Inventor of karaoke passes away at 100
(VOVWORLD) -The creator of the karaoke machine, Shigeichi Negishi, passed away at the age of 100 on January 26, but only now has Japanese and international media reported it.
 Shigeichi Negishi’s “Sparko Box” first came to the market in 1967 and is “recognized as the earliest” karaoke machine by the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association. (Photo: GETTY IMAGES) |
Negishi was born in Tokyo in 1923. After a colleague criticized him for singing poorly, Negishi did research and in 1967 invented the first karaoke machine, including a device connected to microphone. This device was capable of playing cassette tapes with pre-recorded melodies of songs.
Until the “Sparko Box” came along in 1967, karaoke-like activities involved the use of backing tracks provided by live bands or instrumental recordings.
In Japan, the term “karaoke” was used when singers performed with a backing track instead of a live musician. The word combined the Japanese words for “empty” (kara) and “orchestra” (ōkesutora).