Brian May (Australia)
Encyclopedia
Brian May was an Australia
n film composer. His best known scores are those for Mad Max
and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
.
on 28 July 1934. He trained at the Adelaide Elder Conservatorium
as a pianist, violinist and conductor. He joined the ABC Adelaide in 1957 and was asked to form and conduct the ABC Adelaide Big Band, a full-blown ensemble that was rated as the best of the ABC state-based bands. He moved to Melbourne when he was 35 to arrange and conduct the ABC's Melbourne Show band. The Show Band made its radio debut on the First Network on 13 March 1969. Background music for Australian television had previously been taken from records. May changed this by writing and arranging the themes for television programmes, including Bellbird
, Return to Eden
, The Last Frontier, A Dangerous Life
and Darling of the Gods.
A breakthrough for May was the drama series Rush, set on the 19th-century Victorian goldfields. The theme was composed by Australian George Dreyfus
, but May's arrangement of the theme was recorded by the Show Band and quickly reached the top of the Australian charts, selling more than 100,000 copies. This type of success was usually reserved for pop groups such as Sherbert
and Skyhooks. May also composed the Countdown theme and the Melbourne Show Band launched the highly successful Countdown
television series. He left the ABC in 1984 and his interests turned to film music. He composed more than 30 feature film scores, including Gallipoli
, Mad Max
, Mad Max 2, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
, Dr. Giggles
and one episode of "Tales from the Crypt"
. May preferred to orchestrate his scores himself.
He died in Melbourne
on 25 April 1997 at the age of 62.
Award for Best Original Score. May won many other awards, including the Golden Award from the Australian Performing Rights Association. May spent many years in America working on film scores. He was regarded as the finest of Australia's screen composers.
(USC). The Trustees have determined that the scholarship will be provided for tuition in film-scoring at the USC's Thornton School of Music in the course known as the 'Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Graduate Certificate'. The Brian May Trust Scholarship was first awarded for the 2003/2004 Academic Year and will continue to be awarded biennially.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film composer. His best known scores are those for Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Mad Max 2 is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. The film is the second installment in the Mad Max film series, with Mel Gibson starring as Max Rockatansky...
.
Biography
May was born in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
on 28 July 1934. He trained at the Adelaide Elder Conservatorium
Elder Conservatorium
The Elder Conservatorium of Music is Australia's senior academy of music and one of the country's most distinguished institutions for comprehensive education, professional training, and research in music...
as a pianist, violinist and conductor. He joined the ABC Adelaide in 1957 and was asked to form and conduct the ABC Adelaide Big Band, a full-blown ensemble that was rated as the best of the ABC state-based bands. He moved to Melbourne when he was 35 to arrange and conduct the ABC's Melbourne Show band. The Show Band made its radio debut on the First Network on 13 March 1969. Background music for Australian television had previously been taken from records. May changed this by writing and arranging the themes for television programmes, including Bellbird
Bellbird (TV series)
Bellbird was an Australian soap opera set in a small Victorian rural township. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria. The series was produced between 28 August 1967 and December 1977...
, Return to Eden
Return to Eden
Return to Eden is an Australian television drama series starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and James Smillie. It began as a three-part mini-series, shown on Network Ten in 1983. Gilling and Smillie would reprise their roles for a 22-part weekly series screened in 1986.-Mini-series...
, The Last Frontier, A Dangerous Life
A Dangerous Life
A Dangerous Life is a 1988 English-language Australian film about the final years of the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos' rule, from the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1983 to the People Power EDSA Revolution in 1986 that ousted Marcos...
and Darling of the Gods.
A breakthrough for May was the drama series Rush, set on the 19th-century Victorian goldfields. The theme was composed by Australian George Dreyfus
George Dreyfus
George Dreyfus AM is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer.-Life:The Dreyfus family moved in 1935 to Berlin to enable a better education for their two sons...
, but May's arrangement of the theme was recorded by the Show Band and quickly reached the top of the Australian charts, selling more than 100,000 copies. This type of success was usually reserved for pop groups such as Sherbert
Sherbet (band)
Sherbet was one of the most prominent and successful Australian rock bands of the 1970s. Their biggest singles were "Summer Love" and "Howzat" , both reaching number one in Australia. "Howzat" was also a top 5 hit in the UK. Though the band's success in the U.S...
and Skyhooks. May also composed the Countdown theme and the Melbourne Show Band launched the highly successful Countdown
Countdown (TV series)
Countdown was a long-running popular weekly Australian music television show broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987. It was created by Executive Producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist...
television series. He left the ABC in 1984 and his interests turned to film music. He composed more than 30 feature film scores, including Gallipoli
Gallipoli (1981 film)
Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
, Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
, Mad Max 2, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
, Dr. Giggles
Dr. Giggles
Dr. Giggles is a 1992 slasher film directed by Manny Coto, and starring Larry Drake as the titular antagonist and Holly Marie Combs as the protagonist. The film co-stars Cliff De Young and Glenn Quinn. It was released on October 23, 1992.-Plot summary:...
and one episode of "Tales from the Crypt"
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
. May preferred to orchestrate his scores himself.
