Del Casher, Wah-Wah Pedal Pioneer, Dies at 88
Guitarist Del Casher, who helped popularize the wah-wah pedal, died October 1 after a battle with cancer.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Rock
Guitarist Del Casher died October 1 at age 88 after a battle with cancer, according to reports first published by TMZ. A GoFundMe has been launched to raise money for his widow, Eiko.
Why it matters
Casher was an early adopter of the wah-wah pedal, a sound later made famous by Jimi Hendrix and other rock musicians. His death marks the loss of a session player whose work helped shape the electric guitar's sonic vocabulary.
Casher died at age 88, and the wah-wah pedal he helped develop was first released in 1967 but initially failed to catch on commercially. The stub does not provide further details on the cause or timing of his illness.
The players
Del Casher
Del Casher was a session guitarist who played with Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk, and the Three Suns, and is credited with helping develop the wah-wah pedal.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a rock guitarist who used the wah-wah pedal throughout his album Electric Ladyland, helping popularize the effect.
Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa was a rock composer and bandleader who used the wah-wah pedal when Casher sat in with the Mothers of Invention in 1966.
The details
Born Delton Kacher in Hammond, Indiana, Casher performed with Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk, and the Three Suns before working with Thomas Organ's Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra in the early 1960s. He asked about making his guitar sound like a trumpet, which led to work on the wah-wah pedal, first dubbed the "Cry Baby" pedal.
Timeline
Early 1960s: Casher played with Thomas Organ's Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra and sought a trumpet-like guitar sound.
1964: Casher appeared in Elvis Presley's film Roustabout.
1966: Frank Zappa used the wah-wah pedal when Casher sat in with the Mothers of Invention.
1967: The wah-wah pedal and accompanying single were released and failed to catch on.
1971: The wah-wah pedal was featured on Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft."
Rock History
The wah-wah pedal, first dubbed the "Cry Baby," failed commercially in 1967 before Jimi Hendrix used it throughout Electric Ladyland, and Isaac Hayes later featured it on "Theme From Shaft" in 1971. Casher's death places a session player's role in that lineage back into focus.
Readers interested in the wah-wah pedal's history can trace its use across the Electric Ladyland album and Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft." The GoFundMe campaign for Casher's widow Eiko is one way for listeners to contribute.
The takeaway
Casher's career shows how session musicians often shape sounds that become famous under other names. Listeners who revisit the wah-wah records of the late 1960s and early 1970s hear the early work of players like him.
Further reading
For more on the artists who shaped the genre, see Rock.
