Frank Fitzpatrick
Encyclopedia
Frank Fitzpatrick is best known as a composer
and music producer for film
. He has also worked extensively in other areas of music and entertainment as a record producer
, songwriter
, and filmmaker. He has focused much of his recent work on socially conscious media ventures.
s for over two-dozen films including: Disney's teen hit Jump In!, the animated The Proud Family Movie
, Anne Rice
penned Queen of the Damned, David Zucker’s record-breaking Scary Movie 3
, the Bill Gates
-Steve Jobs
’ docu-drama Pirates of Silicon Valley
, George Harrison
’s British comedy Nuns on the Run
, Miramax’s In Too Deep, and Ice Cube
’s & Chris Tucker
’s Hip Hop classic Friday.
Fitzpatrick was named one of the “Top Music Supervisors of the Decade” (1990’s) by Variety Magazine. He has contributed to the sale of over 6 million soundtrack albums.
In 2010, Frank Fitzpatrick’s song Soul Music
, performed by Anthony Hamilton
, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The song was the title track for the motion picture Soul Men (Samuel L. Jackson
, Bernie Mac
and Sharon Leal
).
Fitzpatrick produced the original soundtrack for the film Beat The World
, released in 2011 featuring collaborations between KRS-One
and K'Naan
, Talib Kweli
and Sway
, Nneka
and Ziggy Marley
, and Les Nubians
and MV Bill
.
, creating the theme and all the original music. He also composed themes and scores for other series including, The Jeff Foxworthy Show
, Muddling Through, and High Society
.
, Dave Hollister
, K-Ci & Jojo, Les Nubians
, Fat Joe
, Jazz
(Dru Hill
), Akil (Jurassic 5
), Slimkid3
(The Pharcyde
), Brownstone
, Public Announcement
, Anthony Hamilton
, Lina
and Siren
. His song Jump to the Rhythm
(performed by Jordan Pruitt
) was released on both Pruitt’s debut album, No Ordinary Girl
, on the Jump In! Soundtrack, and is featured as the opening song in the 2007 High School Musical
Tour. The Sasha & Shawna duet single and Fitzpatrick produced version of Fields of Gold
(written by Sting) was featured in the 2007 PBS special Heavenly Voices.
Frank Fitzpatrick produced the compilation benefit album, “Yoga Revolution”, as the first in a series that brings together musical icons and rising kirtan stars to raise funds for yoga and fitness programs for underserved youth. “Yoga Revolution” was released March 30, 2010 through Time Life Records in conjunction with Nettwerk Music
and EarthTones
, with net proceeds to benefit the Yoga Health Foundation. It features Sting, Peter Gabriel
, Sheryl Crow
, Seal
, Sarah McLachlan
, Michael Franti
, Angelique Kidjo
, Anoushka Shankar
, Ziggy Marley
, Krishna Das, Deva Premal
, Donna De Lory, and others.
film footage from the 1940’s into an original story, accompanied by Fitzpatrick’s own soundtrack mixing Big Band + Drum and Bass. Jungle Jazz premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival
, winning The Silver Bear Award for best Short Film. The film played at several festivals around the world, winning additional awards in Sydney
, Sao Paulo
, Belo Horizonte
, Kansas City
and Santa Cruz
. In 2007, Fitzpatrick completed his first animated short film The Rebel Angel.
, Fitzpatrick has created themes and music campaigns for many socially conscious and charitable media projects. These include, Reflections, (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
) an AIDS awareness film which premiered on BET
and was distributed to high schools throughout the U.S., Just Like You, a song and video collaboration with Middle Eastern rapper Rayess Bek broadcast as part of a United Nations
sponsored peace initiative, and Scenes In Jazz, a compilation CD and arts awareness campaign which features different artists performing original jazz compositions to support music and arts education programs.
. While attending the University of Michigan
’s music and business schools, he worked for Eclipse Jazz and Major Events, producers of live shows for the likes of Miles Davis
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Al Jarreau
, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles
and Prince
. Fitzpatrick also performed as a musician (guitar) and hosted his own radio show, Jazz ‘Round Midnight on WCBN-FM.
