John Philip Shenale (often mentioned as Phil Shenale) is a Canadian composer, arranger, musician and producer based in Los Angeles.

Background

Shenale was born in Canada in 1951. His family relocated to the United States in the late-1950s. His earliest memories of music consisted of hearing his father, an avid lover of classical music, play the violin, cello and

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

in their home during his childhood. After attending a Latin High Mass at the age of five, he recalls being drawn to the piano in an attempt to recreate the music he had heard during the ceremony. The experience awakened his passion for the art and he soon found himself improvising his own music. It wasn't until the age of twelve, however, that he began formal piano lessons. Shenale began serious

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

while in high school, drawing inspiration from classical composers such as

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

, Granados, Britten and

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...

. He soon discovered modern-day musicians such as

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

which ignited his passion for

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, leading him to form his first band. During his undergraduate studies, he first majored in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and then music before dropping out in favor of playing and traveling with a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

club band.

Career

Shenale has a very deliberate production style, carefully creating a very natural-sounding theatrical background using both cutting-edge and very old tools. He has contributed his talents as a composer, arranger, musician and/or producer to over forty Gold and Platinum albums, both domestic and international and over thirty Top-40 singles. His work has been associated with 21 Grammy nominations.

Composer

Shenale as a composer has worked with many artists on their studio albums such as ''Dream Street'' (Janet Jackson). He has composed songs and scores for films (''Return of the Living Dead III'', ''Losin' it'', ''The Dirt Bike Kid'', ''Steel Justice'') and the musical score for the dramatized audiobook ''Son of a Wanted Man''.

Producer

A record producer ensures artists deliver their best performances and supervises the technical engineering of the recording while coordinates the production team and process. Shenale's most well known works as a producer are ''Backstreets of Desire'', ''Loup Garou'', ''Crow Jane Alley'' and ''Pistola'' with Willy DeVille and ''Everything'' with the Bangles band. He believes the connection to the artist is key while he is working as a producer.

Arranger

Shenale has worked as a keyboard arranger and as a string arranger. A

music arrangement Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of musi ...

is a musical adaptation of an existing composition and even though it originates from classical music it's often used in popular music where arrangers include parts for music instruments which were not composed by the original songwriters. The instruments may vary and occasionally use full orchestras or even replace the artist's original performance e.g. ''Sin Palabras'' album Tori Amos' performance was replaced by The Appollon Musagete Quartet and

Andreas Ottensamer Andreas Ottensamer (born 4 April 1989) is an Austrian clarinettist and conductor. He was the principal clarinettist of the Berlin Philharmonic before he stepped down from his position on January 27, 2025. He announced his decision in order to foc ...

, a clarinet soloist. When it comes down to string arrangements Shenale uses first violins, second violins playing at a lower pitch range, violas and double basses. Shenale did the orchestra arrangements on ''Gold Dust'' (Tori Amos).

Orchestrator

Orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

is the practice of writing music for an orchestra or a musical ensemble or adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. In musical theatre, the composer writes a piano/vocal score and then the orchestrator creates the instrumental score for the

pit orchestra A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in Musical theatre, musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The term was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. ...

to play. Shenale was the orchestrator of ''The Light Princess,'' a musical composed by Tori Amos and presented at Royal National Theatre.

Conductor

Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture". Shenale was the conductor on ''Midwinter Graces'' album, ''American Doll Posse'' and ''Abnormally Attracted To Sin'' (Tori Amos).

Prepared Pianos

One of his distinctive sonic styles originates in his work on prepared pianos which flourished during his collaboration with Tori Amos and Willy DeVille altering the aesthetics of contemporary piano music following the path of

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

whose experimentations with prepared pianos uncovered new kind of timbres and instrumental techniques. Shenale prepared an upright piano for ''Bells For Her'' which was purposely deconstructed to sound like bells instead of a piano and was used both for the recording and the Under The Pink tour (1994). Barry Walters on PitchFork noted that Tori Amos dug deeper on ''Bells for her'' which suggests a ghost pirouetting across John Cage's prepared piano. The pitch on certain keys is way off, like an old upright in your grandparents' basement but the effect is finessed the way

bent notes from music to cacophony and back again.

Keyboardist

He has often played the

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...

, an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that uses the modulation of a magnetic pickup to create sound on many studio albums such as ''Crow Jane Alley'', ''Pistola'' (Willy DeVille) and ''Abnormally Attracted To Sin'' (Tori Amos). He occasionally uses the

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

, an electro-mechanical musical instrument which was designed to reproduce the sound of the original instrument yet replaying a tape created minor flunctuations in pitch and amplitude, so a note sounds slightly different each time it is played. He used it on the song ''Me and A Gun'' (Tori Amos). Shenale played the

Freeman string symphonizer The Freeman String Symphonizer was a 5-octave synthesizer of the 1970s. (The first prototype being shown prior to 1970, but the most well known shown in 1970, the second according to the Sound on Sound article) It was finally manufactured by the Ch ...

, a 5-octave

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

of the 1970s on ''Reindeer King'' (Tori Amos). Its sound was related to that of the

ARP String Ensemble The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral string synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their ''Solina'' brand). It was distributed in the United ...

, a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral synthesizer which produces the sound of glassy-sounding strings. He has used the ARP String Ensemble on Willy DeVille's albums and on other albums as well. The Hammond organ is an electric organ often played by Shenale on various collaborations. Even though the organ was originally marketed for churches it became popular with professional jazz musicians. He has used the Hammond S6 Chord Organ for ''The Wrong Band'' (Tori Amos) along with various other models on his albums with Willy DeVille and Tori Amos. He had played the

Clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

, an electrically amplified

clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance music, Renaissance, Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical eras. Historically, it was most ...

which is an electro-mechanical instrument that is usually used in conjunction with a keyboard amplifier on the studio albums ''Crow Jane Alley'' and ''Pistola'' (Willy DeVille). Shenale used the

Fender Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes (inventor), Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, b ...

which generated sound with keys and hammers but instead of strings, the hammers strike thin metal tines which vibrate to an electromagnetic pick up and then the signal is sent through a cable to an external keyboard amplifier and speaker giving a characteristic "bell" sound. The

Wurlitzer electronic piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

sounds similarly but the sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer which induces and electric current in a pickup. He has used the Fender Rhodes piano on ''Nouvelle Vague'' album (Sylvie Vartan) and the latter on his albums with Willy DeVille and Sylvie Vartan. He has played both

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

on various albums along with various models of synthesizers as a keyboardist. His favorite synthesizers are OB SEM 8-voice (OB8), OBSx, Yamaha CS80, hubrids Wave PPG, OB Xpander OSCAR and

Prophet VS The Prophet VS was a hybrid 8-voice synthesizer manufactured by Sequential Circuits and released in 1986. It is notable for being the first synthesizer to use vector synthesis to structure its sound, using a joystick arranged in a "diamond" patt ...

, Synclav, all of the Nords digital and the first EIII for samplers.

Other musical instruments

Apart from playing keyboards Shenale has played drums on ''One Step Ahead of the Blues'' and ''Cafe Days'' (Chris Spedding) and bass on the albums ''Charmed Life'' (Billy Idol), ''Bliss'' (Celestial Winds) and ''Purring Squirrels'' (Purring Squirrels).

