Charles Ira Fox (born October 30, 1940) is an American composer for film and television. His compositions include the

sunshine pop Sunshine pop, originally called soft pop and soft rock, is a loosely defined form of pop music that was first associated with early soft rock producers and songwriters based in Los Angeles, California, during the mid-to late 1960s. Its recording ...

musical backgrounds which accompanied every episode of the 1970s ABC-TV show ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

''; the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the late 1970s ABC series ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

''; and the dramatic theme music to ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'' and the original ''

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

''; as well as the Grammy-winning hit song " Killing Me Softly with His Song", written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman and Fox's longtime writing partner,

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist and songwriter of popular songs and themes to television shows and films. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (with composer Cha ...

Early life

Fox was born in

The Bronx, New York City The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, the son of Mollie and Walter Fox. Walter was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrant from Szydlowiec,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. While still a student at the

High School of Music & Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as Music & Art (or M&A), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High S ...

, Fox studied jazz piano with

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

. He then continued his musical education with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

, first at

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

and then privately in Paris. Following his return to the United States, he studied electronic music with

Vladimir Ussachevsky Vladimir Alexeevich Ussachevsky (November 3, 1911 in Hailar, China – January 2, 1990 in New York, New York) was a Russian-American composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music. Biography Vladimir Ussachevsky was born in ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He married Joan Susan Redman on September 9, 1962.

Career

Fox's career started by playing the piano for, composing, and arranging for artists in NYC's vibrant Latin music scene such as

Ray Barretto Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Lati ...

, Joe Quijano and

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

. He also wrote theme music and arranged for Skitch Henderson and The Tonight Show Orchestra. Fox worked under the banner of Bob Israel's

Score Productions Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television shows. Started in 1963 in a brownstone townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan by music producer Bob Israel, Score has c ...

where he composed the themes for several Goodson-Todman game shows including NBC's version of the ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity paneli ...

,'' the syndicated versions of ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

,'' and ''

To Tell The Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

,'' whose lyrics were written by Goodson-Todman director Paul Alter. He co-composed the theme song and all the original scores for ''

,'' along with Arnold Margolin. Fox began working with record producer and songwriter

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons. As a songw ...

. The pair are responsible for the 1968 movie soundtrack, Barbarella starring actress

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

. Their successful working relationship prompted Crewe to hire Fox to arrange his next project,

Lotti Golden Lotti Golden (born November 27, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, poet and artist. Golden is best known for her 1969 debut album ''Motor-Cycle (album), Motor-Cycle'', on Atlantic Records. Winner of the American Society of ...

's iconic 1969 album, Motor-Cycle (album) on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Fox also composed the music for " Killing Me Softly with His Song," featuring lyrics by

and Lori Lieberman, in 1972. The song was inspired by Lieberman listening to

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Known as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail", he is best known for his 1971 hit "American Pie (song), American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minut ...

sing at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Fox and Gimbel had been managing her early career, and the song was released first by Lieberman, with writing credit assigned to Fox and Gimbel, cutting Lieberman out. Lieberman's version was only a minor hit, but the song became an international number 1 hit for

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

in 1973 and again for the Fugees in 1997. The song won the Grammy for Best Song in 1973. Fox denies Lieberman's involvement, and failed to force McLean to change his website. Fox and Gimbel later wrote the themes for many films such as '' The Last American Hero'' (" I Got a Name", sung by

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American Folk music, folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of o ...

), '' Foul Play'' (" Ready to Take a Chance Again", sung by

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

) and many television series, including '' The Bugaloos,'' ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

,'' ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' is an American television sitcom that ran for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Wi ...

'' (" Making Our Dreams Come True" sung by Cyndi Grecco), '' Angie'' ("Different Worlds" sung by

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; " We May Never Love Like This Again" from ' ...

), '' The Paper Chase'' ("The First Years" sung by

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

; Emmy-nominated Best Song), and ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

.'' He also wrote "Together Through The Years" along with fellow composer Stephen Geyer for '' The Hogan Family'' series, sung by

. In 1977, Fox composed " Love Boat", the theme to the popular TV series ''

''. It had lyrics by Paul Williams, and was sung by Jack Jones until the ninth and final season when

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

was featured. The single released by Jack Jones in 1979 peaked at #37 on the Billboard US

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart. In February 1981, Fox peaked at #75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song, ''"Seasons".'' It was co-written and co-produced by Ed Newmark. In 2010, Fox published his memoirs, ''Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music''. "The Charles Fox Singers" was the credited name for the group vocalists who performed his compositions on television and movie themes and cues; they were actually The Ron Hicklin Singers.

