David Sinclair Whitaker (6 January 1931 – 11 January 2012) was an English composer, songwriter, arranger, and conductor who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.

Musical works

Whitaker, who was born in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable a ...

, collaborated with many prestigious British and French artists including

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, Etienne Daho,

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French '' yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, ...

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

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Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various ...

(for the soundtrack to ''Death Wish II''), Saint Etienne,

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...

and

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...

, and other international artists including

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

Kings of Convenience Kings of Convenience is an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway, consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe. History Øye and Bøe were both born in 1975 (Øye on 21 November and Bøe on 25 October) and have known each other since ...

and

Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referring to the elegance of his lyrics. He is of ...

. Whitaker recorded several sessions with the

BBC Radio Orchestra The BBC Radio Orchestra was a broadcasting orchestra based in London, maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1964 until 1991. The BBC Radio Orchestra was formed in 1964 as a large, flexible studio orchestra on the Nelson Riddle/H ...

at the Maida Vale Studios, London, in the early 1980s, featuring a mixture of his own compositions and arrangements, to high acclaim. In 1992, David Whitaker (along with Adrian Burch), arranged and produced a recording of the

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

hit " Heartbeat" with vocals performed by actor/singer

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in '' EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in ''Heartbeat'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart sin ...

. It was to be used as the title theme for popular ITV drama series '' Heartbeat'', which also starred Berry. The single was released in 1992 and reached number 2 on the U.K. chart. It was used on every episode of the series until its cancellation in 2010. David and Adrian also composed incidental music for many episodes, although with an increase in the number of episodes produced per year and the reduction in production time per episode, episodes later began to be heavily scored with sections of 1960s pop songs. Alongside his other collaborations, David Whitaker recorded many interpretations of songs for albums released by ''Reader's Digest''. They were usually credited to David Whitaker And His Orchestra. Work with Shel Talmy Shel Talmy was a major record producer with whom Whitaker collaborated. Talmy used Whitaker as arranger and orchestra leader extensively on his sessions from 1965 through to the 1970s, which included singles released on Talmy's Planet label. Talmy produced ''Music To Spy By'', the 1966 David Whitaker Orchestra album for CBS, composed of Whitaker originals. He also produced the albums ''And A Touch Of Love'' by Bill Davies, and T''he Revolutionary Piano of Nicky Hopkins'', for which Whitaker did the arrangements. Whitaker was also the arranger on the Talmy-produced fortieth birthday by Lee Hazlewood, ''Forty''. Talmy was also involved with several of the film soundtracks that Whitaker composed, and was the musical director on the film, ''Scream And Scream Again'', starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee.

Selected film scores

* 1968: ''

Hammerhead Hammerhead may refer to: * The head of a hammer Fiction * Hammerhead (comics), a Marvel Comics foe of Spider-Man * ''Hammerhead'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel by James Mayo * '' Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy'' a 2005 TV movie starring ...

'', directed by David Miller, starring

Vince Edwards Vince Edwards (born Vincent Edward Zoine; July 9, 1928 – March 11, 1996) was an American actor and director. He was best known for his TV role as doctor Ben Casey and as Major Cliff Bricker in the 1968 war film '' The Devil's Brigade''. E ...

* 1968: '' Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River'', directed by

Jerry Paris William Gerald Paris (July 25, 1925 – March 31, 1986) was an American actor and director best known for playing Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie, on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', and for directing the majo ...

, starring

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in pop culture, Lewis was nickn ...

* 1969: ''

The Desperados ''The Desperados'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Henry Levin and starring Vince Edwards and Jack Palance. Plot A ruthless preacher, Parson Josiah Galt, leads a band of Southern marauders during the Civil War that includes his s ...

'', directed by Henry Levin, starring

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

* 1969: '' Run Wild, Run Free'', directed by

Richard C. Sarafian Richard Caspar Sarafian (April 28, 1930 – September 18, 2013) was an Armenian-American film director and actor. He compiled a versatile career that spanned over five decades as a director, actor, and writer. Sarafian is best known as the direct ...

, starring

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

* 1970: ''

Scream and Scream Again ''Scream and Scream Again'' is a 1970 British science fiction conspiracy thriller film starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Alfred Marks, Michael Gothard, and Peter Cushing. It is based on the novel ''The Disorientated Man'' (1967) attri ...

'', directed by

Gordon Hessler Gordon Hessler (12 December 1925 – 19 January 2014) was a German-born British film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Early Years Born in Berlin, Germany, Katz, Ephraim. ''The Film Encyclopedia'', Harper Perennial ...

, starring

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wa ...

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...

* 1970: '' Eyewitness'', directed by John Hough, starring

Mark Lester Mark Lester (born Mark A. Letzer; 11 July 1958) is an English former child actor, osteopath, and acupuncturist who starred in a number of British and European films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968 he played the title role in the film ''Oliver ...