He died in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 25 April 1997 at the age of 62.
Filmography
- PatrickPatrick (film)Patrick is a 1978 Australian horror film directed by Richard Franklin and written by Everett De Roche. It is the pivotal movie of respected Australian director Richard Franklin's career.-Plot summary:...
(1978) - Mad MaxMad MaxMad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
(1979) – Won Best Original Music Score award by AFIAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
. - Snapshot (1979)
- Thirst (1979)
- HarlequinHarlequin (film)Harlequin, known as Dark Forces in the USA, is a 1980 Australian film starring Robert Powell, Carmen Duncan, David Hemmings and Broderick Crawford...
(1980) - Nightmares (1980)
- GallipoliGallipoli (1981 film)Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
(1981) (additional music) - Mad Max 2 (1981) – Nominated for Best Original Music Score by AFI.
- Race for the Yankee ZephyrRace for the Yankee ZephyrRace for the Yankee Zephyr is a 1981 New Zealand supense-action-thriller film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.-Plot:...
(1981) - RoadgamesRoadgamesRoadgames is a 1981 Australian film directed by Richard Franklin. The film stars Stacy Keach as a truck driver, and Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker.-Synopsis:...
(1981) – Nominated for Best Original Music Score by AFI. - The SurvivorThe Survivor (film)The Survivor is a 1981 movie starring Robert Powell and Jenny Agutter, based on a novel of the same name by James Herbert.The film was notable for being the first Australian film to cost more than A$1,000,000 to make...
(1981) - Breakfast in Paris (1982)
- Kitty and the Bagman (1982)
- Turkey ShootTurkey Shoot (film)Turkey Shoot is a 1982 Australian dystopian futurist exploitation film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith notable for its extreme violence and sadistic prison sequences...
(1982) - A Slice of LifeA Slice of Life (1983 film)A Slice of Life is a 1983 Australian comedy film directed by John D. Lamond and starring Robin Nedwell, John Ewart and Juliet Jordan.-Selected cast:* Robin Nedwell - Toby* John Ewart - Hughes* Juliet Jordan - Wendy* Jane Clifton - Fay...
(1983) - Cloak & Dagger (1984)
- Innocent Prey (1984)
- Missing in Action 2: The BeginningMissing in Action 2: The BeginningMissing in Action 2: The Beginning is a 1985 action/adventure film, and a prequel to Missing in Action, both of which star Chuck Norris...
(1985) - Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeMad Max Beyond ThunderdomeMad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie, written by Miller, Doug Mitchell and Terry Hayes, and starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. It is the third installment in the action movie Mad Max franchise...
(1985) - Frog DreamingFrog DreamingFrog Dreaming is a 1986 Australian film starring Henry Thomas.In the United States the film was named 'The Quest'. In the United Kingdom it was named 'The Go-Kids'....
(1986) – Nominated for Best Original Music Score by AFI. - Sky Pirates (1986)
- Death Before DishonorDeath Before DishonorDeath Before Dishonor is a 1987 American action film directed by Terry Leonard.-Plot:Gunnery Sergeant Burns is in charge of the Marine Security Guard detachment at a United States embassy in the Middle East...
(1987) - Steel DawnSteel DawnSteel Dawn is a 1987 American post-apocalyptic feature film, with elements of western science fiction.-Plot:An enigmatic swordsman named Nomad , wanders through the remains of a post-World War III world...
(1987) - Bloodmoon (1990)
- Dead Sleep (1990)
- Freddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
(1991) - Dr. GigglesDr. GigglesDr. Giggles is a 1992 slasher film directed by Manny Coto, and starring Larry Drake as the titular antagonist and Holly Marie Combs as the protagonist. The film co-stars Cliff De Young and Glenn Quinn. It was released on October 23, 1992.-Plot summary:...
(1992) - Hurricane Smith (1992)
- Blind SideBlind Side (film)Blind Side is an HBO thriller made for television movie filmed in 1992, starring Rutger Hauer, Rebecca De Mornay, and Ron Silver, and directed by Geoff Murphy. It aired on HBO in late 1993 and on NBC in early 1994...
(1993)
Awards
Mad Max won the Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Award for Best Original Score. May won many other awards, including the Golden Award from the Australian Performing Rights Association. May spent many years in America working on film scores. He was regarded as the finest of Australia's screen composers.
Legacy
His will established the Brian May Trust, a charitable testamentary trust, to provide a scholarship to promising Australian film composers to study film-scoring at the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(USC). The Trustees have determined that the scholarship will be provided for tuition in film-scoring at the USC's Thornton School of Music in the course known as the 'Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Graduate Certificate'. The Brian May Trust Scholarship was first awarded for the 2003/2004 Academic Year and will continue to be awarded biennially.