David Lee Shire (born July 3, 1937) is an American songwriter and composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. Among his best known works are the motion picture soundtracks to '' The Big Bus'', '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'', '' The Conversation'', '' All the President's Men'', and parts of the '' Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack such as "Manhattan Skyline". His other work includes the score of the 1985 film '' Return to Oz'' (the "sequel-in-part" of '' The Wizard of Oz''), and the stage musical scores of ''

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

'', ''

Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * Big (film), ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big'', a 2023 Taiwanese children's film starring Van Fan and Chie Tanaka * ''Big!'', a ...

'', '' Closer Than Ever'', and '' Starting Here, Starting Now''. Shire is married to actress

Didi Conn Edith "Didi" Conn (née Bernstein; born July 13, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her work as Frenchy in '' Grease'', Denise Stevens Downey in '' Benson'' and Stacy Jones in '' Shining Time Station''. Early life Edith Bernst ...

Education and early career

Shire was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, to Esther Miriam (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Sheinberg) and Buffalo society band leader and piano teacher Irving Daniel Shire. His family was

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 ...

. His secondary education was at the Nichols School. He met his long-time theater collaborator lyricist/director Richard Maltby Jr. at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where they wrote two musicals, ''Cyrano'' and ''Grand Tour'', which were produced by the Yale Dramatic Association. Shire also co-fronted a jazz ensemble at Yale, the Shire-Fogg Quintet, and was a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

honors student, with a double major in English and music. He was a member of the Pundits and Elihu and he graduated ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' in 1959. After a semester of graduate work at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

(where he was the first Eddie Fisher Fellow) and six months in the U.S. Army National Guard

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, Shire took up residence in New York City, working as a dance class pianist, theater rehearsal and pit pianist, and society band musician while constantly working with Maltby on musicals. Their first

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

show, ''The Sap of Life'', was produced in 1961 at One Sheridan Square Theater in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

. He co-wrote The Village Stompers' " Washington Square" with Bob Goldstein in 1963.

Film and television scoring

Shire began scoring for television in the 1960s and made the leap to scoring

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s in the early 1970s. He was then married to actress

Talia Shire Talia Rose Shire (née Coppola; born April 25, 1946) is an American actress and member of the Coppola family. She is best known for her roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather (film series), ''The Godfather'' trilogy and Adrian Pennino, Adrian ...

, for whose brother

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

he scored '' The Conversation'', perhaps his best known score, in 1974. Additional screen credits include '' Two People'', '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'', '' The Hindenburg'', '' Farewell, My Lovely'', '' All The President's Men'', '' The Big Bus'', ''

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

'', '' Return to Oz'', ''

Short Circuit A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circuit ...

'', '' Max Dugan Returns'', and ''

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

''. He composed original music for '' Saturday Night Fever'' (for which he received two

Grammy Award 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 ...

nominations), and also worked on several disco adaptations including "Night on Disco Mountain". He won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1979 for his and Norman Gimbel's theme song for '' Norma Rae,'' " It Goes Like It Goes." He was also nominated the same year in the same category for "I'll Never Say Goodbye," from the motion picture '' The Promise,'' with lyrics jointly written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. In 1979 his song " With You I'm Born Again," recorded by Billy Preston and Syreeta, was a top five international hit and stayed on the pop charts for 26 weeks. '' The Conversation'' featured a score for piano. On some cues, Shire took the taped sounds of the piano and distorted them in different ways to create alternative sonic textures to round out the score. The music is intended to capture the isolation and paranoia of protagonist Harry Caul ( Gene Hackman). The score was released on CD by Intrada Records. For the "Main Title" of '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,'' Shire set a jazz-funk groove in B-flat minor, and made the lead melodies and chords out of atonal twelve-tone rows in short bursts of variously shaped motives. The soundtrack album was the first-ever CD release by '' Film Score Monthly.'' The end titles contain a more expansive arrangement of the theme. Shire's television scores have earned five

Emmy 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 catego ...

nominations. His hundreds of scores for television include: '' Killer Bees''; '' Raid on Entebbe''; '' The Kennedys of Massachusetts;'' '' Serving In Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story;'' Christopher Reeve's ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...

'';

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

's '' The Women of Brewster Place;'' and '' The Heidi Chronicles.'' He also composed themes for the television series '' Alice'' and '' McCloud'' and the 1976-1977 Danny Thomas situation comedy ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

''. Shire's film and television scoring style is often compared to his late counterpart and contemporary Jerry Fielding.

Musical theatre

As a pit pianist, Shire played for the original productions of both ''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...

'' and '' Funny Girl'', eventually serving as

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

's accompanist for several years. He also intermittently conducted and arranged for her (most notably for her television specials '' Color Me Barbra'' and ''The Belle of Fourteenth Street''), and over a period of several years she recorded five of his songs. Shire's musical theatre work, always in collaboration with lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. includes the two off-Broadway revues '' Starting Here, Starting Now'' ( Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album) and '' Closer Than Ever'' (Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best Musical) and the two Broadway shows ''

'' ( Tony nominations for Best Musical and Best Score) and ''

'' (Tony nomination for Best Score). All of these shows have had hundreds of regional and stock productions worldwide. A new musical entitled '' Take Flight'' premiered in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory in July 2007, with a separate production in Tokyo in November 2007. Previously concert versions were performed in Australia and Russia. ''A Stream of Voices'', a one-act opera, with libretto by Gene Scheer, for the Colorado Children's Chorale, premiered in June 2008 in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. On October 27, 2012, the Broadway-style musical ''Loving the Silent Tears'' premiered in Los Angeles, including some songs composed by Shire.