The Forest Rangers

John Philip Shenale has been a member of the roots band '' The Forest Rangers,'' the house band of FX television action, crime, drama television series Sons Of Anarchy mostly known for the covers they performed for the series.

Early work

Shenale's early work began in film, a medium he would subsequently revisit throughout his career, with 1971's ''The Young Graduates''. Continuing throughout the 1970s he recorded and performed live with artists such as

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

, Redbone,

Jon Lucien Lucien Leopold Harrigan (January 8, 1942 – August 18, 2007), known professionally as Jon Lucien, was a singer from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Life and career Born in Tortola in 1942, Lucien was raised in St. Thomas. His parents we ...

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

and ''Severance''. However, he considers his collaborations, specifically during the latter part of the decade, with artists such as

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...

and

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

to be of particular value and significance, affording him a considerable amount of time in-studio where he was given the opportunity to work with

state-of-the-art The state of the art (SOTA or SotA, sometimes cutting edge, leading edge, or bleeding edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contex ...

equipment and to learn the language and various philosophies behind recording professionally. Shenale's instruments of choice during this time included the

Hammond Hammond may refer to: People * Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist * Hammond (surname) * Justice Hammond (disambiguation) Places Antarctica * Hammond Glacier, Antarctica Australia *Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in Sout ...

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

Orchestron The Vako Orchestron is a keyboard instrument made in the 1970s, that produces its sound through electronic amplification of sounds pre-recorded as an optical track on a disc. It is the professional version of the Mattel Optigan, an earlier and ...

along with various other synthesizers.

In popular music

Shenale's work has been featured on albums by artists such as

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created song ...

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995). She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

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 ...

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

and

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New wave music, new wave, blues, and country music, country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Gramm ...

1970-1979

He worked with Gregory Hines and his rock band called ''Severance'' in his homonym album ''Severance (1976, Largo, keyboards)'' and with the American rock band, The Beach Boys, on their album ''

L.A. (Light Album) ''L.A. (Light Album)'' is the 23rd studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on March 16, 1979, and their first issued through Sony Music, CBS Records. Recorded during a period of acrimony between the band members, it was a ...

'' (1979, Brother/Caribou/CBS, oberheim synthesizers). Good Timin is the second single of the album which reached at No. 40 during a stay of ten weeks on Billboard Hot 100 singles (1979, oberheim synthesizer).

1980–1989

In 1980 he worked with Italian the musician and filmmaker

Franco Battiato Francesco "Franco" Battiato (; 23 March 1945 – 18 May 2021) was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs explore many themes (including, but not limited to, ph ...

for the opening song ''Up Patriots To Arms'' on his album ''Patriots'' (Keyboards). The song was also included on the album ''Echoes of Sufi Dancers'' (1985, keyboards). Shenale worked with Australian-American musician and actor

on his platinum-certified '' Living in Oz'' rock album (1983, RCA, keyboards, string arrangements), on '' Hard to Hold'' certified platinum, rock, power pop album (1984, RCA, keyboards), on ''Tao'' certified gold, synth pop, new wave, rock album (1985, RCA, Keyboards, Synthesizer, DX-7) and on pop, rock ''

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

'' album (1999, RCA, violin, organ/Hammond, Synthesizer voices). "Affair Of The Heart" was the hit song from the ''Living in Oz'' album. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Rock Vocal Performance while ''Living in Oz'' peaked at No.12'', Hard To Hold'' on No. 16, ''Tao'' on No. 21 on Billboard 200.

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

said that "Affair Of The Heart ''shows a greater use of synthesizers and a hardened guitar sound''" than previous Springfield songs but retains his ability to create a powerful refrain. He worked with the German singer, songwriter and actress

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rise to prominence during the punk and Neue Deutsche Welle movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is ...

on her dance-pop, disco album '' Fearless'' (1983, CBS, keyboards). In 1984 he teamed up with the American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer

for her ''Dream Street'' pop, synth-pop, R&B album (1984, A&M, Composer, arranger, keyboards). The music video for the song "Dream Street", which was co-composed by Shenale, was shot during the shooting of the musical drama TV series Fame in which Janet Jackson played the role of Cleo Hewitt. He worked with the Brazilian singer-songwriter

Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes ''RC3'', is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the ...

, also known as ''King of Latin Music'' or simply ''The King,'' on his Latin, pop album ''Coração'' (1985, CBS, musician). He worked with the American singer and songwriter

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 ...

on his pop album '' Manilow'' (1985, RCA, synthesizer) and with the American singer, actress and television host

on her funk, soul, pop album ''

Finder of Lost Loves ''Finder of Lost Loves'' is an American drama television series aired by the ABC network during the 1984–1985 season. Synopsis After Cary Maxwell's (Anthony Franciosa) wife Kate dies, he decides to set up a private detective agency speciali ...

(1985, Arista, synthesizer programming).'' Shenale worked with the American singer

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a sol ...

on her pop, rock album ''

Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright lind ...

'' (1986, IRS, Keyboards, synthesizer) which was certified Gold and it peaked at No.13 at Billboard 200 and on her greatest hits album,''The Best of Belinda, Volume 1'' (1992, Keyboards, synthesizer) which was certified as a multiplatinum album. He worked with the American rock duo David & David on their rock album ''

Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...

'' (1986, A&M, programming). "Welcome To The Boomtown"'','' the themed debut hit single reached No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 27 in Australia. He collaborated with

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...

on her ''

Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' is the sixth studio album by the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, released in April 1986 by CBS/Columbia Records. The album was executive-produced by Jim Steinman, who had produced Tyler's previous album, ''Faster T ...

'' certified gold, pop, rock album (1986, CBS, synthesizer). Seven singles were released from the album including "Holding out for a Hero" (programming, synthesizer) which was featured in the musical drama film

Footloose ''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...

, it was included in its certified multiplatinum soundtrack album ''Footloose'' and peaked on No. 34 on Billboard Hot 100. He wrote the song ''I Want To Be Needed'' for Shari Belafonte and

Chris Norman Christopher Ward Norman (born 25 October 1950) is an English soft rock singer. Norman was the original lead singer of the English rock band Smokie (band), Smokie (1964–1986), which found success in Europe in the 1970s. "Stumblin' In", a 1978 ...

(an English soft rock singer known for being the lead vocalist of the band Smokie) which featured on the albums ''Eyes of Night'' (1987, Ariola), ''Hits from the Heart'' (1988) and ''Heartbreaking Hits'' (2004). John Philip Shenale worked with

James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne Order of Australia, OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian musician. He achieved fame as the lead singer of Australian Crawl, and subsequently went on to a successful solo career. Biography Early years Reyne was born ...

an Australian singer-songwriter, on his debut rock album ''

'' (1987, Capital, keyboards) which was listed as one of the Top 25 albums for 1987 in Australia. His collaboration with the American pop rock band

started with the ''Everything'' platinum pop, rock album (1988, CBS). He shaped the song "Eternal Flame''"'' into a keyboard driven music hit (1988, Keyboards, Producer, Programming). He worked on their '' The Essential Bangles'' pop, rock album (2004, Columbia, keyboards, programming) and on the ''We Are the '80s'' pop, rock album (2006, keyboards, programming). He worked with British-Australian singer and actress

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

on ''The Rumour'' pop album (1988, MCA, Keyboards, programming) and with the American alternative rock band

