Tonto's Expanding Head Band

**Tonto's Expanding Head Band** was a British-American electronic music duo formed in the early 1970s by **Malcolm Cecil** and **Bob Margouleff**. Central to their work was the custom-built multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer known as **T.O.N.T.O.** (The Original New Timbral Orchestra), which featured prominently on their two albums and several recordings with notable collaborators, including **Stevie Wonder**, **The Isley Brothers**, and other influential artists. Since 2013, the T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer has been housed in the collection of the **National Music Centre** in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The creation of T.O.N.T.O. began with two **Moog** Series III modular synthesizers—one owned by Margouleff—merged and encased in elegantly curved wooden cabinets measuring 20×6 ft. Cecil enlisted a number of technicians and engineers to help maintain T.O.N.T.O., which housed a multitude of sensitive oscillators needing regular recalibration. Among his collaborators were **Rex Probe**, whom he met during a session at **Electric Lady Studios** in New York in early 1971, and **Kevin Braheny**. Between 1973 and 1974, while at the **Record Plant Studio** in Los Angeles, Probe introduced Cecil and Braheny to a new **Serge Modular** system developed by **Serge Tcherepnin**, a professor and composer at **CalArts**. Following this, Serge and Rex designed a "New Timbral Oscillator" (NTO) module; to maintain a cohesive aesthetic, the NTOs featured Serge Modular's distinctive white panels with bright-colored connectors disguised by "faux" Moog-styled black decals. This collaboration inspired Malcolm Cecil to further enhance T.O.N.T.O. with modules from various manufacturers, all concealed beneath unified black panels, including four **Oberheim** SEM units, two **ARP** 2600 units, and components from **EMS**, **Roland**, **Yamaha**, and Blacet Research. In subsequent years, the addition of digital synthesizers and an array of MIDI-controlled sequencers augmented T.O.N.T.O.'s analog circuitry.

In June 1971, Cecil and Margouleff released their debut album as Tonto's Expanding Head Band, titled *Zero Time*, through **Embryo Records** in the United States and **Atlantic/Polydor** in the United Kingdom. Although it did not achieve commercial success, *Zero Time* received critical acclaim, earning praise in publications such as **Rolling Stone**, **Billboard**, and **Sounds**; the album later garnered a cult following among audiophiles, industry insiders, and fans of experimental electronica. **Stevie Wonder** was particularly impressed by the album and invited Malcolm and Bob to collaborate. T.O.N.T.O. contributed to four of Wonder's studio albums, with Cecil and Margouleff credited as associate producers, engineers, and programmers on *Music of My Mind* and *Talking Book* in 1972, *Innervisions* (which won them the Grammy Award for "Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording"), and *Fulfillingness' First Finale* in 1974. The duo also collaborated with a range of prominent artists across various genres, including three albums by **The Isley Brothers**—*3 + 3* (1973), *Live It Up* (1974), and *The Heat Is On* (1975)—as well as recordings by **Gene Parsons**, **Steve Hillage**, **Billy Preston**, and **Weather Report**. Additionally, Cecil and Margouleff programmed Moog and ARP synthesizers for numerous musicians and producers, such as **Quincy Jones**, **Bobby Womack**, **Ravi Shankar**, **Stephen Stills**, **Dave Mason**, **The Doobie Brothers**, and **Little Feat**.

In December 1974, T.O.N.T.O.'s second album, *It's About Time*, was released through **Polydor** in Europe and the UK. Although it did not see distribution in the United States, the T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer made a notable appearance in **Brian De Palma**'s comedy/horror film *Phantom of the Paradise* in October 1974. The following year, **Atlantic** reissued the duo's debut album with alternative artwork for the USA and Canada. **The Isley Brothers** featured the T.O.N.T.O. synth on their album *The Heat Is On*, showcasing the instrument on both the front and back covers. In 1975, Malcolm Cecil acquired Bob Margouleff's share of T.O.N.T.O., becoming its sole owner. By the mid-1990s, the synthesizer was located at **Mutato Muzika** studios in West Hollywood, the home base of **Mark Mothersbaugh**, co-founder of **Devo**, before returning to Cecil's residence in Saugerties, New York. In 1996, a CD compilation titled *Zero Time/It's About Time* was released on **Viceroy**, featuring tracks from both albums. A decade later, Malcolm Cecil privately reprinted it as a limited edition CD with a bonus track.

In late 2013, the Canadian **National Music Centre** acquired T.O.N.T.O. from Cecil, placing it on public display. **John Leimseider** at NMC completed a multi-year restoration in 2017, repairing broken components and worn-out jacks, ensuring the instrument was fully playable once again.