Stu Phillips
Encyclopedia
Stu Phillips is an American
composer
of film score
s and television-series
theme music
, conductor
and record producer
.
at The High School of Music & Art
in New York City
, New York
, and at the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester
, New York. While at Eastman, he began arranging music
for the Rochester Civic Orchestra.
In 1958, Phillips began composing television and film scores. One of his first scores was for Columbia's 1964 movie, Ride the Wild Surf
. He also founded Colpix Records
and produced hits for Shelley Fabares
, Nina Simone
, and The Skyliners
.
In the mid-1960s, he worked for Capitol Records
and created, produced and arranged for the Hollyridge Strings
.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Phillips continued scoring films and television series including music for the films Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
(1970), The Seven Minutes
(1971) and the television series The Monkees
and Get Christie Love!
.
In 1974, he began working at Universal Studios
scoring television series
. During this time, he scored music for the television series The Six Million Dollar Man
, McCloud, and Battlestar Galactica
. His Battlestar Galactica theme was featured prominently in the film Airplane II: The Sequel
(1980). He also composed music for the television series The Amazing Spider-Man
(which was for Charles Fries/Dan Goodman/Danchuck Productions) during this time. Much like his later generation counterpart Michael Giacchino
, he worked with TV show creator Glen A. Larson
by scoring the episodes' music scores and provided them with the main themes, such as Knight Rider
and Battlestar Galactica.
In the 1980s, Phillips left Universal and began working at 20th Century Fox
where he composed music for the television series The Fall Guy
and Automan
.
s for Battlestar Galactica and has attended cult-film
screenings for the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
In 2002, Phillips published his autobiography
Stu Who?: Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields of the Music Business.
In 2006, he also participated in a documentary film
featured on the special edition DVD
re-release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
A serious musician, Phillips has also orchestrated pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven
and Sergei Rachmaninoff
for symphony orchestra
.
Phillips can be heard on FaLaLaLaLa.com discussing the history of The Hollyridge Strings's Christmas album (2008).
BMI Film & TV Awards
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...
of film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s and television-series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Career
Phillips studied musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art", was a public alternative high school at 443-465 West 135th Street, New York, New York, USA that existed from 1936 through 1984, and then merged into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York. While at Eastman, he began arranging music
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
for the Rochester Civic Orchestra.
In 1958, Phillips began composing television and film scores. One of his first scores was for Columbia's 1964 movie, Ride the Wild Surf
Ride the Wild Surf
Ride the Wild Surf is romantic drama in the beach party style. It was filmed in 1963 and distributed in 1964. Unlike most films in the genre, it is known for its exceptional big wave surf footage – a common sight in surf movies of the time, but a rarity in beach party films...
. He also founded Colpix Records
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...
and produced hits for Shelley Fabares
Shelley Fabares
Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, and The Skyliners
The Skyliners
The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh fronted by Jimmy Beaumont. The original lineup also included Wally Lester, Jack Taylor, Joe Verscharen, Louis M. Tutino and Janet Vogel...
.
In the mid-1960s, he worked for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and created, produced and arranged for the Hollyridge Strings
Hollyridge Strings
The Hollyridge Strings was a studio orchestra that specialized in easy-listening music and recorded for the Capitol Records label in the 1960s and 1970s....
.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Phillips continued scoring films and television series including music for the films Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
(1970), The Seven Minutes
The Seven Minutes (film)
The Seven Minutes is 1971 drama film directed and produced by Russ Meyer. The film was based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.-Plot:After a teenager who purchased the erotic novel The Seven Minutes is charged for rape, an...
(1971) and the television series The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
and Get Christie Love!
Get Christie Love!
Get Christie Love! is a 1974 made-for-television film starring Teresa Graves as an undercover female police detective who is determined to overthrow a drug ring. This film is based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel, The Ledger...
.
In 1974, he began working at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
scoring television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. During this time, he scored music for the television series The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
, McCloud, and Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
. His Battlestar Galactica theme was featured prominently in the film Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane II: The Sequel is an American comedy sequel to the 1980 film Airplane!. First released on December 10, 1982, the film was written and directed by Ken Finkleman and stars Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Chad Everett, William Shatner, Rip Torn, and Sonny Bono.-Plot:In the near...
(1980). He also composed music for the television series The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...
