Randy Edelman (born June 10, 1947) is an American

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 ...

, producer, and

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 ...

for film and television. He began his career as a member of Broadway's pit orchestras, and later went on to produce solo albums for songs that were picked up by leading music performers including The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, and Dionne Warwick. He is known for his work in

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

s. He has been awarded many prestigious awards along with two nominations for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

, a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

, 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 include '' Twins'', ''

Ghostbusters II ''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and A ...

'', ''

Kindergarten Cop ''Kindergarten Cop'' is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as John Kimble, a tough police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teacher to apprehe ...

'', ''

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

'', '' The Distinguished Gentleman'', ''Gettysburg'', ''

The Mask The Mask may refer to: Books and comics * ''The Mask'' (comics), a comic book series by publisher Dark Horse Comics * Mask (DC Comics), an opponent of Wonder Woman * ''The Mask'' (novel), a 1981 novel written by Dean Koontz under the pseudonym ...

'', ''

Dragonheart ''Dragonheart'' (stylized as ''DragonHeart'') is a 1996 fantasy adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Charles Edward Pogue based on a story created by him and Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, ...

'', ''

Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...

'' and ''

XXX XXX may refer to: Codes and symbols * 30 (number), Roman numeral XXX * XXX, designating pornography ** XXX, an X rating ** .xxx, an internet top-level domain intended for pornographic sites * XXX, a symbol of the straight edge lifestyle * XXX, t ...

''. He also wrote the theme of the popular television series ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...

''. Many of his musical pieces have been reused in television advertising, trailers, Disney movies, and award shows.

Life and career

Edelman was born on 10 June 1947 in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. He was raised in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant, and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1965. He attended the

Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, wh ...

before heading to

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 * '' ...

where he played piano in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

pit orchestras. He produced several solo

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

s of songs, some of which were later recorded by

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

("I Can't Make Music", "Piano Picker" and "You"),

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...

(" Weekend in New England"), "If Love Is Real" from

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

's ''

Making a Good Thing Better ''Making a Good Thing Better'' is the ninth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on June 1977. The album peaked at No. 34 on the US Pop chart and No. 13 on the Country chart. It was Newton-John's first album no ...

'',

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

("The Laughter and the Tears"),

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

("Blue Street") and many others before moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. It was there where Edelman started to work in television and film scoring, while producing his solo albums which found a cult following in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan.

Musical scores

One of his first film scores was for the 1973 film ''

Executive Action Executive actions of the CIA are directives issued to the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. History The CIA was created under the National Security Act of 1947, which Harry S. Truman signed on July 26, 1947. Richard Bissell w ...

'', which put forward a conspiracy theory concerning the assassination of

John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

in 1963. In the mid-1980s, Edelman wrote the theme to, and scored many episodes of, ''

'', a popular television series starring

Richard Dean Anderson Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a retired American actor and producer. He began his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series '' General Hospital'', and then rose to prominence as the lead ...

. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he also collaborated with

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. Film ...

, producing scores for several of his comedies, including ''

'', '' Twins'' and ''

''. He also contributed to ''

''; ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...

''; '' The Distinguished Gentleman''; ''

''; ''

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used t ...

''; ''

''; '' Gettysburg''; ''

My Cousin Vinny ''My Cousin Vinny'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, and written by Dale Launer, who also produced with Paul Schiff. The film stars Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill ...

''; '' While You Were Sleeping''; ''

''; '' Shanghai Noon''; ''

Six Days, Seven Nights ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' is a 1998 American action-adventure comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. The screenplay was written by Michael Browning. It was filmed on location in Kauai, and released on ...

''; ''

The Indian in the Cupboard ''The Indian in the Cupboard'' is a low fantasy children's novel by the British writer Lynne Reid Banks. It was published in 1980 with illustrations by Robin Jacques (UK) and Brock Cole (US). It was later adapted as a 1995 children's film o ...

''; ''

Billy Madison ''Billy Madison'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald, Darren McGavin, Mark Beltzman, and Larry Hankin. The film was written by Sandle ...