Dreams So Real Dreams So Real was an American alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, who gained national exposure in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded three albums, including two releases on Arista Records. History The trio was led by songw ...

on its rock album ''Rough Night in Jericho'' (1988, Arista, Keyboards). The title track reached No. 28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. In 1989 John Philip Shenale worked with the American singer, songwriter and actress

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

on her certified gold, R&B, adult contemporary album ''Good to be Back'' (1989, EMI, synthesizer, programming) which was nominated for two Grammy Awards (Best R&B Vocal Performance – female, ''We Sing Praises''/track Best R&B Performance by A Duo Or Group With Vocal). The album peaked at No. 59 of Billboard 200. He worked with Jimmy Hamen on ''Can't Fight the Midnight'' pop, rock album (1989, Polygram, keyboards) and with Jeff Silverman &

Kevin Raleigh Kevin Raleigh is an American singer and keyboardist best known for his tenure with the Michael Stanley Band. History Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 27, 1952, Raleigh came to local prominence in 1969 with the band Paper Sun, later known as ...

on ''Delusions of Grandeur'' pop, rock album (1989, Keyboards). He collaborated with Canadian singer-songwriter

Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...

on his album ''Turtle Island'' (1989, Capitol, piano). He worked with English folk, rock band River City People on their debut studio album '' Say Something Good'' (1989, Capitol, keyboards, keyboard programming) which peaked at No. 23 in the UK and remained in the charts for nine weeks. He worked with Jimmy Harnen, the lead singer of the band Synch, on his only solo rock album Can't Fight The Midnight (1989, WTG, keyboards).

1990–1999

John Philip Shenale collaborated with

, a Los Angeles quartet which was one of the most influential and iconic alternative rock bands of the late 1980s and the early 1990s on their certified multiplatinum, alternative metal, hard rock, alternative rock, funk metal, psychedelic album ''

Ritual de lo Habitual ''Ritual de lo Habitual'' ( Spanish for "Ritual of the Usual") is the second studio album by the American rock band Jane's Addiction, released on August 21, 1990, by Warner Bros. Records. Co-produced by Dave Jerden, it was the band's final stud ...

'' (1990, Warner, strings) which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. "

Been Caught Stealing "Been Caught Stealing" is a song by American rock band Jane's Addiction, released in November 1990 by Warner Bros. as the third single from the band's second album, ''Ritual de lo Habitual'' (1990). The song is also the band's biggest hit, spend ...

" was released as the third single from the album and became the band's biggest hit, spending four weeks at No.1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock chart. The song's accompanying music video humorously depicted people (including the band members) shoplifting at a grocery store and won a

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

for Best Alternative Video. John Philip Shenale is credited with the strings arrangement on ''Three Days'', and he also performed on ''Then She Did...'' He has been a member of the ''Royal Macadamians'' band along with Davitt Sigerson, John Beverly Jones and

Bob Thiele Jr. Bob Thiele Jr. (born July 3, 1955) is an American composer, musician and music producer. He has worked with many musical artists and on several soundtracks for TV shows and films. He is the son of producer Bob Thiele and singer Jane Harvey. Car ...

releasing the ''Experiments in Terror'' electronic, rock, funk, soul, pop album (1990, Island) creating an arty and idiosyncratic mixture of jazz-and-funk-infected tunes given a surrealistic spin. In 1990, John Philip Shenale worked as an engineer for

's certified gold, blues album '' Midnight Stroll'' (PolyGram), which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Recording. The album sold over five hundred million copies and peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200. He worked with American musician

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers formed ...

on his R&B, funk, rock album ''

High Wire Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

'' (1990, Elektra, keyboards) and on his funk, soul album '' Rubáiyát'' (1990, Elektra, keyboards). The album peaked at No. 174 on the Billboard 200. He worked with American singer and songwriter

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

on her adult alternative pop/rock, indie rock, contemporary folk album ''Swing The Statue!'' (1990, Rough Trade, Hammond organ, Kurzweil horns). He collaborated with rock band

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...

on its debut grunge, heavy metal, alternative metal, hard rock album ''Facelift'' (1990, CBS, musician) which was officially certified as twice platinum. The album's single, "Man In The Box", was nominated for a Grammy Award (Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal). Shenale worked with American singer, songwriter and artist Sarah Hickman on her folk, pop album ''

Shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

(1990, Elektra, organ, string section, keyboards,

tin whistle The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...

).'' The same year he played the bass on

's ''Charmed Life'', certified platinum, hard rock album (1990, Chrysalis, bass). The lead single "Cradle of Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award (Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male). He worked with French singer and actor

Marc Lavoine Marc Lucien Lavoine (; born 6 August 1962) is a French singer and actor. In 1985, his hit single " Elle a les yeux revolver..." reached number four on the French Singles chart and marked the beginning of his successful singing career. He starre ...

on his certified gold, pop album ''Paris'' (1991, BMG, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming) and with John Campbell on his blues album ''One Believer'' (1991, Elektra/WEA, engineer). He has worked with Australian rock singer

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...

on his certified multiplatinum, soul album ''Soul Deep'' (1991, Mushroom, keyboards, horn arrangements, string arrangements) which peaked at No.1 ARIA album charts, his certified platinum, rock album ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

'' (1993, Mushroom. keyboards) which peaked at No. 2 ARIA album charts, his certified multiplatinum, rock album ''

Flesh and Wood ''Flesh and Wood'' is the seventh album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes, which was issued in December 1993. It was recorded by Barnes and Don Gehman co-producing and used only acoustic instruments. On eight of its fifteen tracks, Barnes ...

'' (1994, Mushroom, Piano, string arrangements) which peaked at No. 2 ARIA album charts, his certified multiplatinum rock album '' Barnes Hits'' ''Anthology'' (1996, Horn, Keyboards, string arrangements) which peaked at No. 1 ARIA album charts, and his rock, blues album ''JB50'' (2006, piano, keyboards, horn arrangements, string arrangements).

John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

and Jimmy Barnes performed a cover of the soul ballad, "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" (1991). String and horn inserts were arranged by Shenale and added the "Memphis" sound to the production. The song charted at No. 2 nationally in Australia. "I Gotcha" peaked at No. 6 and "

Ain't No Mountain High Enough "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and ...

" peaked at No. 28. In 1993, "Sweat It Out" peaked at No. 11, "Stand Up" peaked at No. 41, "Stone Cold" peaked at No. 4 and "Right by Your Side" peaked at No. 43. "Still Got A Long Way To Go" was released as a single from the ''

'' album, a collaborative song by Jimmy Barnes and Diesel and peaked at No. 57 on Australia ARIA singles chart. He worked with The Raindogs band on their roots rock, Celtic folk album Border Drive-In Theatre (1991, Atco, keyboards). He worked with American musician, composer and producer

Billy Falcon Billy Falcon (born July 13, 1956) is an American musician, composer and music producer. He released rock albums throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, as well as appearing on The Way International's "High Country Caravan". He is currently active ...

on his rock, folk, world, and country album ''Pretty Blue World'' (1991, PolyGram, percussion). The single, "

Power Windows Power windows or electric windows are automobile windows which can be raised and lowered by pressing a button or switch, as opposed to using a crank handle. History A small number of cars in the 1920s, such as the 1925 Flint Model E-55, f ...

