Randy Edelman | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-06-10)June 10, 1947 (age 78) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop,film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composer,conductor |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1972–present |
Spouse | |
Randy Edelman (born June 10, 1947) is an Americanmusician,producer, andcomposer andconductor forfilm and television. He began his career as a member ofBroadway's pit orchestras; he later produced solo albums for songs that were picked up by leading music performers includingThe Carpenters,Barry Manilow, andDionne Warwick. He is known for his work incomedy films. He has been awarded many prestigious awards along with two nominations for aGolden Globe Award, aBAFTA Award, and twelve BMI Awards. Edelman was given an honorary doctorate in fine arts by the University of Cincinnati in 2004.
Some of Edelman's best known films scores includeTwins,Ghostbusters II,Kindergarten Cop, 'Beethoven,The Distinguished Gentleman,Gettysburg,Angels in the Outfield,The Mask,Pontiac Moon,The Indian in the Cupboard,The Quest,Dragonheart,Daylight, andXXX. He also wrote the theme of the popular television seriesMacGyver. Many of his musical pieces have been reused in television advertising, trailers, Disney movies, and award shows.
Edelman was born on 10 June 1947 inPaterson, New Jersey,[1] to aJewish family.[2][3] He was raised inTeaneck, New Jersey, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant, and graduated fromTeaneck High School in 1965.[4][5] He attended theCincinnati Conservatory of Music before heading toNew York where he played piano inBroadwaypit orchestras. He produced several soloalbums of songs, some of which were later recorded by The Carpenters ("I Can't Make Music", "Piano Picker" and "You"), Barry Manilow ("Weekend in New England"), "If Love Is Real" fromOlivia Newton-John'sMaking a Good Thing Better, Dionne Warwick ("The Laughter and the Tears"),Blood, Sweat & Tears ("Blue Street") and many others before moving toLos Angeles. Edelman started to work there in television and film scoring, while producing his solo albums which found a cult following in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan.
One of his first film scores was for the 1973 filmExecutive Action, which put forward a conspiracy theory concerning the assassination ofJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963. In 1977 Edelman contributed the orchestral piece 'Grey' to the multi-composer suiteColours, put together and conducted byVic Lewis.[6] In the mid-1980s, Edelman wrote the theme to and scored many episodes ofMacGyver, a popular television series starringRichard Dean Anderson.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, he also collaborated withIvan Reitman, producing scores for several of his comedies, includingDrop Dead Fred,Ghostbusters II,Pontiac Moon,Twins, andKindergarten Cop. He also contributed toBeethoven;The Last of the Mohicans;The Distinguished Gentleman;The Mask;The Quest;Daylight;Anaconda;XXX;Gettysburg;My Cousin Vinny;While You Were Sleeping;Dragonheart;Shanghai Noon;Six Days, Seven Nights;The Indian in the Cupboard;Billy Madison;Angels in the Outfield; andEDtv to name a few.
Edelman was honored with the Richard Kirk Award at the 2003BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from theUniversity of Cincinnati. He and three other honorees distinguished in other fields, includingCoretta Scott King were given the degree.[7]
He produced the scores for the 2008 filmThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This score was recorded atAbbey Road Studios inLondon, where in 2010 Edelman also recorded and composed the Irish flavored music score forAmy Adams's filmLeap Year. He was awarded the Goldspirit Award (named in honor ofJerry Goldsmith) for best comedy score of 2011 for theLeap Year soundtrack CD onVarèse Sarabande.
While some of the films scored by Edelman were not commercial successes, the music was often reused elsewhere. Themes he wrote forKindergarten Cop (in particularRain Ride),Dragonheart,Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (including the film's love themeBruce and Linda),Gettysburg, and other films have been widely used intelevision advertising,film trailers, Disney movies includingMulan, and during theAcademy Awards. Themes from his score forCome See the Paradise have been used in film trailers more than cues from any other film soundtrack.[8][9]
His music fromThe Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is featured duringNBC'sOlympic Games coverage when upcoming events are being announced. In addition it was used duringNBC's coverage of the1997 World Series. At the end of the1996 Summer Olympics, NBC used the closing music ofGettysburg. In the 1990s, Edelman composed the popular theme music forNBC's NFL telecasts which was used for the 1995–97 seasons throughSuper Bowl XXXII.[10]
Edelman has been married to singerJackie DeShannon since June 3, 1976. DeShannon is known for 1960s hits including "When You Walk in the Room", "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love". DeShannon had a brief first marriage that was annulled after a few months. She and Edelman have a son, Noah D. Edelman.
(this is a partial list)
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ryan's Four | 6 episodes |
| 1984 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | episode: All the Kids Do It |
| 1985–87 | MacGyver | seasons 1–2 |
| 1986 | Mr. Sunshine | episode: Pilot |
| 1988 | ABC Afterschool Special | episode: A Family Again |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | episode: Pilot |
| 2006 | The Ten Commandments | miniseries |
Platinum and gold Records[19]
Barry Manilow Greatest Hits, Live,
This One's for You
Saturn Awards
International Film Music Critics Association Nomination
Best Original Score for Television for ABC's mini-series[20]
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
Emmy Awards
Golden Globes Award
British Academy of Film and Television Awards Nomination
Kautz Alumni Masters Awards
Goldspirit Awards
Long Island International Film Expo
The two animated pics in the library are "Molly and the Skywalkerz in Happily Ever After" and "Molly and the Skywalkerz in Two Daddies," both featuring the voices ofCarol Burnett andDanny DeVito and produced byHenry Winkler.