''; '' Angels in the Outfield''; and ''

EDtv ''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film '' Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrels ...

'' to name just a few. Edelman was honored with the Richard Kirk Award at the 2003 BMI 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 the University of Cincinnati. He was given the degree along with three other honorees distinguished in various other fields, including Coretta Scott King. He produced the scores for the 2008 film '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor''. This score was recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

in London, where in 2010 Edelman also recorded and composed the Irish flavored music score for Amy Adams's film ''Leap Year''. He was awarded the Goldspirit Award (named in honor of Jerry Goldsmith) for best comedy score of 2011 for the ''Leap Year'' soundtrack CD on

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

Scores reused elsewhere

While some of the films scored by Edelman were not commercial successes, the music was often reused elsewhere. Themes he wrote for ''

'' (particularly ''Rain Ride''), ''

'', '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'' (particularly the film's love theme ''Bruce and Linda''), '' Gettysburg'' and other films have been widely used in television advertising, film trailers, Disney movies including '' Mulan'', and during the

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 ...

s. Themes from his score for ''

Come See the Paradise ''Come See the Paradise'' is a 1990 American drama film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita. Set before and during World War II, the film depicts the treatment of Japanese Americans in the United St ...

'' have been used in film trailers more than cues from any other film soundtrack.

NBC Sports

His music from '' The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' is featured during

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

coverage when announcing upcoming events. In addition, it was used during NBC's coverage of the

1997 World Series The 1997 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National L ...

. At the end of the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, it used the closing music of '' Gettysburg''. In the 1990s, Edelman composed the popular theme music for NBC's NFL telecasts which was used for the 1995–97 seasons through

Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers (who were defending their Super Bowl XXXI championship) and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver ...

Personal life

Edelman has been married to singer

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songw ...

since June 3, 1976. DeShannon is known for such 1960s hits as " When You Walk in the Room", "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" and "

What the World Needs Now Is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a rel ...

". DeShannon had a few months' long, annulled first marriage. She and Edelman have a son, Noah D. Edelman.

Musical discography (as artist and songwriter)

Solo albums

*''Randy Edelman'' – MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''The Laughter and the Tears'' – MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''Outside In'' - MGM Records, 1972 (LP) *''Prime Cuts'' – 20th Century Records, 1974 (LP and CD) (No. 95 AUS) *''Farewell Fairbanks'' – 20th Century Records, 1975 (LP and CD) (No. 54 AUS) *''If Love Is Real'' – Arista Records, 1977 (LP and CD) *''You're the One'' – Arista Records, 1979 (LP and CD) *Up-Town Up-Tempo: The Best of Randy Edelman'' – 20th Century Records, 1979 (LP) *''On Time'' – Rocket Records, 1982 (LP) *''Randy Edelman and His Piano'' – PRT Records, 1984 (LP and CD) *''Switch of the Seasons'' – PRT Records (Polar), 1985 (LP) *''Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman'' (compilation album) – Warwick Reflection Records, 1987 (CD) *''And His Piano ... The Very Best of Randy Edelman'' – Revola/Cherry Red Records, 2003 (CD) *''The Pacific Flow to Abbey Road'' – Cherry Red (UK) / Varèse Sarabande (US), 2011 (CD)

Charted solo singles

*"Everybody Wants to Find a Bluebird" (March 1975) – No. 92 US / No. 18 AC (US) *"

Concrete and Clay "Concrete and Clay" is a 1965 hit single recorded by the UK pop group Unit 4 + 2. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1965. The song was written by group members Tommy Moeller and Brian Parker. It was also a top 40 hit for Ed ...

