74-644: John Valmore Pearson (18 June 1925 – 20 March 2011) was a British composer , orchestra leader and pianist . He led the Top of the Pops orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music , and had many of his pieces used as the theme music to television series . Johnny Pearson was born John Valmore Pearson in Plaistow in Kent , the only child of a steel erector. At age seven, Pearson began studying piano. By nine, he had won
148-573: A composition , and it is then transmitted via oral tradition . Conversely, in some Western classical traditions music may be composed aurally—i.e. "in the mind of the musician"—and subsequently written and passed through written documents . In the development of European classical music , the function of composing music initially did not have much greater importance than that of performing it. The preservation of individual compositions did not receive enormous attention and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance. In
222-532: A singer in a choir , as a player in a youth orchestra , or as a performer on a solo instrument (e.g., piano , pipe organ , or violin ). Teens aspiring to be composers can continue their postsecondary studies in a variety of formal training settings, including colleges, conservatories, and universities. Conservatories , which are the standard musical training system in countries such as France and Canada, provide lessons and amateur orchestral and choral singing experience for composition students. Universities offer
296-572: A Heart" was recorded by Cilla Black at London's Abbey Road Studios , in an arrangement by Pearson which featured the use of bassoons . In February 1964, it entered the UK Singles Chart , eventually reaching number 1 in both the UK and Ireland and also charting in other parts of Europe. The Dionne Warwick version was also in the UK charts at the time (although it only managed to peak at Number 42), but Cilla Black's treatment used slightly different lyrics and
370-467: A breeze, to avant-garde music from the 20th century that uses graphic notation , to text compositions such as Aus den Sieben Tagen , to computer programs that select sounds for musical pieces. Music that makes heavy use of randomness and chance is called aleatoric music , and is associated with contemporary composers active in the 20th century, such as John Cage , Morton Feldman , and Witold Lutosławski . The nature and means of individual variation of
444-426: A composition professor , ensemble experience, and graduate courses in music history and music theory, along with one or two concerts featuring the composition student's pieces. A master's degree in music (referred to as an M.Mus. or M.M.) is often a required minimum credential for people who wish to teach composition at a university or conservatory. A composer with an M.Mus. could be an adjunct professor or instructor at
518-412: A culture eventually developed whereby faithfulness to the composer's written intention came to be highly valued (see, for example, Urtext edition ). This musical culture is almost certainly related to the high esteem (bordering on veneration) in which the leading classical composers are often held by performers. The historically informed performance movement has revived to some extent the possibility of
592-530: A different arrangement. Following the success of "Anyone Who Had a Heart", Pearson was invited to work on the next Cilla Black single, " You're My World ", which was released in May 1964. This was also recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and again went to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Pearson also worked on other Cilla Black tracks, some of which featured on her album , Cilla Sings a Rainbow . Sounds Orchestral
666-564: A few years earlier, after he heard him on Radio Luxembourg . Initially paid a session fee to record "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", Pearson was subsequently made a full partner in the Sounds Orchestral project. "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" was a number 5 hit in the UK Singles Chart in early 1965. Sounds Orchestral would end up recording some seventeen albums between 1965 and 1977. Some have subsequently been reissued on CD. Pearson first appeared on
740-432: A given place is referred to as performance practice , whereas interpretation is generally used to mean the individual choices of a performer. Although a musical composition often has a single author, this is not always the case. A work of music can have multiple composers, which often occurs in popular music when a band collaborates to write a song, or in musical theatre , where the songs may be written by one person,
814-628: A more modern outlook. One of the first singles and albums from the Rampage label would be another of Pearson's international hits, the eponymous theme from All Creatures Great and Small . Pearson was a successful composer of theme music for television series . Examples of his work included The Rat Catchers , All Creatures Great and Small , General Hospital , Captain Pugwash , Triangle , 3-2-1 , Mary Mungo & Midge and ITN 's News at Ten (the last of which formed part of "The Awakening",
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#1733084907299888-441: A performer of Western popular music creates a "cover" of an earlier song, there is little expectation of exact rendition of the original; nor is exact faithfulness necessarily highly valued (with the possible exception of "note-for-note" transcriptions of famous guitar solos ). In Western art music, the composer typically orchestrates their compositions, but in musical theatre and pop music, songwriters may hire an arranger to do