" peaked at No. 43 on Billboard Hot 100. Shenale collaborated with the American-Australian singer-songwriter

Toni Childs Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957) is an American-born, Australian singer-songwriter. Early life Childs was born in Orange, California, and lived in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nevada during her childhood. Raised in a household dominated b ...

on her pop, rock album ''House of Hope'' (1991, A&M, keyboards, programming) which was certified as two times platinum in Australia and platinum in New Zealand. Los Angeles Times noted that despite its title the album is like a haunted house. Through its halls walk tormented ghosts, each one a victim of incestuous fathers and alcoholic husbands, of circumstances and of themselves. Toni Childs noted that the album talks about a lot of things that we don't like to acknowledge because it feels like there's a stigma, like we are not supposed to talk about them. We talk about a dark album but she is shining light on these things to make it more light. He collaborated with her again on the ''Ultimate Collection,'' an adult alternative, pop/rock alternative/indie rock, contemporary pop/rock album (2000, keyboards, programming). JPS has been one of

' close musical mentors, a musician who detuned an old upright piano (

prepared piano A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for ''Works for pr ...

) for "Bells For Her", and a long-time arranger, engineer of the sessions, and collaborator on her

studio albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

. Their collaboration started with the certified platinum album ''

Little Earthquakes ''Little Earthquakes'' is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles " Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and " Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos b ...

'' (1992, Atlantic, programming). His experimental approach to arrangements painted a distinctive sonic landscape which was notable since her certified platinum album ''

Under the Pink ''Under the Pink'' is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Upon its release in January 1994, the album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart on the back of the hit single "Cornflake Girl", and peaked at number 12 in the US. The alb ...

'' (1994, Atlantic) which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Performance. John Philip Shenale was the arranger of " Pretty Good Year", "Baker Baker", "Yes, Anastasia" and "Cloud On My Tongue" while he played the organ on "The Wrong Band". Her record label had brought in another arranger at first for a four-song session with a 50-piece orchestra but Amos didn't feel it and erased everything without telling her record label. Shenale was brought into the project as a string arranger after that incident creating the required sonic style. Tori Amos wanted to experiment around the piano and keyboards in order to change its inherent character and work around new but hand-made sounds. Eric Rosse and John Philip Shenale worked for two days to detune and reconstruct an old upright for "Bells For Her"''.'' Their collaboration which transcends the unexpected use of music instruments creating a unique sound signature, has flourished with the use of string quartets and full orchestras. Their successful collaboration went on throughout numerous albums beyond ''Little Earthquakes'' (1992, programming, keyboard programming, musician) bringing Amos' sonic landscape into fruition with releases such as ''Winter'' (1992, mellotron), "

Cornflake Girl "Cornflake Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released on January 10, 1994, by Atlantic and East West Records as the first single from her second studio album, '' Under the Pink'' (1994), in the United Kingdom. In th ...

" (1994, string arrangements, woodwind arrangement), ''Under the Pink'' (1994, strings, organ/hammond, string arrangements), certified platinum, alternative rock, baroque pop album ''

Boys for Pele ''Boys for Pele'' is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, " Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on January 22, 1996, in the United Kingdom, on January 23 in the ...

'' (1996, Atlantic, arranger) which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance and her certified platinum, art rock, art pop, trip hop album ''

From the Choirgirl Hotel ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' (stylised in all lowercase) is the fourth studio album by American musician Tori Amos. It was released on May 5, 1998, on Atlantic Records. The album was Amos's first to be recorded at her own Martian Engineering St ...

'' (1998, Atlantic, string arrangements) which was nominated for two Grammy Awards (Album for Best Alternative Music Performance and the " Raspberry Swirl" track for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance). ''Boys for Pele'' peaked at No. 2 and ''From The Choirgirl Hotel'' peaked at No. 5 at Billboard's Top Album Sales. He worked with American singer and songwriter

as his producer on four studio albums in total throughout the years. Their collaboration started with the roots rock, New Orleans R&B, Latin rock, Cajun, Tex-Mex, Mariachi album ''

Backstreets of Desire ''Backstreets of Desire'' is an album by Willy DeVille. It was recorded in various Los Angeles recording studios in 1992. To make the album, DeVille was joined by many prominent musicians, including Dr. John, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Zachary R ...

'' (1992, FNAC, certified as gold album in France) and on the country, blues, Cajun, mariachi, R&B, soul album ''

Loup Garou In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after being p ...

'' (1995, EastWest Gmbh). ''Hey! Joe'' came from the album ''Backstreets of Desire'' and peaked at No. 14 at French charts. Shenale did great work with DeVille out of his North Hollywood compound, with albums that maintained DeVille's career in Europe in a major way, as he had, in all practicality, given up on his American career. According to Willy DeVille, John Philip Shenale always heard the sound Willy wanted to create and he knew how to bring out the best in him in the studio as a producer: He worked with American singer and actress

on her four-CD box set pop, soul, disco album '' Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs'' (1993, Motown, musician). Shenale worked with

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

for their Latin Rock, hard rock albums ''Milagro'' (1992, Polydor, string programming) and ''Milagro/Sacred Fire'' (2002, string programming). The song ''Gypsy/Grajonca'' which was included in the album ''Milagro'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. He worked with The Indians on the alternative rock album ''Indianism'' (1992, Polydor, keyboards) and with American singer and songwriter Vincent Rocco on his pop, rock, folk album ''Hell Or Highwater'' (1992, Elektra, musician). He worked with American singer-songwriter and poet

Zachary Richard Ralph Zachary Richard (born September 8, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. His music is a combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles. Biography Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8, as soprano in the Bish ...

on his rock, folk, world & country album ''Snake Bite Love'' (1992, A&M, keyboards). In 1993 he collaborated with American blues guitarist and singer

on the '' Feels Like Rain'' album (1993, Silverstone, organ, synthesizer) which won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. He worked with American singer-songwriter E (a.k.a. Mark Oliver Everett) on his pop, alternative/indie rock album ''

Broken Toy Shop ''Broken Toy Shop'' is the second album by American singer-songwriter E (a.k.a. Mark Oliver Everett), released in December 1993 by Polydor Records. It was his last record as a solo artist before forming the band Eels. Reception Stephen Thoma ...

'' (1993, Polydor, co-arranger, co-orchestrator). Shenale worked with Australian singer, songwriter

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

on his certified multiplatinum, pop rock, soul album ''

Hepfidelity ''Hepfidelity'' is the second studio album by Australian singer/songwriter Diesel. The album was released in March 1992 through Chrysalis Records and EMI Records, and held the number-one spot on the ARIA Albums Chart for four weeks. It included ...

'' (1992, Mushroom, keyboards, percussion, string arrangements, assistant engineer, assistant, keyboard arrangements, percussion arrangement, overdub assistant) which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums chart and stayed there for four weeks and on his album ''Johnny Diesel & Injectors/Hepfidelity'' (2005, keyboards, percussion, string arrangements, assistant). The song "Tip Of My Tongue" (1992) peaked at No. 4 in Australia and in No. 3 in New Zealand and was nominated for

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

for the single of the year. "Man Alive" (1991, Chrysalis, peaked at No. 20), "One More Time" (1992, Chrysalis/EMI, peaked at No. 59), "Love Junk" (1991, Chrysalis, peaked at No. 19) and "Come to Me" (1991, Chrysalis/EMI, peaked at No. 8). Diesel described his collaboration with Shenale as being a kid in a musical candy store. He has collaborated with American actress and singer

Katey Sagal Catherine Louise Sagal (born January 19, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Peggy Bundy on '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997), Leela on '' Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023–present), Cate He ...

for her adult contemporary album '' Well...'' (1994, Virgin, keyboards, orchestrations) and the alternative rock band Love Spit Love on its debut alternative rock album '' Love Spit Love'' (1994, Imago, string arrangements). He worked with American rapper, DJ and producer

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ who helped popularize West Coast hip hop during the 1990s.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. ...