" (March 1976) – No. 11 AC (US), No. 79 (AUS) No. 11 UK -

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of the hit for the British pop group Unit 4 + 2 *"Uptown Uptempo Woman" (September 1976) – No. 25 UK *" You" (January 1977) – No. 49 UK *"Can't It All Be Love" (November 1977) - No. 99 Canada (RPM) *"Nobody Made Me" (July 1982) – No. 60 UK

Partial list of artists who have covered Edelman's songs (both music and lyrics)

*Barry Manilow – "Weekend in New England" (No. 10, US) *The Carpenters – "I Can't Make Music", "You", "Piano Picker" *Labelle – "Isn't it a Shame" *Olivia Newton-John – "If Love Is Real" *Nelly – "My Place" *Dionne Warwick – "You Are the Sunlight, I Am the Moon", "The Laughter and Tears", "Give a Little Laughter" *Blood Sweat and Tears – "Blue Street" *Jackie DeShannon – "Sunny Days", "Let the Sailors Dance" *Agnetha Fältskog – "Turn the World Around" *The Fifth Dimension – "Everybody Wants to Call You Sweetheart" *Kool and the Gang – "Amore Amore" *Bing Crosby – "The Woman on Your Arm" *Shirley Bassey – "Isn't It a Shame" *Nancy Wilson – "The Laughter and the Tears" *

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

– "You" *

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

– "Make a Time for Lovin'"

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards, milestones and announcements

Platinum and gold Records Barry Manilow Greatest Hits, Live, This One's for You *

: "

A Song for You "A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understand ...

", '' Now And Then'', and '' A Kind of Hush'' *

: ''

Making A Good Thing Better ''Making a Good Thing Better'' is the ninth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on June 1977. The album peaked at No. 34 on the US Pop chart and No. 13 on the Country chart. It was Newton-John's first album no ...

'' *

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

: '' Suit'' *Now 17: "My Place" *''

Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...

'' (soundtrack) Saturn Awards * "

" nominated by Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films ( Saturn Award for Best Music) International Film Music Critics Association Nomination * "

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

": Nominated by the IFMCA (International Film Music Critics Association) for Best Original Score for Television for ABC's mini-series Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts * University of Cincinnati: Recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) * Recipient of BMI's highest honor, the Richard Kirk Lifetime Achievement Award * Top Grossing Film Award: ''

27 Dresses ''27 Dresses'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, and starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released in Australia on January 10, 2008, and in the United States on ...

'' * Top Grossing Film Award: ''

'' * Top Grossing Film Award: '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' * Top Grossing Film Award: ''

'' * Top Grossing Film Award: ''

Six Days Seven Nights ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' is a 1998 American action-adventure comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. The screenplay was written by Michael Browning. It was filmed on location in Kauai, and released on Jun ...

'' * Top Grossing Film Award: ''

'' * Top Grossing Film Award: '' Twins'' * Top Grossing Film Award: '' While You Were Sleeping'' * Top TV Series Award: ''

'' *Spotlight Award: Awarded for two decades of NBC's Randy Edelman Olympic Theme Emmy Awards * Winner: "Atlanta Olympics NBC Broadcast" Emmy Award Golden Globes Award * Nominated: ''Last of the Mohicans'' ( Best Original Score - Motion Picture) British Academy of Film and Television Awards Nomination * ''Last of the Mohicans'': Nominated (Best Original Film Score) BAFTA Award for Best Film Music Kautz Alumni Masters Awards * University of Cincinnati: Kautz Alumni Masters Award for Outstanding Alumnus Goldspirit Awards * '' Leap Year (film)'': Named in honor of Jerry Goldsmith as Best Comedy Score Long Island International Film Expo * Lifetime Achievement Award: In Film Scoring and Composition "L.I. International Film Expo to Run July 8-16"
, ''The Island Now'', July 2, 2015 *2018 Composer and Lyricist Guild *Lifetime Achievement Award L.A.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edelman, Randy 1947 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American composers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male musicians American film score composers American male film score composers American male singers American male songwriters American television composers Animated film score composers Epic Records artists Jewish American film score composers Jewish American television composers Living people Male television composers MCA Records artists Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey Singers from New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey Sony Classical Records artists Teaneck High School alumni Varèse Sarabande Records artists