Film scores

In total Fox has created film scores for over 100 films including: * '' Barbarella'' (1968) * '' The Green Slime'' (English language version, 1969.

Stock music Production music (also known as stock music or library music) is recorded music that can be licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media. Often, the music is produced and owned by production music libraries. Backgrou ...

selection only, no composing) * '' Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969) * '' Pufnstuf'' (1970) * '' Making It'' (1971) * ''

Star Spangled Girl ''Star Spangled Girl'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Paris and based on the 1966 Neil Simon play '' The Star-Spangled Girl''. It stars Sandy Duncan, Tony Roberts, Todd Susman, and Elizabeth Allen. Plot In a Los ...

'' (1971) * '' Women in Chains'' (1972) * ''

A Separate Peace ''A Separate Peace'' is a Bildungsroman, coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, published in 1959. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", published in the May 1956 issue of ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'', it was Knowles's first p ...

'' (1972) * '' Dying Room Only'' (1973) * '' The Laughing Policeman'' (1973) * '' The Last American Hero'' (1973) (NY Film critics Best Song of the year " I Got a Name") * '' The Stranger Within'' (1974) * '' Bug'' (1975) * '' The Other Side of the Mountain'' (1975) (Oscar and Golden Globe Nominated, Best Song "Richard's Window" and Best Score) * '' The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox'' (1976) * ''

Two-Minute Warning The two-minute warning is a suspension of play in an American football game that occurs when two minutes remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e., near the end of the second and fourth quarters, and overtime. Its effect on play is s ...

'' (1976) * '' Victory at Entebbe'' (1976) * '' One on One'' (1977) * '' Foul Play'' (1978) (Oscar & Golden Globe nominated, Best Song "Ready To Take A Chance Again") * '' The Last Married Couple in America'' (1980) * ''

Little Darlings ''Little Darlings'' is a 1980 American teen comedy-drama film starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol and featuring Armand Assante and Matt Dillon. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. The screenplay was written by Kimi Peck and Dalen ...

'' (1980) * '' Oh, God! Book II'' (1980) * ''

9 to 5 Working time or laboring time is the period of time that a person spends at paid Wage labour, labor. Unpaid work, Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countri ...

'' (1980) * '' Six Pack'' (1982) * '' Strange Brew'' (1983) * '' National Lampoon's European Vacation'' (1985) * '' Doin' Time'' (1985) * '' Christmas Comes to Willow Creek'' (1987) * ''

Short Circuit 2 ''Short Circuit 2'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film, the sequel to the 1986 film ''Short Circuit''. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi, Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sand ...

'' (1988) * '' The Gods Must Be Crazy II'' (1990) * '' Repossessed'' (1990) * '' A Thousand Heroes'' (1992) * '' Christmas in Connecticut'' (1992) * '' Gordy'' (1995)

Awards and honors

* Fox was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

in 2004. * BMI Richard Kirk Award For Outstanding Life Achievement *

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

–

Grammy Award for Song of the Year The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. The Song of the Year award is one of the four most prestigious categories at ...

- "Killing Me Softly with His Song" *

New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scho ...

– Best Film Song - “I Got a Name” *

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

– Best Score - “Love American Style” * Emmy Winner – Best Theme Song - “Love American Style” * Emmy Nomination (Four Times) – Best Score, “Love American Style” * Emmy Nomination – Best Song, “The Paper Chase” *

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination –

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

, “Richard’s Window”/The Other Side of the Mountain *

nomination –

– “Ready to Take a Chance Again”/Foul Play *

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

–

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications out ...

, "The Other Side of the Mountain” * Golden Globe Nomination – Best Song, “Richard’s Window”/The Other Side of the Mountain * Golden Globe Nomination – Best Song, “Ready to Take a Chance Again”/Foul Play * Grammy Nomination – Best Soundtrack for a film, “Nine to Five” * Society of Composers and Lyricists, “Ambassador’s Award” for Life Achievement * Bronx Walk of Fame, inducted 2008 * Smithsonian Museum permanent exhibit, inducted 2011 * Middleburg Film Festival - Legacy Composer Award, 2021

References

External links

* *
Songwriters Hall of Fame

KillingMeSoftly.com
*
Charles Fox Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Charles 1940 births American expatriates in France American film score composers American male film score composers American people of Polish-Jewish descent American television composers Columbia University alumni Composers from New York City Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Grammy Award winners Jewish American film score composers Jewish American songwriters Jewish American television composers Living people American male television composers Wide World of Sports (American TV program)