Shirley Walker
Encyclopedia
Shirley Walker was an American television
and film
composer
and conductor
. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood. Walker was the first female composer to earn a solo score credit on a major Hollywood motion picture and according to the Los Angeles Times
, will be remembered as a pioneer for women in the film industry.
She wrote her film scores entirely by hand. She always orchestrated and conducted her own scores by herself.
on April 10, 1945. Walker was a piano soloist with the San Francisco Symphony
during high school, and later attended San Francisco State University
on a piano scholarship. She studied music composition under Roger Nixon
and piano studies with Harald Logan of Berkeley, California
. For several years, she wrote jingle
s and composed for industrial films.
Walker's career in film began in 1979, when she was hired to play the synthesizer
s on Carmine Coppola
's score for Apocalypse Now
. In 1992, Walker became the first female composer to earn a solo score credit on a major Hollywood motion picture - for John Carpenter
's Memoirs of an Invisible Man
(one of Carpenter's few movies he did not score himself - Walker later collaborated with Carpenter on Escape From L.A.
). Shirley Walker served as composer for numerous productions, including films such as Willard
, the Final Destination
trilogy of movies, and television series such as Falcon Crest
, Space: Above and Beyond
, China Beach
, and The Flash
. The Flash was one of many collaborations Walker did with composer Danny Elfman
. She was his conductor on projects such as Scrooged
and Batman
.
She had served as a Board Member (1986–1994) and Vice President (1988–1992) for The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), often speaking out on behalf of composers and their working conditions. Articles and interviews are written by and about Shirley Walker in the SCL's publication, THE SCORE, a publication in print since 1986 by and about professional film/television/video game composers, songwriters and lyricists—and where Shirley spoke her mind.
Her association with DC Comics
extended to television where she served as composer for Batman: The Animated Series
(1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series
(1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures
(1997–1999), and Batman Beyond
(1999–2000); setting a standard for the musical tone of the DC Animated Universe. Series fans and film score enthusiasts alike praise her animation work for its classical reliance on theme
. Despite the fact that very few female composers had worked in Hollywood at the time of her passing, Shirley Walker was not recognized during the "In Memoriam" segment of the 79th Academy Awards
.
Walker worked with Danny Elfman
on many DC Comics works. She served as conductor for the film Batman, wrote most of the scores for Batman: The Animated Series using a theme inspired by Elfman's, scored the pilot and all the episodes of The Flash
(the main theme was written by Elfman) and scored episodes of Batman Beyond with Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter.
, due to complications from a stroke
that she had experienced two weeks before. She died only eight months after the death of her husband Don. At the time of her death, Walker had scored more major-studio motion pictures than any other American woman. A memorial service was held at the Warner Bros.
Eastwood Scoring Stage, and a plaque was placed in her honor. She is survived by her two sons, Colin Walker and Ian Walker.
as music director for Batman: The Animated Series. She won another Daytime Emmy in music-composition for Batman Beyond in 2001.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and 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...
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...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood. Walker was the first female composer to earn a solo score credit on a major Hollywood motion picture and according to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, will be remembered as a pioneer for women in the film industry.
She wrote her film scores entirely by hand. She always orchestrated and conducted her own scores by herself.
Life and career
Walker was born in Napa, CaliforniaNapa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
on April 10, 1945. Walker was a piano soloist with the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
during high school, and later attended San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
on a piano scholarship. She studied music composition under Roger Nixon
Roger Nixon
Roger Nixon was an American composer, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over 60 compositions for orchestra, band, choir and opera...
and piano studies with Harald Logan of Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. For several years, she wrote jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s and composed for industrial films.
Walker's career in film began in 1979, when she was hired to play the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s on Carmine Coppola
Carmine Coppola
Carmine Coppola was an American composer, flautist, editor, musical director, and songwriter. Coppola was a composer and conductor who contributed to many of the musical scores in The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III, and Apocalypse Now directed by his son Francis Ford...
's score for Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
. In 1992, Walker became the first female composer to earn a solo score credit on a major Hollywood motion picture - for John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a 1992 film directed by John Carpenter and released by Warner Bros., with many scenes taking place in and around San Francisco. The film is loosely based on a 1987 novel of the same name by H.F. Saint...
(one of Carpenter's few movies he did not score himself - Walker later collaborated with Carpenter on Escape From L.A.
Escape from L.A.
Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
). Shirley Walker served as composer for numerous productions, including films such as Willard
Willard (2003 film)
Willard is a 2003 horror film loosely based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert and a remake of the 1971 film of the same name...
, the Final Destination
Final Destination
Final Destination is a 2000 supernatural slasher film written and directed by James Wong. The film was co-written by Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick, both of them having previously worked with Wong in the TV series The X-Files. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and Tony Todd...
trilogy of movies, and television series such as Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
, Space: Above and Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond was a short-lived mid-90s American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn...
, China Beach
China Beach
China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" by unknown foreigners, most likely Americans...
, and The Flash
The Flash (TV series)
The Flash is a 1990 American television series that starred John Wesley Shipp as the superhero, the Flash , and co-starred Amanda Pays. The series was developed from the DC Comics characters by the writing team of Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, and produced by their company, Pet Fly Productions, in...
. The Flash was one of many collaborations Walker did with composer Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
. She was his conductor on projects such as Scrooged
Scrooged
Scrooged is a 1988 American comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue...
and Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
.
She had served as a Board Member (1986–1994) and Vice President (1988–1992) for The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), often speaking out on behalf of composers and their working conditions. Articles and interviews are written by and about Shirley Walker in the SCL's publication, THE SCORE, a publication in print since 1986 by and about professional film/television/video game composers, songwriters and lyricists—and where Shirley spoke her mind.
Her association with DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
extended to television where she served as composer for Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
(1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
(1996–2000), The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures
The New Batman Adventures is the successor to Batman: The Animated Series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Although bearing different character designs and animation styles, both shows take place in the same continuity, with TNBA set two years after BTAS. The series aired on The WB from...
(1997–1999), and Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy...
(1999–2000); setting a standard for the musical tone of the DC Animated Universe. Series fans and film score enthusiasts alike praise her animation work for its classical reliance on theme
Theme (music)
In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
. Despite the fact that very few female composers had worked in Hollywood at the time of her passing, Shirley Walker was not recognized during the "In Memoriam" segment of the 79th Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
.
Walker worked with Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
on many DC Comics works. She served as conductor for the film Batman, wrote most of the scores for Batman: The Animated Series using a theme inspired by Elfman's, scored the pilot and all the episodes of The Flash
The Flash (TV series)
The Flash is a 1990 American television series that starred John Wesley Shipp as the superhero, the Flash , and co-starred Amanda Pays. The series was developed from the DC Comics characters by the writing team of Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, and produced by their company, Pet Fly Productions, in...
(the main theme was written by Elfman) and scored episodes of Batman Beyond with Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter.
Death
Shirley Walker died on November 30, 2006 at Washoe Medical Center in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, due to complications from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
that she had experienced two weeks before. She died only eight months after the death of her husband Don. At the time of her death, Walker had scored more major-studio motion pictures than any other American woman. A memorial service was held at the 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,...
Eastwood Scoring Stage, and a plaque was placed in her honor. She is survived by her two sons, Colin Walker and Ian Walker.
Awards
In 1996, Shirley Walker won her first Daytime Emmy AwardDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
as music director for Batman: The Animated Series. She won another Daytime Emmy in music-composition for Batman Beyond in 2001.