, Susan George * 1971: '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'', directed by

Roy Ward Baker Roy Ward Baker (born Roy Horace Baker; 19 December 1916 – 5 October 2010) was an English film director. His best known film is '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) which won a Golden Globe for Best English-Language Foreign Film in 1959. His later ...

, starring

Ralph Bates Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom '' Dear John'' and the original '' Poldark''. Biography Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were b ...

, Martine Beswick * 1972: ''

Vampire Circus ''Vampire Circus'' is a 1972 British horror film directed by Robert Young and starring Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Anthony Higgins (billed as Anthony Corlan). It was written by Judson Kinberg, and produced by Wilbur Stark and Michael ...

'', directed by

Robert Young Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, or Bobby Young may refer to: Academics * R. A. Young (Robert Arthur Young, 1871–1959), British physician * Robert J. C. Young (born 1950), British cultural critic and historian * Robert J. Young (born 1942), Canadian h ...

, starring

Adrienne Corri Adrienne Corri (born Adrienne Riccoboni; 13 November 1931 – 13 March 2016) was a Scottish actress. Early life She was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow in November 1931, the daughter of an English mother (Olive Smethurst) and an Italian f ...

* 1972: ''

That's Your Funeral ''That's Your Funeral'' was a BBC sitcom from 1971 about a North of England funeral director called Basil Bulstrode (Bill Fraser). Storylines used many urban legends about the funeral industry. It was cancelled after one series. A very simil ...

'', directed by John Robins, starring

Bill Fraser William Simpson Fraser (5 June 1908 – 9 September 1987) was a Scottish actor who appeared on stage, screen and television for many years. In 1986 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his stage role in the play '' ...

* 1972: ''

Danny Jones Daniel Alan David Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2005'' (born 12 March 1986) is an English singer-songwriter and musician who is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly. Jones ...

'', directed by Jules Bricken, starring

Frank Finlay Francis Finlay, (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an English stage, film and television actor, Oscar-nominated for a supporting role as Iago in Laurence Olivier's 1965 film adaptation of ''Othello''. In 1983, Finlay was directed by It ...

* 1974: '' Vampira'', directed by

Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''The Caretake ...

, starring

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other role ...

Teresa Graves Terresa M. Graves (January 10, 1948October 10, 2002), credited as Teresa Graves, was an American actress and singer best known for her starring role as undercover police detective Christie Love in the ABC crime-drama television series ''Get Chr ...

* 1974: ''

Mistress Pamela ''Mistress Pamela'' is a 1973 British sex comedy drama film directed by Jim O'Connolly and starring Ann Michelle, Dudley Foster, Anna Quayle and Anthony Sharp. It was loosely based on the 1740 novel '' Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded'' by S ...

'', directed by

Jim O'Connolly James Philip O'Connolly (23 February 1926, in Birmingham – December 1986, in Hythe, Kent, Hythe) was an England, English actor, Film director, director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the associate producer of many ...

, starring

Ann Michelle Ann Michelle (born 11 August 1952) is a British actress. Biography Michelle's father Joseph was a fish trader at Billingsgate Fish Market and her mother Shirley an actress. One of her sisters is the actress Vicki Michelle. While her parent ...

* 1978: ''

The Playbirds ''The Playbirds'' is a 1978 British sexploitation film, made by Irish-born director Willy Roe and starring 1970s pin-up Mary Millington alongside Glynn Edwards, Suzy Mandel and Windsor Davies. It was the official follow-up to '' Come Play with ...

'', directed by Willy Roe, starring

Mary Millington Mary Ruth Maxted (née Quilter; 30 November 1945 – 19 August 1979), known professionally as Mary Millington from 1974 onwards, was an English model and pornographic actress. Her appearance in the short softcore film ''Sex is My Business'' ...

* 1978: ''

Dominique "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bor ...

'', directed by Michael Anderson, starring

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 196 ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

* 1979: ''

Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair ''Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair'' (UK re-release title: ''Star Sex'') is a 1979 British sexploitation comedy film directed by Willy Roe and starring Alan Lake, Glynn Edwards, Mary Millington, Bernie Winters, Diana Dors and Antony ...

'', directed by Willy Roe, starring

Alan Lake Alan Lake (24 November 1940 – 10 October 1984) was an English actor, best known as the third and final husband of screen star Diana Dors. Biography Alan Lake was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 November 1940.Donnelley, Paul ...

* 1982: ''

The Sword and the Sorcerer ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'' is a 1982 American sword and sorcery fantasy film co-written and directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll. The pl ...

'', directed by

Albert Pyun Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...

, starring

Lee Horsley Lee Arthur Horsley (born May 15, 1955) is an American film, television, and theater actor known for starring roles in the television series '' Nero Wolfe'' (1981), ''Matt Houston'' (1982–1985), and '' Paradise'' (1988–1991). He starred in th ...

Kathleen Beller Kathleen Beller (born February 19, 1956) is an American actress who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in '' Promises in the Dark'' (1979) and was well known for her role as Ki ...