. on his debut certified three time platinum West Coast Hip-Hop, G-funk studio album '' Regulate... G Funk Era'' (1994, Def Jam, editing). "Regulate" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. John Philip Shenale contributed as a musician to the album ''Tribute to

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word , meaning ''wealth'' or ''prosperity'', in combination with the Old English , meaning '' strife'', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian lang ...

'', mherst a French singer, lyricist and actress (1994, drums). He worked with American actress, musician and author Tanya Blount on her hip hop, funk, soul album '' Natural Thing'' (1994, Motown, keyboards) which peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and with the female duo Kindred Spirit, consisting of

Debbi Peterson Deborah Mary Peterson (born on August 22, 1961) is an American musician and the drummer of the band The Bangles. She sang lead vocals on two of the band's released singles, "Going Down to Liverpool" (1984) and " Be with You" (1989). She is the y ...

(drummer/vocalist of ''The Bangles'') and

Siobhan Maher Siobhan Maher Kennedy (born 11 January 1964) is an English singer and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist of the Liverpool-based band River City People during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band released two albums, '' Say Something Good'' ...

(vocalist of the ''River City People'') on their debut rock, folk, world & country album ''Kindred Spirit'' (1995, IRS, keyboards). John Philip Shenale worked with American singer-songwriter

on her multiplatinum folk, blues, rock album ''New Beginning'' (1995, Elektra, keyboards), "

Give Me One Reason "Give Me One Reason" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was included on her fourth studio album, '' New Beginning'' (1995), and was released as a single in various territories between November 1995 and ...

" (1996, keyboards) won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song while the album was nominated for four Grammy Awards (Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Record Of The Year/''New Beginning'', Best Pop Album/''New Beginning'', "Give Me One Reason" Song of the Year) and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100. He teamed up with Australian soft rock duo

Air Supply Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a suc ...

on the soft rock album ''News from Nowhere'' (1995, Giant, arranger, strings), the soft rock, adult contemporary album ''The Book of Love'' (1997, Giant, strings, keyboards) and the soft rock album '' Across the Concrete Sky'' (2003, Avex Trax, string arrangements). He has collaborated with Gus for his alternative rock, pop albums ''Gus'' (1996, mellotron, string arrangements) and ''Word of Mouth Parade'' (1999, mixing, keyboards). He worked with Celestial Winds for the jazz album ''Bliss'' (1996, Universe Music, Keyboards, bass) and with Rust on the alternative rock album ''Bar Chord Ritual'' (1996, sounds). John Philip Shenale worked with Uma on her rock, pop, folk, world & country album ''Fare Well'' (1997, Refuge, percussion, programming) and with the American pianist, singer-songwriter Vladimir John Ondrasik III also known by his stage name

Five for Fighting Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock, such as the top 40 hits " Superman (It's Not Easy)" ...

on his soft rock, pop album ''

Message for Albert ''Message for Albert'' is the debut studio album by American singer Five for Fighting, released on March 11, 1997 by Nettwerk and EMI. Background John Ondrasik had signed with EMI Records in 1995 and adopted Five for Fighting as his "band na ...

'' (1997, EMI, arranger, string arrangements). He worked with American singer, actress, comedian and author

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

on her ''

Bathhouse Betty ''Bathhouse Betty'' is the ninth studio album by the American singer Bette Midler, released in 1998. ''Bathhouse Betty'' was Midler's debut album for Warner Bros. Records, after having parted ways with sister label Atlantic Records in 1995 foll ...

'' certified gold, pop album (1998, Sony, arranger, piano, keyboards) and with the American rock singer and musician Eric Martin on his ''Somewhere in the Middle'' album (1998, WEA, Chamberlin, organ/Hammond). He has collaborated with French rapper

MC Solaar Claude Honoré M'Barali (; born 5 March 1969), professionally known as MC Solaar (), is a French rapping, rapper of Senegalese people, Senegalese and Chadian people, Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop musi ...

on his certified twice gold, rap album ''

Le Tour De La Question Le Tour de la Question or Le Tour De La Question may refer to: * ''Le Tour de la Question'' (MC Solaar album), 1998 * ''Le Tour de la question'' (Ange album), 2007 {{disambiguation ...

'' (1998, EastWest, assistant), with the Canadian singer-songwriter Adam Cohen on his ''Adam Cohen'' album (1998, Sony, ARP synthesizer, organ/Hammond, string arrangements) and with the American singer-songwriter

on his certified gold folk rock, pop rock album ''The Best of John Hiatt'' (1998, Capital, loop). Shenale worked with American jazz singer

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

on his jazz, rock, blues, pop album ''To Be Loved'' (1999, string arrangements) and on his jazz, rock, blues, pop album ''Brighter Days'' (1999, Columbia, piano, mellotron, samples). He worked with English rock band Smokie on their pop, rock album ''The Best of 20 Years'' (1999, composer) and with Swimmer on her album ''Surreal'' (1999, Matador, string arranger).

2000–2009

He worked with Tracy Chapman on ''

Collection Collection or Collections may refer to: Computing * Collection (abstract data type), the abstract concept of collections in computer science * Collection (linking), the act of linkage editing in computing * Garbage collection (computing), autom ...

'', a certified multiplatinum folk rock, alternative rock, blues rock album (2001, Warner, keyboards). He collaborated with the American rock band

on their soft rock albums ''

Keepin' the Summer Alive ''Keepin' the Summer Alive'' is the 24th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 24, 1980, on Brother, Caribou and CBS Records. Produced by Bruce Johnston, the album peaked at number 75 in the US, during a chart stay of ...

/The Beach Boys '85'' (2000, Oberheim synthesizer) and ''

M.I.U. Album ''M.I.U. Album'' is the 22nd studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on September 25, 1978. Characterized for its easy-listening sound, the album was produced by Al Jardine and touring member Ron Altbach during one of th ...

/ L.A.'' (Light Album) (2000, Oberheim synthesizer). John Philip Shenale collaborated with

on her alternative rock, concept album ''

Strange Little Girls ''Strange Little Girls'' is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female point of view. Amos created fe ...

'' (2001, Atlantic, arranger, strings, synthesizer) which was nominated for two Grammy Awards (Best Alternative Music Album and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance), on the certified gold, alternative rock album ''

Scarlet's Walk ''Scarlet's Walk'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos. It was released on October 28, 2002 in the UK and October 29 in the US on Epic Records, making it her first release on the label after her split w ...

'' (2002, Epic, flute, string arrangements), on the certified silver album ''

Tales of a Librarian ''A Tori Amos Collection: Tales of a Librarian'' is the first retrospective compilation album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Given the option to be involved in the project, Amos elected to take a central role in the production of the c ...

