Barry Gray (born John Livesey Eccles; 18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...

Life and career

Born into a musical family in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

, Lancashire, Gray was encouraged to pursue a musical career from an early age. Starting at the age of five – with piano lessons – he studied diligently and became a student at the Manchester Royal College of Music and at Blackburn Cathedral. He studied composition under the Hungarian born émigré composer Matyas Seiber. Gray's first professional job was for B. Feldman & Co. in London, where he gained experience in scoring for theatre and variety orchestras. From there, he joined

Radio Normandy Captain Leonard Frank Plugge (21 September 1889 – 19 February 1981) was a British radio entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. Early years and political life Plugge was born in Walworth, only son of Frank Plugge (1864–1946), a co ...

as a composer-arranger. After serving for six years with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he returned to the music industry to work with such names as

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...

and

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

. In 1956 Gray joined

's AP Films and scored its first marionette puppet television series, '' The Adventures of Twizzle''. This was followed by '' Torchy The Battery Boy'' and '' Four Feather Falls'', a puppet

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

based on a concept suggested by Gray. His association with Anderson lasted throughout the 1960s. Although best known for his score to '' Thunderbirds'' (in particular the "March of the ''Thunderbirds''" title music), Gray's work also included the themes to all the other "

Supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...

" productions, including '' Fireball XL5'', ''

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...

'', ''

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', often shortened to ''Captain Scarlet'', is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films#Century 21, Centu ...

'' and '' Joe 90''. Recording sessions were held at

Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a British independent recording studio based on Church Road, Barnes, Church Road, Barnes, London, Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st ...

, Pye Studios and CTS Studios in London, Anvil Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire and Gray's own studios at his residence in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole, Surrey, River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its ...

, Surrey. Additionally, Gray is known as the composer for the Anderson live-action series of the 1970s, such as '' UFO'' and '' Space: 1999'' (though he was not involved in scoring '' The Protectors''). His work in cinema included the scores to the ''Thunderbirds'' feature films '' Thunderbirds Are Go'' (1966) and '' Thunderbird 6'' (1968), and the live-action science-fiction drama ''

Doppelgänger A doppelgänger ( ), sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its own fleshly counterpart. In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or p ...

'' (1969). Gray's professional association with Anderson and his career in TV and film scoring ended when he decided to leave the production of ''Space: 1999'' after the completion of the

first series First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

. His replacement for the second series was Derek Wadsworth, who composed new title music. In 1970, Gray moved from Esher to

St Peter Port St. Peter Port () is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. Peter Port is a small tow ...

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

. Later, after his retirement, he served as resident pianist at the Old Government House Hotel. Gray died in hospital on Guernsey on 26 April 1984. He had a son, Simon.

Composing style

Gray's music is characterised by the use of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

and percussion sections. It made extensive use of

leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...

s, with each

machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

in '' Thunderbirds'' having its own theme and the eponymous title character of '' Joe 90'' being accompanied on-screen by a wordless representation of his name. The ensembles required for Gray's scoring in series such as ''Thunderbirds'' and ''

'' dwarfed those used in the production of most contemporary television programmes; even the orchestra employed for the first Anderson-produced series to carry the "Supermarionation" label, ''

Supercar A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...

'', comprised some forty instrumentalists. A standout example is ''Stingray: March of the Oysters'' (1964), which was later recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine. Besides composing and conducting orchestral scores for television and film, Gray developed an interest in the

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , ) or ondes musicales () is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a lateral-vibrato Keyboard instrument, keyboard or by moving a ring tied to a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. D ...

, which he used to produce unconventional musical notes as well as electronic

sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

in several of his scores, including those for ''

'' and ''

'' (1969). Gray's knowledge and recognition in the field resulted in commissions to provide electronic music and sound effects for such films as ''

Dr. Who and the Daleks ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' is a 1965 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the first of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars Peter Cushin ...

'' (1965), '' Island of Terror'' (1966), and '' Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' (1966), and uncredited work on ''

Fahrenheit 451 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 Dystopian fiction, dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. It presents a future American society where books have been outlawed and "firemen" Book burning, burn any that are found. The novel follows in the ...

'' (1966). Gray believed that the score for the live action ''Doppelgänger'' was his best. It was recorded in three studio sessions between 27 and 29 March 1969.Archer, Simon; Hearn, Marcus (2002). ''What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson''. London, UK: BBC Books. . The first of these sessions used a 55-member orchestra, the second 44 and the third 28. The scenes of Ross and Kane's journey to the Counter-Earth are accompanied by a piece titled "Sleeping Astronauts" featuring the Ondes Martenot, played by French ondiste Sylvette Allart. Archer and Hearn describe this piece as "one of the most enchanting" ever written by Gray, adding that the soundtrack as a whole evokes a "traditional Hollywood feel" in contrast with the film's future setting. Fanderson, the official appreciation society dedicated to the productions of Gerry Anderson, has gained access to all Gray's original studio tapes and undertaken a major re-issue project, compiling the theme and

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

from Gray's various collaborations with Anderson onto a series of re-mastered CDs. Silva Screen Records has released several single-disc versions of the tv series soundtracks (''Supercar'', '' Fireball XL5'', '' Thunderbirds'') and feature film ''Thunderbirds are Go''. Unlike the Fanderson releases (members-only) the Silva Screen discs are available to the general public.

Centenary concert

On the evening of 8 November 2008, to mark the centenary year of Gray's birth, a concert was held in the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

at London's South Bank Centre. Ralph Titterton, restorer of the Gray archive and co-producer of the original soundtrack CDs, and Cathy Ford, a librarian, researcher and biographer, joined film composer, conductor and arranger François Evans to produce the event in aid of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.

Discography

*''Space Age Nursery Rhymes'' (Mini- EP, Century 21. Comical updates of nursery rhymes sung by Ken Barrie and Eula Parker; "Three Refined Mice" sung by Gray.) *''Great Themes from Thunderbirds'' (Mini-EP, Century 21. Record with incidental music.) *''Themes from Captain Scarlet'' (Mini-EP, Century 21. Record with songs and instrumentals from the series and some cover versions of other series.) *''No Strings Attached'' (

Maxi-single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

. A release of all the commercial recordings of theme music, near-originals. The CD release also includes "March of the Oysters" from the ''

'' episode "Secret of the Giant Oyster".) *'' Thunderbirds Are Go!'' ( LP,

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

. Film soundtrack incorporating pieces from the TV series; not the original film recording. The EMI CD release also includes the tracks sung by

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

.) *'' Thunderbirds'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *'' Captain Scarlet'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *'' Space: 1999'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *'' Joe 90'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *''Stand By For Adverts'' (CD, Trunk Records. A compilation of Gray's TV advertising

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

s and incidental music recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s. Released in 2011.)
''The Cult Files Re-Opened''. Silva Screen 2 CDs (1997)
Cult TV and film themes. *''

/ Fireball XL5'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 1998) *'' Space: 1999 year 1'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 1998) *'' UFO'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2003) *'' Thunderbird 6'' (CD,

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. Film soundtrack, released posthumously in 2005) *'' The Secret Service'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2007) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2009) *'' UFO'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2010) *'' Four Feather Falls'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2011) *'' Fireball XL5'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2012) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2013) *'' Space: 1999 year 1'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2014) *'' Thunderbirds Are Go/ Thunderbird 6'' (CD, La-La Land records. Films soundtrack, released posthumously in 2014) *'' Thunderbirds'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2015) *'' Captain Scarlet'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2015) *'' Joe 90'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2017) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson, Film soundtrack, released posthumously in 2018) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2019) *'' UFO'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2020)

References

External links