Fitzpatrick relocated to Los Angeles
in 1983 to work for record producer Richard Perry
of Planet Records’ and Studio 55. Productions included the Pointer Sisters’ Multi-Platinum Break Out
album. Fitzpatrick expanded into film music by working as a music editor for the film composer Georges Delerue
, going on to co-produce a 3-CD orchestral retrospective of Delerue’s film scores entitled, The London Sessions. Recorded at Abbey Road studios
, the collection included “Between You and Me” performed by Carl Anderson and co-written by Fitzpatrick and Delerue as the original title track for Bruce Baresford’s Her Alibi.
In 1989, Fitzpatrick formed the studio group Hidden Faces with writing/producing partner David Kitay. Even though Kitay soon left the group, Fitzpatrick continued to create some of his original soundtracks and recordings under the name Hidden Faces. Hidden Faces can be heard on soundtrack releases for Nuns on the Run
, Highway to Hell
, Breaking the Rules and Friday, as well as the score collection Pictures in the Dark and on the more recently released Best of Hidden Faces.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and music producer for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He has also worked extensively in other areas of music and entertainment as a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and filmmaker. He has focused much of his recent work on socially conscious media ventures.
Film music
Fitzpatrick created the soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for over two-dozen films including: Disney's teen hit Jump In!, the animated The Proud Family Movie
The Proud Family Movie
The Proud Family Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on August 19, 2005. It also marked the end of The Proud Family animated Disney series.-Plot:...
, Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
penned Queen of the Damned, David Zucker’s record-breaking Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 3 is a 2003 American science fiction comedy film, which parodies the horror, sci-fi, and mystery genres, directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise, as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans family...
, the Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
-Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
’ docu-drama Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
’s British comedy Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick...
, Miramax’s In Too Deep, and Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
’s & Chris Tucker
Chris Tucker
Christopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...
’s Hip Hop classic Friday.
Fitzpatrick was named one of the “Top Music Supervisors of the Decade” (1990’s) by Variety Magazine. He has contributed to the sale of over 6 million soundtrack albums.
In 2010, Frank Fitzpatrick’s song Soul Music
Soul Music
Soul Music is the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1994. Like many of Pratchett's novels it introduces an element of modern society into the magical and vaguely late medieval, early modern world of the Discworld, in this case Rock and Roll music and stardom, with...
, performed by Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (musician)
Anthony Hamilton is an American R&B, and soul singer-songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From , which featured the singles "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene."-Life and career:Hamilton was born in Charlotte,...
, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The song was the title track for the motion picture Soul Men (Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
and Sharon Leal
Sharon Leal
Sharon Leal is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in movies such as Dreamgirls, Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too? and the televisions series Hellcats.-Personal life:...
).
Fitzpatrick produced the original soundtrack for the film Beat The World
You Got Served: Beat the World
You Got Served: Beat the World is a film written and directed by Robert Adetuyi released in 2011. It was produced by InnerCity Films and Telefilm Canada - Equity Investment Program. It was distributed in the United States on DVD by Sony Home Entertainment under the name "You Got Served: Beat The...
, released in 2011 featuring collaborations between KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
and K'Naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...
, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
and Sway
Sway DaSafo
Derek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...
, Nneka
Nneka (singer)
Nneka Lucia Egbuna is a Nigerian-German hip hop/soul singer and songwriter. She sings in both English and Igbo.- Biography :Nneka is the daughter of an Anambra state- Igbo Nigerian father and a German mother...
and Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, and Les Nubians
Les Nubians
Les Nubians is an R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and...
and MV Bill
MV Bill
MV Bill, real name Alex Pereira Barbosa, is a Brazilian rap singer and co-author of the best-selling book Falcão - Meninos do Tráfico. The initials "MV" stand for "Mensageiro da Verdade", Portuguese for "Messenger of Truth"....
.