: A Tori Amos Collection'' (2003, Atlantic, audio production, main personnel, strings, piano, piano (electric), Wurlitzer piano, chord organ, Wurlitzer, Chamberlin, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, percussion, loops, sampling, organ/Hammond, assistant, Marxophone, string ensemble), on the album '' A Piano: The Collection'' (2006, Rhino, flute, programming, string arrangements), on alternative rock, country rock, soft rock album ''

American Doll Posse ''American Doll Posse'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released in 2007 by Epic Records. A concept album, ''American Doll Posse'' sees Amos assuming the identity of five different female personalities inspired ...

'' (2007, Epic, string arrangements, brass arrangement, string conductor, brass conductor), on the certified gold, alternative rock album ''

Abnormally Attracted to Sin ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'' is the tenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released 19 May 2009, in standard and limited CD/DVD edition. The album debuted on ''Billboard'' 200 at no. 9, giving Amos her seventh Top 10 ...

'' (2009, arranger, conductor, synthesizer, organ/Hammond, orchestration, string arrangements, Hammond B3), and on the Christmas, traditional album '' Midwinter Graces'' (2009, Universal, conductor, synthesizer, sampling, string arrangements, brass arrangement). ''Strange Little Girls'' peaked at No. 4, ''Scarlet's Walk'' peaked at No. 7, ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'' peaked at No.9 and ''Tales of A Librarian'' peaked at No.40 at Billboard 200. In 2011 Tori Amos went on the Night of Hunters tour, a world concert tour which was supported by the Apollon Musagète Quartet. The songs she performed were rearranged by Shenale to accommodate the string quartet. Rolling Stone Magazine wrote that the new arrangements provided subtle texture and unlikely rhythmic flourish to numbers "Suede" and "Cruel''"'' while casting the strong melody of her ''

Boys For Pele ''Boys for Pele'' is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, " Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on January 22, 1996, in the United Kingdom, on January 23 in the ...

'' ballad "Hey Jupiter" in a new light Shenale worked with Willy DeVille as a producer on two of DeVille's roots rock, New Orleans R&B, Tex-Mex, blues rock, Latin rock albums; '' Crow Jane Alley'' (2004, Eagle), and '' Pistola'' (2008, Eagle), which was widely hailed as one of DeVille's best albums''.'' ''Crow Jane Alley'' peaked at No. 163 at Top Albums France and ''Pistola'' peaked at No. 189. He worked with him once more as a musician this time, on his album ''Introducing Willy DeVille'' (2009, wurlitzer). He worked with the Canadian singer-songwriter

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, author and actress. She is best known for her signature ballads, " Could I Be Your Girl" and " Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date, as well ...

on the certified gold, adult alternative album ''

Blood Red Cherry ''Blood Red Cherry'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden, released in 2000 (see 2000 in music). Track listing All songs written by Jann Arden and Russell Broom, except where noted #"Waiting in Canada" – 3:43 ...

'' (2000, Universal, keyboards, drum loop) and on the certified platinum, adult alternative album '' Greatest Hurts: The Best of Jann Arden'' (2001, keyboards, drum loop). John Philip Shenale worked with English guitarist and producer

Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English guitarist and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of th ...

on his rock, electric blues album ''One Step Ahead of The Blues'' (2002, Music Avenue, drums). He played Oberheim synthesizers for ''

California Feelin' "California Feelin" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Stephen Kalinich that was recorded by the Beach Boys in the early 1970s and recorded for the first time from Brian Wilson on November 12, 1974. Wilson recorded a solo version in 2002 for ...

'' which was included in the rock album Classics Selected by Brian Wilson (2002, Capitol, musician). He collaborated with Wendy MaHarry on her folk, world & country album ''Released'' (2003, producer, arranger, engineer, strings). He worked with the punk, rock band

MxPx MxPx () is an American punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington, formed in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera (bass guitar, lead vocals), Yuri Ruley (drums, percussion), Tom Wisniewski (lead guitar, backi ...

on their album Before Everything & After which peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 (2003, A&M records, keyboards, string arrangements). He worked with

on her pop, adult contemporary album ''

Room In a building or a ship, a room is any enclosed space within a number of walls to which entry is possible only via a door or other dividing structure. The entrance connects it to either a passageway, another room, or the outdoors. The space is ...

'' (2004, Valley-Entertainment, organ, keyboards, sampling, string arrangements) and with the American actor and singer

Jesse McCartney Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined the boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a s ...

on his certified platinum, pop, pop rock, teen pop, R&B album '' Beautiful Soul'' (2004, Hollywood Records, keyboards). Shenale worked with David Young on his albums ''Beyond... Celestial Winds'' (2004, engineer, piano organ, keyboards, bass) and ''Woodstock: The Mystery of Destiny'' (2007, engineer, keyboards). He worked with Curtis Stigers on his pop, rock album ''Best of 1991-1999'' (2005, Sony, piano, arranger). He collaborated with Eileen Carey for her pop, rock album ''Hearts of Time'' (2006, composer) and with Evelio on the pop, rock album ''Evelio'' (2006, producer, composer, mixing, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Chamberlin, keyboards, horn arrangements, string arrangements, loop). He worked with the French singer and actress

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

on her pop, rock album ''Nouvelle Vague'' on which she re-interprets some old classics (2007, Mercury, producer, engineer, arranger, guitar, flute, piano, Fender Rhodes, Farfisa organ, Wurlitzer, Chamberlin organ/Hammond, clavier, Clavecin). John Philip worked with William MacGregor on his pop, rock album ''Welcome to Carnival'' (2007, Beggars Banquet, Jimmy Boy, keyboards) and with the French singer and actor

for his pop, rock album ''Best of Solo'' (2007, RCA, synthesizer).

2010–2019

Shenale was

' orchestral collaborator on the classical crossover album ''

Night of Hunters ''Night of Hunters'' is the twelfth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released on September 20, 2011, in the United States through Deutsche Grammophon. It is a concept album that Amos has described as "a 21st century song ...

'' which was released by the classical label

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

. The album marked their twentieth anniversary of their long-time collaboration which began with her solo debut, ''

'' (1992). Their collaboration was celebrated with eight Grammy Awards nominations throughout the years. Shenale's string arrangements are the most noticeable sonic advancement since he brought the use of real strings in Tori Amos' music. His involvement on the album ''Night of Hunters'' (2011, string arrangements, woodwind arrangement) exhibits some of his most daring and absorbing work to date. In 2011 Deutsche Grammophon released ''Sin Palabras (Without Words)'', the instrumental companion to Tori Amos' record ''Night of Hunters, a'' rock, pop, classical, folk, world & country album. John Philip Shenale composed all the orchestral arrangements for that record, merging the pop and classical worlds while still maintaining a decisive stylistic motif. ''Sin Palabras'' album stripped away ''Amos vocals and replaced the parts she plays with The Apollon Musagete Quartet and the Berlin Philharmonic clarinet soloist

, as the forefront. The album ''Night of Hunters'' simultaneously landed on Billboard's Classical, Alternative and Rock Charts all in the Top 10 and went on to win the 2012 ECHO Klassik Award. Their collaboration continued on her alternative rock, baroque pop album ''Gold Dust'' (2012, Mercury Classics, orchestral arrangements, reworking), on the electronic, pop single ''Flavor'' (2012, Universal, arranger, orchestration), the soundtrack album ''The Light Princess'', ''Original Cast Recording'' (2015, Universal, orchestration) and on her pop, rock album '' Native Invader'' (2017, Decca, keyboards, synthesizer, programming, ''Reindeer King''/

). He has worked with Addie Brik on the pop, rock album ''Brik & Shenale'' (2012, composer). John Philip Shenale worked again with

on her rock, pop, folk, world, and country album ''Covered'' (2013, organ, piano, string arrangements, synthesizer horn). As a member of the roots rock band The Forest Rangers they have worked together releasing songs from the soundtracks of the drama television series ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

'' and ''

Mayans M.C. ''Mayans M.C.'' (also known simply as ''Mayans'') is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, that premiered on September 4, 2018, on FX. The show takes place in the same fictional universe as ''Sons o ...

