Herbie Werner began formal music training on the accordion at the age of 4, and later transitioned to lessons on piano. He picked up guitar and bass during the mid-1960s which seemed to be a much cooler fit for rock ‘n roll at the time. In the late 1960s, piano & organ gained traction with the growing popularity of music by The Doors, Allman Brothers, Elton John, and his hometown hero, Billy Joel. Returing back to his piano roots, he bought his first Wurlitzer electric piano, which is still considered by musicians to be the classic keyboard sound of the 1960s and ’70s.
In the early 1970s he joined his first performing band, and after the bass player quit, he bought a Korg synthesizer which he stacked on top of the Wurlitzer. This new setup enabled him to simultaneously play bass with the Korg and melodies with the Wurlitzer. From that point, and the 40+ years that followed, adding both bass and a variety of keyboard sounds in duos and bands became his forté.
Over the years, as technology progressed, the dual keyboard setup was eventually replaced with a single synthesizer capable of producing both split and layered sounds.
