Richard Stone (composer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Stone was an American
composer
. He played an important part in the revival of Warner Bros.
animation in the 1990s, composing music and songs for Tiny Toon Adventures
, Taz-Mania
, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
, Animaniacs
, Pinky and the Brain
, Freakazoid!
, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
, Road Rovers
, and Histeria!
Many consider him to be an heir to the style of Carl Stalling
.
Stone's work on these cartoons was recorded in the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios; For a period of over 10 years his music was recorded in the same room and with the same piano used by Carl Stalling for Warner Brothers animation in the 1940s and 1950s. He made a brief cameo
in the Episode of Animaniacs "10 Shorts of Wakko".
After studying cello with Lloyd Smith
and Orlando Cole
in addition to music theory
at the Curtis Institute of Music
, Stone went on to earn a degree from Indiana University. In 1980, he moved to California
to work as a music editor with such composers as Georges Delerue
on Platoon
and other films) and Maurice Jarre
(on The Witness).
He went on to write music for various feature films and television series, including the Bruce Campbell
western Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
, Pumpkinhead
, as well as North Shore
and the miniseries, "In a Child's Name". Stone worked on John Hughes films including Ferris Bueller's Day Off
and Sixteen Candles
. Stone also composed the music for the William Shatner series, "Rescue 911".
Stone has won several Emmy Awards for outstanding achievement in music direction and composing for Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Histeria!, as well as Outstanding Original Song, shared with lyricist Tom Ruegger
, for the main titles of Animaniacs and Freakazoid. Stone shared many of his music direction/composing awards with his team of composers, who included Steven Bernstein, Julie Bernstein, Gordon Goodwin
and Tim Kelly.
According to Animaniacs writer/producer Paul Rugg
, crew members fondly referred to Richard as "The Great Stonini," a sort of musical magician whose compositions and orchestrations often raised the quality of the cartoons to unexpected musical and artistic heights.
Stone died of pancreatic cancer
in Los Angeles, California
at age 47.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
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...
. He played an important part in the revival of Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
animation in the 1990s, composing music and songs for Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
, Taz-Mania
Taz-Mania
Taz-Mania is a American cartoon sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991–1993, broadcast in the United States on Fox from 1991-1995...
, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is an animated series for television created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services. Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by either Glenn Leopold or Lance Falk...
, Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
, Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
, Freakazoid!
Freakazoid!
Freakazoid! is an American animated television series created by Steven Spielberg, Bruce Timm, and Paul Dini for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character, Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with an array of super villains....
, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, is an animated television series which aired from 1995 to 2001 on Kids' WB and was later re-run on Cartoon Network...
, Road Rovers
Road Rovers
Road Rovers is an American 2D animated television series written and produced by Warner Bros. Animation that premiered on Kids' WB on September 7, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Reruns continued to air until September 6, 1997. It was then on Cartoon Network from February...
, and Histeria!
Histeria!
Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
Many consider him to be an heir to the style of Carl Stalling
Carl Stalling
Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
.
Stone's work on these cartoons was recorded in the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios; For a period of over 10 years his music was recorded in the same room and with the same piano used by Carl Stalling for Warner Brothers animation in the 1940s and 1950s. He made a brief cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the Episode of Animaniacs "10 Shorts of Wakko".
After studying cello with Lloyd Smith
Lloyd Smith
Lloyd Smith was born December 12, 1953. He is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played lead guitar in the funk band the Bar-Kays. His nickname in the band was "Luscious Lloyd". He also plays piano and other instruments....
and Orlando Cole
Orlando Cole
Orlando Cole was a cello teacher who taught two generations of soloists, chamber musicians, and first cellists in a dozen leading orchestras, including Lynn Harrell, Daniel Lee, David Cole, Ronald Leonard, Lorne Munroe, Peter Stumpf, Anne Martindale Williams, Michael Grebanier, and Marcy Rosen.In...
in addition to music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, Stone went on to earn a degree from Indiana University. In 1980, he moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to work as a music editor with such composers as 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...
on Platoon
Platoon (film)
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
and other films) and Maurice Jarre
Maurice Jarre
Maurice-Alexis Jarre was a French composer and conductor.Although he composed several concert works, he is best known for his film scores, and is particularly known for his collaborations with film director David Lean. Jarre composed the scores to all of Lean's films since Lawrence of Arabia...
(on The Witness).
He went on to write music for various feature films and television series, including the Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
western Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat is a Western horror/comedy directed by Anthony Hickox, and written by John Burgess and Anthony Hickox. Filmed in and around Moab, Utah, in 1988, Sundown was Vestron Pictures' last film and it was never released to theaters. Its only public screenings were at film...
, Pumpkinhead
Pumpkinhead (film)
Pumpkinhead is a 1988 supernatural horror film. It was the directorial debut of noted special effects artist Stan Winston. While Pumpkinhead received mixed reviews, the film has built up a cult following in the years since its release.-Plot:...
, as well as North Shore
North Shore (film)
North Shore is a 1987 film about Rick Kane , a young fictional surfer from a wave tank in Arizona, who heads to surf the season on the North Shore of Oahu and see if he has the skills to cut it as a pro surfer...
and the miniseries, "In a Child's Name". Stone worked on John Hughes films including Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
and Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
. Stone also composed the music for the William Shatner series, "Rescue 911".
Stone has won several Emmy Awards for outstanding achievement in music direction and composing for Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Histeria!, as well as Outstanding Original Song, shared with lyricist Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger is an American animation writer, producer, and director.-Career:In the 1980s Ruegger worked for Hanna-Barbera, writing and producing various animated series, most notably The Snorks, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.In 1989 he began...
, for the main titles of Animaniacs and Freakazoid. Stone shared many of his music direction/composing awards with his team of composers, who included Steven Bernstein, Julie Bernstein, Gordon Goodwin
Gordon Goodwin
Gordon L. Goodwin is a Grammy award-winning American studio pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger and conductor. He now lives in Southern California with his wife Lisa, daughter Madison and two sons, Trevor and Garrison.- Early years :...
and Tim Kelly.
According to Animaniacs writer/producer Paul Rugg
Paul Rugg
-Biography:Rugg has worked extensively in the field of animation. His list of credits include writing for, co-producing, and playing the voices of several cartoon characters, first being credited as "Mr. Director" from Animaniacs...
, crew members fondly referred to Richard as "The Great Stonini," a sort of musical magician whose compositions and orchestrations often raised the quality of the cartoons to unexpected musical and artistic heights.
Stone died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
at age 47.