Thomas William Borton (January 4, 1956 – July 26, 2011) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, and was the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of ''Los Angeles Post Music, Inc.''

Biography

Early life

Borton was born in

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located ...

to Robert G. and Phyllis M. (Phelps) Borton, and later on moved to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, where he grew up and began playing saxophone at age 7. Borton attended Eastwood Junior High School, where he was a member of the school band; he won a talent show at a summer music camp held by

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

when he was in 8th grade. While in high school, he played with ''Tarnished Silver'', a band which featured R&B singer and songwriter Kenneth Edmonds, best known as

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, record producer

Daryl Simmons Daryl L. Simmons is an American R&B record producer and songwriter. Best known for his production work with L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Simmons was credited on the majority of albums by their label LaFace Records, as well as sev ...

, and drummer Rayford Griffin. Borton graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in 1974, and attended

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

, where he joined a band called ''Streamwinner'', which featured guitarist

David Grissom David Grissom is an American guitarist who has played and toured with several of America's leading bands and recording artists. He is best known for his work with John Mellencamp. He has released four solo albums: ''Loud Music'', ''10,000 Feet ...

, and drummer

Kenny Aronoff Kenneth D. Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American drummer, best known for his work as a session and touring musician. He has toured and recorded with a wide range of artists throughout his career, including the Rolling Stones, the Smashing ...

Music career

In 1981, Borton moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he started writing for television and film music. In the summer of 1987, he joined ''The Big Picture'' band as a composer and played alto saxophone; the band also featured singer and songwriter Joanna St. Claire. In 1990, Borton released his debut album ''Dancing With Tigers'', which was co-produced with jazz musician Vel Lewis, and released under the ''Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings'' label; two of the songs from the album, "Wherever You Are" and "Looking for a Way", were both featured in the " Local Forecast" segments on ''

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel ...

''. In 1992, Borton released his second album ''The Lost World'', which was also co-produced with Lewis. Borton also co-produced two of

Steve Allee Steve Allee (born September 14, 1950) is an American jazz musician and composer. Career Allee attended Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was in a band during the early 1970s called the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet which released an ...

's albums, ''The Magic Hour'' (1995), and ''Mirage'' (2003). He was also the founder and CEO of ''Los Angeles Post Music, Inc'', a production music library, where he composed music for the 1998 TV documentary ''Titanic: Secrets Revealed'', and movies such as ''The Jitters'' (1989), and ''

Amy's Orgasm ''Amy's Orgasm'' (title censored to ''Amy's O'' in many video shops) is a 2001 film directed by Julie Davis. It stars Julie Davis as Amy, a 29-year-old Jewish woman who usually avoids dating as she does not believe in love. The film won the "Aud ...

'' (2001).

Death

Borton died unexpectedly at his home in Los Angeles on July 26, 2011, at the age of 55. His third and final album, ''Simply One'', was released posthumously in 2012. Borton was survived by his parents, his sisters, Rebecca Ann (William) Erdel, and Janis Elaine Borton, and his two nephews and great nieces.

Discography

Albums *1990: ''Dancing With Tigers'' (Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings) *1992: ''The Lost World'' (Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings) *2012: ''Simply One'' Compilation Appearances *1990: ''Best of Mesa Records & Bluemoon Recordings'' (Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings) (features the song "Photoland" from ''Dancing With Tigers''). *1992: ''The Best New Jazz in America: Volume 3'' (Catalyst Communications/Encore Distributors Inc.) (features the song "Swingopolis" from ''The Lost World'').

References

External links

Tom Borton at AllMusicTom Borton at DiscogsTom Borton at IMDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borton, Tom 1956 births 2011 deaths American jazz composers American jazz saxophonists American jazz songwriters American male composers American male jazz composers American male musicians American male saxophonists American male songwriters Indiana University Bloomington alumni Musicians from Indiana Musicians from Indianapolis Musicians from Pennsylvania People from Norristown, Pennsylvania