Miscellaneous

Shire has conducted many orchestras, either for film scores or for pop concerts, including the London Symphony Orchestra, The

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Symphony. Shire wrote and composed many songs for the hit PBS children's TV series '' Shining Time Station'', which starred his wife

along with comedian

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...

. Shire serves on the council of the Dramatists Guild of America and is a trustee of the Rockland Conservatory of Music and the Palisades (New York) Library. He was inducted into th
Buffalo Music Hall of Fame
in 2006.

Personal life

From 1970 to 1980, Shire was married to actress

, with whom he has one son, screenwriter Matthew Shire. He has been married to actress

since 1984. They have a son, Daniel (born October 1992), who was diagnosed with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. David's brother, Sanford Shire (Sandy) was also a conductor most notably for Comedian/impressionist Fred Travalena. Sandy also published a book on the paintings of choreographer Antoni Nellé.

Selected filmography

*'' One More Train to Rob'' (1971) *'' Drive, He Said'' (1971) *'' Summertree'' (1971) *'' Skin Game'' (1971) *'' To Find a Man'' (1972) *'' Two People'' (1973) *'' Class of '44'' (1973) *'' Showdown'' (1973) *'' Killer Bees'' (1974) *'' Sidekicks'' (1974) *'' The Conversation'' (1974) *'' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' (1974) *'' The Hindenburg'' (1975) *'' Farewell, My Lovely'' (1975) *'' All the President's Men'' (1976) *'' Harry and Walter Go to New York'' (1976) *'' The Big Bus'' (1976) *'' Raid on Entebbe'' (1977) *'' Something for Joey'' (1977) *'' Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) *'' Straight Time'' (1978) *'' Fast Break'' (1979) *'' Norma Rae'' (1979) *'' The Promise'' (1979) *'' Old Boyfriends'' (1979) *''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...

'' (1979, rejected) *'' Only When I Laugh'' (1981) *'' Paternity'' (1981) *'' Max Dugan Returns'' (1983) *'' Oh, God! You Devil'' (1984) *''

'' (1984) *'' The Blue Yonder'' (1985) *'' Return to Oz'' (1985) *''

'' (1986) *'' 'night, Mother'' (1986) *'' Vice Versa'' (1988) *'' Backfire'' (1988) *'' Monkey Shines'' (1988) *'' Paris Trout'' (1991) *'' Bed & Breakfast'' (1992) *'' Four Eyes and Six Guns'' (1992) *'' Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey'' (1993, rejected) *'' The Man Who Wouldn't Die'' (1995) *'' The Streets of Laredo'' (1995) *''

'' (1998) *''

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

'' (2002) *''

'' (2007) *'' Beyond a Reasonable Doubt'' (2009) *'' The American Side'' (2016) *'' Love After Love'' (2017)

Theatre credits

;Broadway * '' Anyone Can Whistle'' (1964) - rehearsal pianist * '' Funny Girl'' (1964) - pit pianist and assistant conductor * '' The Unknown Soldier and His Wife'' (1967) - incidental music * ''How Do You Do, I Love You'' (1967) - composer * ''Love Match'' (1968) - composer * ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

'' (1970) -

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

arranger * ''

'' (1983) - composer - Tony Award for Best Original Score nomination * ''

'' (1996) - composer - Tony Award for Best Original Score nomination;

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for Outstanding Music nomination * '' Saturday Night Fever'' - songwriter of "Manhattan Skyline," "Salsation," and "Night on Disco Mountain" ;Off-Broadway (selected) * ''Graham Crackers'' (1963) * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (1973) * '' Starting Here, Starting Now'' (1977) * ''Urban Blight'' (1988) * '' Closer Than Ever'' (1989) - Outer Critics Circle Award winner; NYC revival (2012) * ''Smulnik's Waltz'' (1991) * ''The Loman Family Picnic'' (1993) * ''Visiting Mr. Green'' (1997) * '' Take Flight'' (2005–2011) - productions in London ( Menier Chocolate Factory), Tokyo, and Princeton ( McCarter Theatre)

Notable songs

* " With You I'm Born Again" - lyrics by Carol Connors - international chart hit by Billy Preston and Syreeta * "Starting Here, Starting Now", "Autumn" - lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. - recorded by

* "One Of The Good Girls" - lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. - recorded by Susannah McCorkle * "Stop, Time" - lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. - recorded by Susannah McCorkle * "What About Today", "The Morning After" - music and lyrics - recorded by Barbra Streisand * "The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye)" (

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 ...

nominee) - lyrics by

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

and Marilyn Bergman - recorded by Melissa Manchester * "Manhattan Skyline", "Salsation" - original music contributions to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album * "Night on Disco Mountain" - an adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky's " Night On Bald Mountain", also on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack * " It Goes Like It Goes" - lyrics by Norman Gimbel - recorded by Jennifer Warnes - (Academy Award winner) * "Coffee, Black" - lyrics by Maltby - recorded by John Pizzarelli * " Washington Square" - words and music (with Bob Goldstein) - recorded by The Village Stompers

References

External links

* * *
Board of Advisors, The Buffalo Film Festival, Buffalo, NY, United States
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shire, David Living people 1937 births 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American film score composers American male film score composers American male songwriters American male television composers American musical theatre composers American television composers Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Grammy Award winners Intrada Records artists Jewish American film score composers Jewish American military personnel Jewish American songwriters Jewish American television composers American male musical theatre composers Military personnel from Buffalo, New York Military personnel from New York (state) Musicians from Buffalo, New York Songwriters from New York (state) United States Army soldiers Yale University alumni