Television music
Fitzpatrick was the composer and music director for HBO’s hit TV series The Larry Sanders ShowThe Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
, creating the theme and all the original music. He also composed themes and scores for other series including, The Jeff Foxworthy Show
The Jeff Foxworthy Show
The Jeff Foxworthy Show is the name of two short-lived television series starring comedian Jeff Foxworthy and based on Foxworthy's stand-up comedy routine...
, Muddling Through, and High Society
High Society (TV series)
High Society is the title of an American television sitcom that aired Monday nights on CBS in 1995 and early 1996; it was entered into the CBS schedule as a replacement for If Not for You, a sitcom starring Elizabeth McGovern, which was quickly canceled by the network...
.
Songwriter/Record producer
Fitzpatrick’s songwriting and producing credits include Jill ScottJill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...
, Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister
Dave Hollister is an American R&B vocalist who found fame during the 1990s as one quarter of the Platinum-selling R&B quartet Blackstreet before going on to a solo career.-Biography:...
, K-Ci & Jojo, Les Nubians
Les Nubians
Les Nubians is an R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and...
, Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
(Dru Hill
Dru Hill
Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", ...
), Akil (Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
), Slimkid3
Slimkid3
SLIMKID3 also known as "Slim Kid Tre" and "Tre Hardson", was one of the four original members of Los Angeles innovative hip hop group The Pharcyde.-Two For Two:...
(The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde are an alternative hip hop group based in South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani , Slimkid3 , Bootie Brown and Fatlip . DJ Mark Luv was the group's first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla...
), Brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
, Public Announcement
Public Announcement
Public Announcement is an R&B and hip hop group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, originally backing singer R. Kelly on his first album.-1990-1994: Born Into The 90's:...
, Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (musician)
Anthony Hamilton is an American R&B, and soul singer-songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From , which featured the singles "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene."-Life and career:Hamilton was born in Charlotte,...
, Lina
Lina
Lina is a common female given name in Sweden, especially among those born after 1980. It was initially used as a shortened form of names such as Karolina, Nikolina, Adelina and Evelina but eventually became a name in its own right. Since "-lina" is a diminutive suffix, it has no meaning of its own...
and Siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
. His song Jump to the Rhythm
Jump to the Rhythm
"Jump to the Rhythm" is a pop song by Jordan Pruitt, recorded for the 2007 Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!. It also appears on Pruitt's debut album, No Ordinary Girl.-Music video:...
(performed by Jordan Pruitt
Jordan Pruitt
Jordan Lynne Pruitt is an American recording artist. She started writing songs at age nine. After recording a demo album in 2006, Pruitt was discovered by producer Keith Thomas and later signed to Hollywood Records....
) was released on both Pruitt’s debut album, No Ordinary Girl
No Ordinary Girl
No Ordinary Girl is the debut album by Jordan Pruitt, released in the United States on February 6, 2007 by Hollywood Records. The album debuted and peaked at number sixty-four on the Billboard 200 with 14,000 copies sold in its first week and to date has sold 187,887 in the United States...
, on the Jump In! Soundtrack, and is featured as the opening song in the 2007 High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
Tour. The Sasha & Shawna duet single and Fitzpatrick produced version of Fields of Gold
Fields of Gold
"Fields of Gold" is a 1993 song by Sting from his album Ten Summoner's Tales. "Fields of Gold" and all the other album tracks were recorded at Lake House, Wiltshire, mixed at The Townhouse Studio, London, England and mastered at Masterdisk, New York. The harmonica solo is played by Brendan Power...
(written by Sting) was featured in the 2007 PBS special Heavenly Voices.
Frank Fitzpatrick produced the compilation benefit album, “Yoga Revolution”, as the first in a series that brings together musical icons and rising kirtan stars to raise funds for yoga and fitness programs for underserved youth. “Yoga Revolution” was released March 30, 2010 through Time Life Records in conjunction with Nettwerk Music
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
and EarthTones
EarthTones
EarthTones is a non-profit arts organization committed to raising social consciousness and connecting people across the globe through the power of music and media...
, with net proceeds to benefit the Yoga Health Foundation. It features Sting, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
, Angelique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
, Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar is a British Indian sitar player and composer who lives between the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. She is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and Sukanya Shankar...
, Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, Krishna Das, Deva Premal
Deva Premal
Deva Premal , is a musician known for her meditative spiritual New Age music, which puts ancient Sanskrit mantras into atmospheric, contemporary settings....
, Donna De Lory, and others.
Filmmaker
In 2001 Fitzpatrick directed and produced the short film Jungle Jazz: Public Enemy #1. Created in the style of a ‘50’s propaganda film, Jungle Jazz incorporated rare SoundiesSoundies
Soundies were an early version of the music video: three-minute musical films, produced in New York City, Chicago, and Hollywood between 1940 and 1946, often including short dance sequences. The completed Soundies were generally released within a few months of their filming; the last group was...
film footage from the 1940’s into an original story, accompanied by Fitzpatrick’s own soundtrack mixing Big Band + Drum and Bass. Jungle Jazz premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, winning The Silver Bear Award for best Short Film. The film played at several festivals around the world, winning additional awards in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
. In 2007, Fitzpatrick completed his first animated short film The Rebel Angel.
Socially conscious media
Founder of the non-profit arts organization EarthTonesEarthTones
EarthTones is a non-profit arts organization committed to raising social consciousness and connecting people across the globe through the power of music and media...
, Fitzpatrick has created themes and music campaigns for many socially conscious and charitable media projects. These include, Reflections, (directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Gina Prince-Bythewood is an American film director and writer. Her primary credits as a director include the films Disappearing Acts and Love & Basketball, produced by Spike Lee and starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan, which won her the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.Bythewood...
) an AIDS awareness film which premiered on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
and was distributed to high schools throughout the U.S., Just Like You, a song and video collaboration with Middle Eastern rapper Rayess Bek broadcast as part of a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
sponsored peace initiative, and Scenes In Jazz, a compilation CD and arts awareness campaign which features different artists performing original jazz compositions to support music and arts education programs.
Early career
Fitzpatrick’s professional career began in Ann Arbor and Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. While attending the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
’s music and business schools, he worked for Eclipse Jazz and Major Events, producers of live shows for the likes of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
. Fitzpatrick also performed as a musician (guitar) and hosted his own radio show, Jazz ‘Round Midnight on WCBN-FM.
Fitzpatrick relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1983 to work for record producer Richard Perry
Richard Perry
Richard Perry is an American music producer. Perry began as a performer in his adolescence, but shifted gears after graduating college and rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly successful and popular record producer with over a dozen gold records to his credit by 1982...
of Planet Records’ and Studio 55. Productions included the Pointer Sisters’ Multi-Platinum Break Out
Break Out (Pointer Sisters album)
Break Out is the tenth studio album by the American vocal group The Pointer Sisters, released on November 6, 1983 by Planet Records.-History:...
album. Fitzpatrick expanded into film music by working as a music editor for the film composer Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue , was a French film composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. He won numerous important awards including Rome Prize , Emmy Award , Genie Award , ACE Award and Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1979 for A...
, going on to co-produce a 3-CD orchestral retrospective of Delerue’s film scores entitled, The London Sessions. Recorded at Abbey Road studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, the collection included “Between You and Me” performed by Carl Anderson and co-written by Fitzpatrick and Delerue as the original title track for Bruce Baresford’s Her Alibi.
In 1989, Fitzpatrick formed the studio group Hidden Faces with writing/producing partner David Kitay. Even though Kitay soon left the group, Fitzpatrick continued to create some of his original soundtracks and recordings under the name Hidden Faces. Hidden Faces can be heard on soundtrack releases for Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run
Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick...
, Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell (film)
Highway to Hell is a 1992 horror comedy film directed by Ate de Jong starring Chad Lowe and Kristy Swanson. Charlie Sykes and his girlfriend Rachel Clark run away to Las Vegas to get married. Along the way Rachel is kidnapped by a Hellcop and taken to Hell to become one of Satan's brides, and...
, Breaking the Rules and Friday, as well as the score collection Pictures in the Dark and on the more recently released Best of Hidden Faces.