* 1998: '' Shadow Run'', directed by Geoffrey Reeve, starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

James Fox William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' King Rat'', '' The Servant'', ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and ''Performan ...

* 2000: ''

With a Friend Like Harry ''Harry, He's Here to Help'' (french: Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien - "Harry, a friend who wishes you well", US title: ''With a Friend Like Harry...'') is a French film released in 2000. It was directed by Dominik Moll. Plot Middle-class c ...

(Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien)'', directed by

Dominik Moll Dominik Moll (born 7 May 1962) is a German-born French film director and screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenp ...

, starring

Sergi López Sergi López may refer to: *Sergi López (actor) (born 1965), Spanish actor * Sergi López Segú (1967–2006), Spanish footballer See also *Sergio López (disambiguation) Sergio López may refer to: * Sergio Augusto López Ramírez (born 1961), M ...

* 2006: ''

Lemming A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also incl ...

'', directed by

, starring

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...

Discography

Compilation

* 2002: ''The David Whitaker Songbook'', 1 CD Collection "Musée de l’Imaginaire", Album 20 Tricatel - Compiled by Thomas Jamois and

Bertrand Burgalat Bertrand Burgalat Born: July 1963 French musician, composer and producer. Background Bertrand Burgalat was born in the Corsican town of Bastia in 1963. His father, a high-ranking civil servant, was the sub-prefect of the island at the ti ...

with the help of David Whitaker (all selections arranged and conducted by David Sinclair Whitaker), track listing: # The Andrew Oldham Orchestra
''The Last Time''
(

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

) Westminster Music / ABKCO Music, Inc. (BMI)
(P) 1967 Immediate Records, lnc # Long Chris
''La Petite fille de l’hiver''
(Éric Demarsan, Long Chris) Ed. Tulsa
(P) 1967 Philips # OST ''Run Wild, Run Free''
''Philip’s Triumph''
(David Whitaker) Screen Gems-Columbia, BMI
(P) 1969 SGC # ''Music To Spy By''
''Strange Affair''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1965 CBS #

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pla ...

''I‘m Not Saying''
(

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 19 ...

) Chelsea Music Publishing
(P) 1965 Andrew Loog Oldham Production # ''Music to spy by''
''Alive at Last''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1965 CBS # OST ''Run Wild, Run Free''
''A Ride on the White Colt''
(David Whitaker) Screen Gems-Columbia, BMI
(P) 1969 SGC #

''What’s More I Don’t Need Her''
(Lee Hazlewood) Lee Hazlewood Music, Corp
(P) 1970 Lee Hazlewood Music, Corp # David Whitaker
''Pavane''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1974 Reserved rights # David Whitaker
''Susie''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1974 Reserved rights # OST ''Run Wild, Run Free''
''Philip on the Moors''
(David Whitaker) Screen Gems-Columbia, BMI
(P) 1969 SGC # OST ''Run Wild, Run Free''
''Philip Grows Up''
(David Whitaker) Screen Gems-Columbia, BMI
(P) 1969 SGC # OST ''Hammerhead''
''Hood Explore The Triton''
(David Whitaker) Screen Gems-Columbia, BMI
(P) 1968 Colgems Records, lnc # ''Music To Spy By''
''Interception''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1965 SGC #

''Chanson Indienne (Indian Song)''
(lyrics: Robert Gall; music: David Whitaker) Ed. Sidonie
(P) 1968 Philips # OST ''Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien''
''L’Autoroute des vacances''
(David Whitaker) Ed. Diaphana / BMG Music Pub.
(P) 2000 Diaphana / Source #

Plaisir d'Amour "" (, "Pleasure of love") is a classical French love song written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini (1741–1816); it took its text from a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755–1794), which appears in his novel ''Célestine''. The so ...

''
(Public domain)
(P) 1965 Andrew Loog Oldham Production # ''Music To Spy By''
''Cressida''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1965 SGC # ''Music To Spy By''
''Mr Mouthpiece''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1965 SGC #

''Remember'' (David Whitaker version)
(

Nicolas Godin Nicolas Godin (born 25 December 1969) is a French musician best known for being half of the music duo Air. Early life Godin was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France, and studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture d ...

Jean-Benoît Dunckel Jean-Benoît Dunckel (born 7 September 1969) is a French musician best known for being one half of the French music duo Air, along with Nicolas Godin. In the 1980s, he formed the band Orange with Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Jean de Reydell ...

) Ed. Revolvair
(P) 1998 Source # David Whitaker
''Dominique''
(David Whitaker)
(P) 1973 Reserved rights

Awards

* David Whitaker, nominated in 2001 for the

César Award for Best Music Written for a Film Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

with the French movie ''

(Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien)'' directed by Dominik Moll.

Death

Whitaker died on 11 January 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, David English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English composers English songwriters 1931 births 2012 deaths People from Kingston upon Thames Varèse Sarabande Records artists British male songwriters