it was science. His love of science started as a kid when he would spend days tinkering and taking apart his toys. Eventually, he earned degrees in electrical engineering and music from Grinnell College.

Still, the call of music was too strong to ignore. After college, Hancock began playing with Byrd. Three years later, Miles Davis asked him to join the Miles Davis Quintet. But in music, Hancock found ways to bring together both of his passions.

Hancock was an early adopter of synthesizers. Rather than resist, he saw it as a way to merge his love of science and music. His engineering background helped him push the boundaries of music, experimenting with new sounds, machines, and technology to see how far he could take his music. This is best heard on “Rockit,” driven by its DJ scratch style, which would play a prominent role in the burgeoning hip-hop scene.

Though Hancock didn’t pursue engineering work, he found an innovative way to make it a part of his career.

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What you’ll learn:

Gain insight into the engineering backgrounds of celebrities.
How they used those degrees in their respective fields.

With the Grammy Awards now a wrap, it’s worth shining a spotlight on a different kind of star—celebrities who not only appear on the concert stage but also have engineering backgrounds. Beyond the trappings of the entertainment industry, these entertainers have navigated the world of invention and design, showcasing artistic talent and technical knowhow.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable musicians who have bridged the worlds of fame and engineering, bringing innovation and creativity to both realms:

About the Author

Cabe Atwell | Technology Editor, Electronic Design

Cabe is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design.

Engineer, Machinist, Maker, Writer. A graduate Electrical Engineer actively plying his expertise in the industry and at his company, Gunhead. When not designing/building, he creates a steady torrent of projects and content in the media world. Many of his projects and articles are online at element14 & SolidSmack, industry-focused work at EETimes & EDN, and offbeat articles at Make Magazine. Currently, you can find him hosting webinars and contributing to Electronic Design and Machine Design.

Cabe is an electrical engineer, design consultant and author with 25 years’ experience. His most recent book is “Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits”

Cabe writes the Engineering on Friday blog on Electronic Design.