'' Releasing four studio albums, three EPs and numerous singles. They used the name The Reluctant Apostles for their live shows. He worked with Zwerg on his electronic album ''Dual Citizen'' (2014, producer, arranger, keyboards, bass) and Katya on her album ''Rock Lives, Deluxe Edition'' (2015, composer) and Bruce Burton on his album ''On The Avenue'' (2015, producer). He teamed up with American producer, drummer and guitarist

Michael Marquart Michael Marquart (also known as Mike Marquart) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Record producer, producer, and founder of the musical project A Bad Think. He founded Windmark Recording recording studios in Virginia Beac ...

for albums with his project A Bad Think, ''The Tragic End of a Dreamer'' (2016, Windmark, keyboards) and ''Savior'' (2019, Windmark, keyboards) which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album. John Philip Shenale worked with French singer-songwriter

Michel Polnareff Michel Polnareff (born 3 July 1944) is a French singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1960s. He is noted for integrating rock and pop elements into his early work. He wrote pop hits such as "La Poupée qui fait non" and "Love Me, Ple ...

on pop album, ''Olympia'' (2016, Universal, arranger) and worked with Elouise on the folk, world & country album ''Deep Water'' (2016, Not On Label, composer, instrumentation, string arrangements). He collaborated with Marta Woodhull on the pop album ''Face'' (2017, Bitches Britches, producer, composer, brass, Chamberlin, clavinet, drum loop, drum mix, engineer, guitar, guitar (synthesizer), guitar loops, Hammond B3, Harpsichord, keyboards, mellotron, mixing, organ/Hammond, soloist, synthesizer, vocals/background, Wurlitzer piano). Shenale worked with Kris Kelly on his folk, world & country album ''Runaways'' (2019, string arrangements, brass arrangement, woodwind arrangements, keyboards) and with

Ralph Molina Ralph Molina (born June 22, 1943) is a Puerto Rico-born American musician, best known as the drummer for Neil Young's backing band Crazy Horse. Born in Puerto Rico, Molina has been a member of Crazy Horse since they were formed in 1962 as Danny ...

, best known as the drummer for

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

's backing band

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( , ; – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota people, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White Americans, White American settlers on Nativ ...

, on his folk, world & country album ''Love and Inspiration'' (2019, Vapor Records, arranger, keyboards, mixer).

2020-present

Shenale worked with

on her alternative rock, chamber pop, pop rock album '' Ocean to Ocean'' (2021, Decca, keyboards, organ/Hammond, recording) during the global COVID-19 pandemic despite the fact that she was in Cornwall, England and he was in Los Angeles. The album debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Album Sales. He worked with Purring Squirrels, musician, on their album ''Purring Squirrels'' (2021, mixing, synthesizer, bass). He collaborated again with

/ ''A Bad Think'' on his rock albums ''Lifelike'' (2021, Windmark, keyboards) and ''X'' (2022, Windmark, keyboards).

Career in film, TV, theater, and other works

Shenale's work has also been featured on films and musicals by directors such as

Curtis Hanson Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and edito ...

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

Herbert Ross Herbert David Ross (May 13, 1927 – October 9, 2001) was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. He is known for directing ...

Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...

Brian Yuzna Brian Yuzna is an American film producer, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror film genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as ''Re-Animator ...

Steve Miner Stephen C. Miner (born June 18, 1951) is an American director of film and Television program, television, film producer, and a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is notable for his work in the horror genre, including '' ...

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...

Frank Oz Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...

Marianne Elliott Marianne Phoebe Elliott (born 27 December 1966) is a British theatre director and producer who works on the West End and Broadway. She has received numerous accolades including two Laurence Olivier Awards and four Tony Awards. Initially de ...

. His work includes: animated television series ''Alvin & the Chipmunks'' (1983, writer: ''Pump, Pump, Pump''), comedy ''Losin' it'' directed by Curtis Hunson (1983, writer of theme song "Losin' It"),

music video, ''Dream Street'' directed by Debbie Allen (1984, composer), the American musical drama film ''Footloose'', directed by Herbert Ross and its homonym soundtrack album '' Footloose riginal Motion Picture Soundtrack' with the song " Holding Out For A Hero" (1984, synthesizer, programming), the film ''

The Dirt Bike Kid ''The Dirt Bike Kid'' is a 1985 urban fantasy film directed by Hoite Caston, written by David Brandes and Lewis Colick, and starring Peter Billingsley, Stuart Pankin, Anne Bloom, Patrick Collins and Danny Breen. The film tells about a boy who d ...

'' directed by Hoite C. Caston (1985, composer), the certified silver soundtrack album of the horror comedy music film ''Little Shop of Horrors'' directed by Frank Oz (1986, musician: synthesizer – uncredited), the action film '' Steele Justice'', starring

Martin Kove Martin Kove (; born ) is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known for his role as John Kreese, the main antagonist of ''The Karate Kid'' (1984). Kove reprised the role in ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986), ''The Karate Kid Part III ...

and directed by

Robert Boris Robert Boris (October 12, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. Life and career During the 1970s and 1980s Robert Boris wrote or co-wrote various original or adapted screenplays and dialogues, either for TV or feature ...

(1987, score), the teen comedy film

License to Drive ''License to Drive'' is a 1988 American teen comedy film written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, and Carol Kane. The film was in produ ...

directed by

Greg Beeman Greg Beeman (born 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American film and television director and producer and winner of the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. He is known for his work on the television series ' ...

(1988, writer: ''Sweet Surrender''), the film ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming out of Their Shells'' (1989, keyboards, programming) which was followed by a studio album and a subsequent live musical tour that occurred from 1990 to 1991 while in 1992 it toured overseas. John Philip Shenale worked on the film ''Emperor of the Bronx'' directed by Joseph Merhi (1990, producer: ''After the Rain'' & ''Zing Zang'', composer: ''After the Rain, Personality, Zing Zang''), the horror comedy film ''Return of the Living Dead III'' directed by

and written by

John Penney John Penney is an American film producer, screenwriter and director who has been working in the horror genre for over thirty years. He has created material for, and been involved in, a range of subgenres, including zombie movies ('' Return of th ...

