Michael Zager (born January 3, 1943) is an American record producer, composer, and arranger of original music for commercials, albums, network television, and theme music for films. He teaches music at Florida Atlantic University. Zager was a member of jazz rock band Ten Wheel Drive from 1968 to 1973.

Music career

Zager has produced for artists such as

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

, Cissy Houston, Peabo Bryson, Luther Vandross, Deniece Williams, Jennifer Holliday, Joe Williams, Arturo Sandoval, Herb Alpert,

Olatunji Olatunji is both a surname and a given name of Yoruba origin meaning "Wealth awakes again". Notable people with the name include: *Babatunde Olatunji (1927–2003), Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist * Olatunji Akin Euba (1935-2020) Nigeri ...

, and The Spinners. Zager produced R&B artist Street Corner Symphony (1975), Marilyn Chambers (1976), Andrea True (1977), Dee Edwards (1980), Take Five (1981), Elusion (1981). He also co-wrote the

Patti Day "Right Before My Eyes" is a 1988 song by Patti Day. It was remixed in New York by Bruce Forest and became a major club hit in the US and UK. Track listing ;UK/US vinyl (Bruce Forest mixes) :A1. "Right Before My Eyes" (House Vocal) - 4:57 :B1. "R ...

song "

Right Before My Eyes "Right Before My Eyes" is a 1988 song by Patti Day. It was remixed in New York by Bruce Forest and became a major club hit in the US and UK. Track listing ;UK/US vinyl (Bruce Forest mixes) :A1. "Right Before My Eyes" (House Vocal) - 4:57 :B1. "R ...

" with Alexander Forbes. In 1978, the Michael Zager Band had a popular disco anthem with " Let's All Chant". During 1979 and 1980 Zager wrote the medley arrangements for the Spinners' " Working My Way Back to You" / "Forgive Me, Girl" (No. 2 US

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' 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), radio play, and online streaming ...

in March–April 1980, No. 1 UK) and " Cupid" / "I've Loved You for a Long Time" (No. 4 US Hot 100 in July–August 1980, No. 4 UK).

Appointments

Zager graduated from

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, ...

and the Mannes College of Music. He taught at the Mannes College of Music, a division within The New School, in New York City. During the summers of 2006 and 2008 Zager taught at the College of Music at Payap University in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city i ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. He holds the positions of the Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts and professor of music at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the author of ''Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (A Manual for Composers and Students)'' published by Scarecrow Press, and ''Music Production: For Producers, Composers, Arrangers, and Students'', also published by Scarecrow Press.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zager, Michael 1943 births Living people American dance musicians American disco musicians Record producers from New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey Musicians from Passaic, New Jersey The New School faculty Mannes School of Music alumni University of Miami alumni