Perry Botkin Jr. (April 16, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, producer,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

, and

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

. The tune " Nadia's Theme", composed by Botkin and Barry De Vorzon, peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1976 and became the theme song for the long-running television soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

''. He was also a major contributor to Incredible Bongo Band, one of the most influential groups of all-time for its ''Bongo Rock'' album which is one of the most sampled from records, making it a major influence in the origins of Hip hop.

Life and career

He was born in 1933 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

as son of

Perry Botkin Sr. Perry Botkin (July 22, 1907October 14, 1973) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist, and composer. Career Born in Springfield, Ohio, Perry Botkin started working in the 1920s for Wayne Euchner, who had a big band in West Baden, Indiana. Aroun ...

, who also was a successful musician and composer. Botkin had a successful career in music for more than forty years. As an arranger, he worked with Bobby Darin,

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

, Gary Crosby,

The Lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contempor ...

, Ed Ames, Shelby Flint and Harpers Bizarre, among others. The film scores that he composed are similar to the music of his partner and counterpart, Barry De Vorzon. In 1990, Botkin retired from the commercial music industry, and began self-producing CDs of electronic music. James Harbert, in the liner notes for the first of these recordings, says, "With these new musical works, Perry Botkin has achieved his musical goal. He has succeeded in being himself."

Death

Botkin died on January 18, 2021, at age 87, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

Awards

* 1971 -

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination - Best Song, "Bless the Beasts and Children", with Barry DeVorzon * 1977 -

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

winner - Best Instrumental Arrangement - " Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)", with Barry DeVorzon and Harry Betts

Works (partial)

Recordings

* 1969 - "Love Is blue" with Johnny Gibbs,

Frank De Vol Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American actor, and using the name De Vol was an arranger and composer. As a composer he was nominated for four Academy Awards. Early life and career De Vol was born in Mounds ...

, Norman Percival, Hank Levine, Les Reed,

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad'' (1968), '' Batman'' (with ''Batgirl'' them ...

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Wal ...

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Recor ...

, Pete King, Frank Comstock. (

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

, RDA 77-A) * 1976 - " Nadia's Theme" with Barry DeVorzon. (

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

, AM 1856)

Recordings (arranger)

* Hollyridge Strings - "The Beatles Songbook Vol.4" album (co-arranger/conductor (with Mort Garson) * Incredible Bongo Band - "Bongo Rock" album * Incredible Bongo Band - "The Return of the Incredible Bongo Band" album * Bobby Darin - ''In a Broadway Bag'' album * The Cascades - "Rhythm of the Rain" * Robin Ward - "Wonderful Summer" * Shelby Flint - “Angel On My Shoulder” * The T-Bones - "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" * José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad" *

- ''Pandemonium Shadow Show'' album *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

- ''Playing Possum'' album *

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

- ''Stoney End'' album * Maureen McGovern - ''Academy Award Performance'' album * The Checkmates - '' Love Is All We Have to Give'' album, including " Black Pearl"

Films

* ''

R. P. M. ''R. P. M.'' is a 1970 American drama film directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Anthony Quinn and Ann-Margret. As the film's poster notes, the title is an initialism for "revolutions per minute", which at the time was a common term for the variab ...

'' (1970) (with Barry DeVorzon) * '' Bless the Beasts and Children'' (1971) (with Barry DeVorzon) * '' Skyjacked'' (1972) * '' They Only Kill Their Masters'' (1972) * ''

Lady Ice ''Lady Ice'' is a 1973 American crime film directed by Tom Gries, and stars Donald Sutherland, Jennifer O'Neill, and Robert Duvall. The story concerns an insurance investigator who becomes involved with a wealthy young woman he suspects of fenc ...

'' (1973) * ''Your Three Minutes Are Up'' (1973) * '' Goin' South'' (1978) (with Van Dyke Parks) * '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981) * ''

Dance of the Dwarfs ''Dance of the Dwarfs'' is a 1983 American horror adventure film directed by Gus Trikonis and starring Peter Fonda and Deborah Raffin. It is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Geoffrey Household. Plot In an unnamed South American na ...

'' (1983) * ''

Silent Night, Deadly Night ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' is a 1984 American slasher film directed by Charles E. Sellier, Jr., and starring Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Linnea Quigley, Britt Leach, and Leo Geter. The story concerns ...

'' (1984) * '' Weekend Warriors'' (1986)

Television

* ''ABC Movie of the Week'' (theme) * ''

The Young And The Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' (theme) * '' Mork & Mindy'' (series) * '' Happy Days'' (series) * ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of '' Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' st ...

'' (series) * '' The Smothers Brothers Show'' (sitcom) * '' The Beverly Hillbillies'' (sitcom) * ''

Quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly ...

'' (series) * '' 3rd Degree (game show)''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Botkin, Perry Jr. 1933 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American composers 21st-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American film score composers American music arrangers American television composers Grammy Award winners American male film score composers Male television composers Musicians from New York City