(1993, composer, orchestrator), the comedy film '' The Waiting Game (1999, Royal Macadamians, Haus Buoy),'' the film '' Smart House'' starring Katey Sagal, directed by LaVar Burton ''(1999, performer: The House is Jumpin),'' the action drama film ''Out of Line'' written and directed by Johanna Demetrakas (2001, composer), the television adventure movie ''The Diamond of Jeru'' which was based on a story by Louis L'Amour starring

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the Australian film ''Dead Calm (film), Dead Calm'' (1989), a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association, ...

and directed by Ian Barry and

Dick Lowry Dick Lowry (born 15 September 1944 in Oklahoma) is an American director and film producer. Productions List films were all made for television unless otherwise indicated. *1975: '' The Drought'' (theatrical film) *1980: '' OHMS'' *1980: '' ...

(2001, composer). He has worked for the French television talent show

Star Academy ''Star Academy'' is a Dutch-developed reality television talent show format that first aired in the Netherlands as '':nl:Starmaker (televisieprogramma), Star Maker''. Format There are many versions of the show, each country having its own sl ...

on the album ''Star Academy 5'', ''Star Academy 5: Les Meilleurs Moments'' (2005, sampling, clavier, rhythm, string arrangements). He composed the musical score for the dramatized audiobook of the novel ''Son of a Wanted Man'' by Louis L' Amour (2005, composer). John Philip Shenale is a member of the roots rock band The Forest Rangers mostly known as the house band of FX action drama television series ''

'' (2008–2014) along with the musicians

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage ba ...

(pedal steel guitar),

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session drummer, record producer and songwriter. He has played with various artists, including Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, David Bowie, Tori Amos, Morrissey, The Wallflow ...

(drums),

Gia Ciambotti Gia Ciambotti (born September 13, 1962 in Hollywood, California) is an American singer, and the daughter of John Ciambotti, bassist for the band Cloverhttps://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-john-ciambotti27-2010mar27-story.html. She first ...

(background vocals). Bob Thiele Jr. was nominated three times for an

Emmy Award 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 ...

for the songs he wrote for Sons of Anarchy and were performed by The Forest Rangers ( "This Life"/2009, "Day is Gone"/2014, "Come Join The Murder"/2015). Their work was released as four soundtrack rock albums ('' Songs of Anarchy: Music from Sons of Anarchy Seasons 1–4'' (2011, Columbia), Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 2 (2012, Columbia), '' Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 3'' (2013, Columbia), '' Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 4'') (2015, Columbia), 3 EPs (''Sons of Anarchy: North County'', 2009, 20th Century Fox TV Records, ''Sons of Anarchy: Shelter'', 2009, 20th Century Fox TV Records ''and Sons of Anarchy: The King is Gone'', 2010, 20th Century For TV Records), numerous singles and a debut album called ''Land Ho!'' (2016, Valley Entertainment). The Forest Rangers launched a

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects, such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist pa ...

campaign to record and release it and Bob Thiele Jr. called it "''a passion project''". In 2018 The Forest Rangers contributed to the ''

'' soundtrack with the song "Black is Black"''.'' The band occasionally used the name The Reluctant Apostles for their live performances with

as their lead singer. According to a Reddit thread entitled "Damn the soundtrack is great", a number of ''Sons of Anarchy'' fans thoroughly enjoyed the show's music and a plethora of fans praised The Forest Rangers, in particular, for lending their talents to the majority of the tracks, which are effectively placed in the show. The song "Come Join The Murder" debuted at No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Rock Chart while the title song " This Life" started at No. 93 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. Many songs Shenale has worked on over the years featured in television series such as " Pretty Good Year" (Casual, Season 3 Episode 12, 2015) and "Bells For Her" (

Yellowjackets A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp. Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to: Places * Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town * Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida Arts, ...

, Season 2, Episode 3, 2023). He worked with Bob Thiele Jr. on the science fiction, thriller television series

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fo ...

(2012, musician), produced by

J.J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced films such as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' Forever ...

and the crime drama television series ''

Chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the likelihood function or probability density function) * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Maryland, US * Chanc ...

'' (2016–2017, musician) which was based on the book ''Chance'' by Kem Nunn. He was the orchestrator of ''The Light Princess'', a musical with music and lyrics by Tori Amos which was directed by

and premiered at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, London in 2013. The story was based on a Victorian fairytale by

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carrol ...

contemplating the need for balance between gravity and levity and that there can be no true happiness without knowing sadness as well. ''The Light Princess'' is a dark fairytale about grief, rebellion and the power of love. ''The Light Princess'' was nominated for the ''Best New Musical'' award at 2014 WhatsOnStage Awards and got six nominations in total.

Rosalie Craig Rosalie Mae Craig (born May 30, 1980) is an English actress, noted for her performances in musical theatre. In 2013, she received her first major award, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Performance in a Musical. Life and career Craig ...

who played the lead role of princess Althea was nominated for an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

and won the

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

for Best Musical Performance. The theatrical play was followed up with the commercial music release of '' The Light Princess (Original Cast Recording)'' album. In 2021 he worked as an arranger (Marianne, Tori Amos) on the short music film ''The Big Crying''.

Marco Goecke Marco Goecke (born 12 April 1972) is a German choreographer. He was the director of Hanover State Ballet between 2019 and 2023, and had also held positions at Stuttgart Ballet, , Nederlands Dans Theater and Gauthier Dance. He had additionally c ...

, German choreographer and director of the film was inspired by the death of his father. The story was written by Marco Goecke and Nadja Kadel and nineteen dancers brought his vision to life in a piece about parting and about everything that we have to burn. The short film was nominated for a Zwaan Award for Best Dance Production 2021 at the Nederlandse Dansdagen, Dutch Dance Festival. The film was followed by live performances at Nederlands Dans Theater, NDT in 2022 while the world premiere was in Hague on March 18, 2021.

Appearances in film documentaries

Shenale appeared in Samantha Hale's documentary series ''Map the Music'' (2010) and talked about creating emotion through sound. The documentary explored the connection between music and love by interviewing artists and people from different backgrounds. John Philip Shenale appeared in ''Lifelike: The Making of an Album in

Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels as well as free-moving sound objects, interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horiz ...

'' (2021), an official documentary by

Derrick Borte Derrick Stacey Borte (born December 7, 1967) is a German-born American filmmaker known for the dark comedy ''The Joneses'' (2010), which he wrote, directed, and produced. The film was his directorial debut. Biography Early life Borte was born on ...

focusing on behind-the-scenes with musicians (

Jeremy Stacey Jeremy Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British drummer and keyboard player. His early works included the 1990s band The Lemon Trees (with twin brother Paul Stacey on guitars, Guy Chambers and others) and Denzil (band), Denzil. He has also ...

/drummer, Sean Hurley/bassist, Fernando Perdonno/guitarist, Kirk Hellie/guitarist) as they bring

's album ''Lifelike'' to life). John Philip Shenale appeared in the documentary H''eaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille'' (2022) which was directed by Larry Locke and portraits the life and music of Willy DeVille. He talked about their work together as his producer on four albums. Their collaboration began with ''Backstreets of Desire'' thanks to Shenale's understanding of DeVille's vision, storytelling and his colorful, film-oriented material. He helped him reinvent himself and explore the fusion of American style roots and Hispanic roots in the Southwest. He embraced DeVille's ability to find the character in the song and then turn into that character by using his versatile voice while serving as a producer.

Music credits

John Philip Shenale's music credits include those of producer, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestration and string arrangements.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shenale, John Philip Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Sons of Anarchy Canadian male composers Canadian record producers Canadian keyboardists Canadian music arrangers