Notable film scores
| Year | Title | Info | Limited? | Label | OOP / SOLD OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Black Christmas Black Christmas Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film directed by Bob Clark and written by A. Roy Moore, and largely based on a series of murders that took place in Quebec, Canada around Christmas time. The film's score is by Carl Zittrer. It was distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors in Canada and... |
Final score before passing on. Replaced Vince Lauria. | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 2006 | Final Destination 3 Final Destination 3 Final Destination 3 is a 2006 supernatural slasher film, and the third film in the Final Destination series. The film was directed and written by James Wong, who co-wrote and directed the first film, and was produced by Craig Perry. It was released in North America on February 10, 2006... |
----- | ----- | NO CD | |
| 2003 | Willard Willard (2003 film) Willard is a 2003 horror film loosely based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert and a remake of the 1971 film of the same name... |
Promotional CD released. | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 2003 | Final Destination 2 Final Destination 2 Final Destination 2 is a 2003 supernatural horror film and the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and was directed by David R. Ellis. It was written by Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The film stars Ali Larter, A. J. Cook, Michael Landes and Tony Todd... |
Promotional CD released. | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 2000 | Final Destination Final Destination Final Destination is a 2000 supernatural slasher film written and directed by James Wong. The film was co-written by Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick, both of them having previously worked with Wong in the TV series The X-Files. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and Tony Todd... |
Complete score isolated on a DVD release, with commentary over parts. A shorter promotional CD-R was also issued. | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. Escape from L.A. Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell... |
Co-composed with John Carpenter John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born... , and Alan Howarth |
No | Milan Records | NO |
| 1993 | Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm | Feature film | 3,000 | La La Land Records | Yes |
| 1992 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man Memoirs of an Invisible Man Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a 1992 film directed by John Carpenter and released by Warner Bros., with many scenes taking place in and around San Francisco. The film is loosely based on a 1987 novel of the same name by H.F. Saint... |
Replaced Jack Nitzsche Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others... |
No | Varese Sarabande Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract... |
OOP |
| 1997 | The Black Stallion The Black Stallion The Black Stallion, known as "the Black" or "Shêtân", is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the stallion and his young owner, Alec Ramsay... |
Co-composed with Carmine Coppola Carmine Coppola Carmine Coppola was an American composer, flautist, editor, musical director, and songwriter. Coppola was a composer and conductor who contributed to many of the musical scores in The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III, and Apocalypse Now directed by his son Francis Ford... ; some additional scoring by: Nyle Steiner, Bill Douglass, Kenneth Nash, & George Marsh. Replaced two other composers. |
1,500 | Intrada Records Intrada Records Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California. Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California. Intrada Records is an American record company based in Oakland, California... |
SOLD OUT |
| 1990 | Chicago Joe and the Show Girl | As Walker stated in an interview, for legal reasons Hans Zimmer Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the... had to take credit, but she was the one who composed the score. |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
Television scores (partial)
| Year | Title | Info | Limited? | Label | OOP / SOLD OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Lou Grant Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV... |
Episodes: "Guns" (season 3) "Hazard" (season 3) |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1981 | Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... |
All Episodes: "The Rapist: Part 1" "The Rapist: Part 2" "The Gimp" |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch Tucker's Witch Tucker's Witch is a 12-episode comedy-detective series which aired on CBS television from October 6, 1982, to November 10, 1982, and again sporadically from March 31 to June 9, 1983... |
All Episodes: "Abra Cadaver" (episode six) |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1985 | Berrenger's Berrenger's Berrenger's is an American primetime television soap opera created by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick that aired on NBC in 1985. The series revolved around the Berrenger family, a New York dynasty which owned the glamorous department store which bore their name.Following in the tradition of... |
One episode (unknown title) | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1984 to 1988 | Falcon Crest Falcon Crest Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced.... |
All Episodes: "Pain and Pleasure" (season 4) "The Showdown" (season 4) "The Decline" (season 4) "Echoes" (season 5) "Changing Partners" (season 5) "Inconceivable Affairs" (season 5) "Checkmate" (season 5) "Shattered Dreams" (season 5) "Finders and Losers" (season 5) "Dangerous Ground" (season 5) "Tuscany Venus" (season 8) "Suspicion" (season 8) |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1988 | Knots Landing Knots Landing Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle... |
Incomplete episodes: "The Blushing Bride" |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1990 | Tiny Toons | Rejected score for one segment in an episode. | NO CD | ||
| 1992 | Batman: The Animated Series Batman: The Animated Series Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated... |
Over 34 episodes plus second opening theme | 3,000 | La La Land Records | SOLD OUT |
| 1994 | M.A.N.T.I.S. M.A.N.T.I.S. M.A.N.T.I.S. is an American Science fiction television series that aired for one season on the Fox Network between August 1994 and March 1995. The original two-hour pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and developed by Sam Hamm. It stars actor Carl Lumbly. The show is unique in that it depicts an... |
INFO | Rejected score, unknown episode. No other scores for the series. | ---- | NO CD |
| 1994 | V.I.P.E.R. | All Episodes (season 1 only): "Safe as Houses" "Firehawk" "The Face" "Wheels of Fire" "Past Tense" "Scoop" "Thief of Hearts" "Crown of Thorns" |
----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1995 | Space: Above and Beyond Space: Above and Beyond Space: Above and Beyond was a short-lived mid-90s American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn... |
Theme and all episodes. | 3,000 | La La Land Records | IN PRINT |
| 1996 | Superman: The Animated Series Superman: The Animated Series Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros... |
Theme and some episodes. | ----- | ----- | NO CD |
| 1997 | Spawn (The Animated Series) | Theme and multiple episodes (maybe all of season 1) | ----- | ----- | NO CD |