Early publicity implied that 'Dolby' was a middle name, and that Dolby's full name was Thomas Morgan Dolby Robertson this is legally incorrect, but he does sometimes informally go by the initials TMDR. He adopted the stage name 'Thomas Dolby' to avoid confusion with British singer Tom Robinson, who was popular when he began his career. The name derives from the name of the audio noise-reduction process of Dolby Laboratories used for audio recording and playback. The stage name Thomas Dolby originated from a nickname 'Dolby' that he picked up in the early 1970s, when he was 'always messing around with keyboards and tapes'. The first electronic instruments started to become accessible in the mid-70s, and I got my hands on a kit built synthesizer and never looked back. I picked up the guitar initially, playing folk tunes- Dylan-then I graduated to piano when I got interested in jazz, listening to people like Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, and so on. I sang in a choir when I was 10 or 11, and learned to sightread single lines, but other than that I don't have a formal education. ĭolby spoke of his early musical experiences in a 2012 interview: In his youth, Dolby lived or worked in France, Italy, and Greece. One of his first jobs was a part-time position at a fruit and vegetable shop. In at least one interview in the 1980s, Dolby claimed, 'I was born in Cairo, because my father is an archaeologist' - many subsequent articles have republished or reprinted this spurious claim.ĭolby attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, England, from 1975 to 1976, where he completed his A Levels. On the faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University since 2014, Dolby leads Peabody's Music for New Media program, which enrolled its first students in the fall of 2018.ĭolby was born Thomas Morgan Robertson in London, England, to (Theodosia) Cecil, née Spring Rice (1921–1984) and Martin Robertson (1911–2004), an internationally distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archaeology at the University of London, Oxford University, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was also the music director for TED Conferences.

In the 1990s, Dolby founded Beatnik, a Silicon Valley software company whose technology was used to play internet audio and later ringtones, including the Nokia tune. He has also worked as a producer and as a session musician. Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher.ĭolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including ' She Blinded Me with Science' (1982) and ' Hyperactive!' (1984).

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