(which was for Charles Fries/Dan Goodman/Danchuck Productions) during this time. Much like his later generation counterpart Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...
, he worked with TV show creator Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson
Glen Albert Larson is an American television producer and writer best known as the creator of Battlestar Galactica, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider.-Career:...
by scoring the episodes' music scores and provided them with the main themes, such as Knight Rider
Knight Rider
Knight Rider is an American television series that originally ran from September 26, 1982, to August 8, 1986. The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern-day knight fighting crime with the help of an advanced, artificially intelligent and...
and Battlestar Galactica.
In the 1980s, Phillips left Universal and began working at 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
where he composed music for the television series The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
and Automan
Automan
Automan is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes on ABC between 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:...
.
Later years
Phillips has been semi-retired since the 1990s. Since that time, he has appeared at fan conventionFan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
s for Battlestar Galactica and has attended cult-film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
screenings for the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
In 2002, Phillips published his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Stu Who?: Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields of the Music Business.
In 2006, he also participated in a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
featured on the special edition DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
re-release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
A serious musician, Phillips has also orchestrated pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
and Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
for symphony orchestra
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
.
Phillips can be heard on FaLaLaLaLa.com discussing the history of The Hollyridge Strings's Christmas album (2008).
Film music
- Mad Dog Coll (1961)
- The Man from the Diner's ClubThe Man from the Diner's ClubThe Man from the Diner's Club is a 1963 comedy film made by Ampersand and Dena Productions and released by Columbia Pictures.-Production:...
(1963) - Ride the Wild Surf (1964)
- Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-RoundDead Heat on a Merry-Go-RoundDead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round is a 1966 crime film written and directed by Bernard Girard, starring James Coburn and featuring Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, Nina Wayne, Todd Armstrong, Robert Webber and Rose Marie.-Plot:...
(1966) - Hells Angels on WheelsHells Angels on WheelsHells Angels on Wheels is a 1967 American biker film directed by Richard Rush, and starring Jack Nicholson, Adam Roarke, and Sabrina Scharf...
(1967) - The Name of the Game Is Kill (1968)
- Angels from Hell (1968)
- Savage Intruder (1969)
- 2000 Years Later (1969)
- Run, Angel, Run (1969)
- Follow Me (1969)
- The Gay DeceiversThe Gay DeceiversThe Gay Deceivers is a 1969 gay-themed comedy film with a twist ending. The film derives much of its alleged humor through the use of stereotypes...
(1969) - Venus in FursVenus in Furs (1969 film)Venus in Furs is a 1969 Italian supernatural erotic thriller film directed by Jesús Franco and starring James Darren.The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the 1870 Venus in Furs novel by Leopold von Sacher Masoch...
(also known as Paroxismus) (Uncredited, 1969) - Beyond the Valley of the DollsBeyond the Valley of the DollsBeyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
(1970) - Nam's AngelsNam's AngelsNam's Angels is a 1970 action film, that was filmed in the Philippines. This film was directed by Jack Starrett. This film was originally released with the title, The Losers.-Plot:...
(1970)
- The Curious Female (1970)
- The Red, White, and Black (1970)
- Revenge Is My Destiny (1971)
- Simon, King of the Witches (1971)
- The Seven MinutesThe Seven Minutes (film)The Seven Minutes is 1971 drama film directed and produced by Russ Meyer. The film was based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.-Plot:After a teenager who purchased the erotic novel The Seven Minutes is charged for rape, an...
(1971) - Jud (1971)
- Pickup on 101 (1972)
- Throw Out the Anchor! (1974)
- How to Seduce a Woman (1974)
- Macon County LineMacon County LineMacon County Line was a very successful independently financed movie, made in 1974. It can be called a road movie and more specifically it falls in the "redneck nightmare" genre.-Plot:...
(1974) - The Meal (1975)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
(1979) - Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider (1979)
- Hollywood Goes to the Bowl 2004 (2004)
Television music
- The Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
(Unknown episodes, 1958) - Rockabye the Infantry (1963)
- The MonkeesThe Monkees (TV series)The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
(54 episodes, 1966–1968) - The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War (1973)
- Get Christie Love!Get Christie Love!Get Christie Love! is a 1974 made-for-television film starring Teresa Graves as an undercover female police detective who is determined to overthrow a drug ring. This film is based on Dorothy Uhnak's crime-thriller novel, The Ledger...
(Unknown episodes, 1974) - SwitchSwitch (TV series)Switch is an American action-adventure, tongue-in-cheek detective series starring Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner, who worked as private eyes, for a deceptive sting operation...
(2 episodes, 1975) - McCloud (8 episodes, 1974–1976)
- Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover (1977)
- The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew MysteriesThe Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew MysteriesThe Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a television series which aired for three seasons on ABC...
(14 episodes, 1977) - Quincy, M.E.Quincy, M.E.Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC...
(17 episodes, 1976–1977) - The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...
(Unknown episodes, 1978) - Evening in ByzantiumEvening in ByzantiumEvening in Byzantium is a 1978 television movie produced by Glen A. Larson Productions and Universal Television, and directed by Jerry London, about the Cannes Film Festival being overtaken by terrorists. It stars Glenn Ford, Vince Edwards, Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert and Erin Gray, with Edward...
(1978) - Battlestar GalacticaSaga of a Star World"Saga of a Star World" is the pilot for the American science fiction television series of Battlestar Galactica which was produced in 1978 by Glen A. Larson...
(Pilot/TV movie, 1978) - Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
(1979) - Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
(21 episodes, 1978–1979) - The Misadventures of Sheriff LoboThe Misadventures of Sheriff LoboThe Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo is an American action/adventure sitcom that ran on NBC from 1979 to 1981. For its second season the show was renamed Lobo. The program aired Tuesday nights, at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The lead character, Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo, played by Claude Akins, was a spin-off...
(Unknown episodes, 1980–1981) - Conquest of the Earth (1980)
- Galactica 1980Galactica 1980Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
(Unknown episodes, 1980)
- B. J. and the Bear (1 episode, 1980)
- Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die (1980)
- Waikiki (1980)
- Midnight Lace (1981)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
(5 episodes, 1979–1981) - The Fall GuyThe Fall GuyThe Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
(Unknown episodes, 1981) - Chicago Story (Unknown episodes, 1982)
- Terror at Alcatraz (1982)
- RoosterRooster (TV film)Rooster is a 1982 made-for-TV film, starring Paul Williams and Pat McCormick. Rooster is an unsold television pilot written and produced by Glen Larson for 20th Century Fox Television and broadcast as a two hour movie on the ABC Television Network in 1982....
(1982) - AutomanAutomanAutoman is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes on ABC between 1983 and 1984.-Synopsis:...
(1 episode, 1983) - MasqueradeMasquerade (TV series)Masquerade is an American espionage television series that aired for a few months on ABC in the spring of 1983.-Synopsis:Considered an amalgam of Mission: Impossible and The Love Boat, the tongue-in-cheek series starred Rod Taylor as Mr...
(1 episode, 1983) - Knight Rider (14 episodes, 1982–1984)
- Half Nelson (Unknown episodes, 1985)
- In Like Flynn (1985)
- The HighwaymanThe Highwayman (TV series)The Highwayman is an action-adventure themed television series starring Sam J. Jones, set in "the near future." It was created by Glen A. Larson and Douglas Heyes. The pilot aired in September 1987, and was followed by a short-lived series of nine episodes, with significant changes to the cast and...
(Pilot/TV Movie, 1987) - The HighwaymanThe Highwayman (TV series)The Highwayman is an action-adventure themed television series starring Sam J. Jones, set in "the near future." It was created by Glen A. Larson and Douglas Heyes. The pilot aired in September 1987, and was followed by a short-lived series of nine episodes, with significant changes to the cast and...
(1 episode, 1988) - The Road Raiders (1989)
Awards and nominations
Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
- Nominated: 1964 Best Instrumental Performance - Non JazzGrammy Award for Best Instrumental PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance was awarded from 1964 to 1967. The award had several minor name changes:*From 1964 to 1965, the award was known as Best Instrumental Performance - Non-Jazz...
, The Beatles Song Book (Hollyridge Strings)
- Nominated: 1979 Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television SpecialGrammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual MediaThe Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. Until 2001 the award was presented to the composer of the music alone. From 2001 to 2006, the producer and engineers shared in this award...
, Battlestar Galactica
BMI Film & TV Awards
- Won: 2005 Best Ringtone, Knight Rider
Further reading
Phillips, Stu. 2002. Stu Who?: Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields of the Music Business. Studio City, California. Cisum Press. ISBN 978-0972036337External links
- stuwho.com, official website