962-655: A piece otherwise known to American audiences as the main title theme to the 1974 animated film Journey Back to Oz ). He also wrote the scores to Michael Winner 's swinging 60s comedy film The Jokers (1967), the Robert Horton TV spy movies The Spy Killer (1969) and Foreign Exchange (1970), the Grampian Television start-up music "Sounds On" , and the ATV startup theme "Midlands Montage", as well as music used during intervals between schools programmes on ITV. In
1036-473: A range of composition programs, including bachelor's degrees, Master of Music degrees, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. As well, there are a variety of other training programs such as classical summer camps and festivals, which give students the opportunity to get coaching from composers. Bachelor's degrees in composition (referred to as B.Mus. or B.M) are four-year programs that include individual composition lessons, amateur orchestra/choral experience, and
1110-674: A scholarship with the London Academy of Music , where he spent four years under English pianist Solomon . However, at the outbreak of war and with the end of his scholarship he was put into trade, and embarked on a seven-year toolmaking apprenticeship, much of it at the Siemens Brothers factory in Charlton. In his teens, Pearson gave classical recitals and started a jazz band, the Rhythm Makers. During World War II , Johnny Pearson served in
1184-453: A sequence of courses in music history, music theory, and liberal arts courses (e.g., English literature), which give the student a more well-rounded education. Usually, composition students must complete significant pieces or songs before graduating. Not all composers hold a B.Mus. in composition; composers may also hold a B.Mus. in music performance or music theory. Master of Music degrees (M.mus.) in composition consists of private lessons with
1258-459: A tendency to cluster in specific cities throughout history. Based on over 12,000 prominent composers listed in Grove Music Online and using word count measurement techniques, the most important cities for classical music can be quantitatively identified. Paris has been the main hub for western classical music in all periods. It was ranked fifth in the 15th and 16th centuries but first in
1332-676: A university, but it would be difficult in the 2010s to obtain a tenure track professor position with this degree. To become a tenure track professor, many universities require a doctoral degree . In composition, the key doctoral degree is the Doctor of Musical Arts , rather than the PhD ; the PhD is awarded in music, but typically for subjects such as musicology and music theory . Doctor of Musical Arts (referred to as D.M.A., DMA, D.Mus.A. or A.Mus.D) degrees in composition provide an opportunity for advanced study at
1406-487: A very difficult time breaking through and getting the credit they deserve." During the Medieval eras, most of the art music was created for liturgical (religious) purposes and due to the views about the roles of women that were held by religious leaders, few women composed this type of music, with the nun Hildegard von Bingen being among the exceptions. Most university textbooks on the history of music discuss almost exclusively
1480-463: Is a person who writes music . The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music , or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. The term is descended from Latin , compōnō ; literally "one who puts together". The earliest use of the term in a musical context given by the Oxford English Dictionary
1554-506: Is from Thomas Morley 's 1597 A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music , where he says "Some wil [ sic ] be good descanters [...] and yet wil be but bad composers". "Composer" is a loose term that generally refers to any person who writes music. More specifically, it is often used to denote people who are composers by occupation, or those who work in the tradition of Western classical music . Writers of exclusively or primarily songs may be called composers, but since
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#17330849072991628-404: Is termed "interpretation". Different performers' interpretations of the same work of music can vary widely, in terms of the tempos that are chosen and the playing or singing style or phrasing of the melodies. Composers and songwriters who present their music are interpreting, just as much as those who perform the music of others. The standard body of choices and techniques present at a given time and
1702-589: The Baroque music era, many composers were employed by aristocrats or as church employees. During the Classical period , composers began to organize more public concerts for profit, which helped composers to be less dependent on aristocratic or church jobs. This trend continued in the Romantic music era in the 19th century. In the 20th century, composers began to seek employment as professors in universities and conservatories. In
1776-603: The British Commonwealth came closer than it ever had or would to a clean sweep of a weekly Hot 100's Top 10 , lacking only a hit at number two instead of "Count Me In" by the US group Gary Lewis & the Playboys . "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" sold over one million copies and achieved gold disc status. The track peaked at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart some three months earlier. The follow-up, "Moonglow" (1965) reached No. 43 in
1850-519: The Renaissance music era, composers typically worked for aristocratic employers. While aristocrats typically required composers to produce a significant amount of religious music, such as Masses , composers also penned many non-religious songs on the topic of courtly love : the respectful, reverential love of a great woman from afar. Courtly love songs were very popular during the Renaissance era. During
1924-667: The Royal Artillery Band . After the war, he became one of the founding members of the Malcolm Mitchell Trio in October 1948, before leaving in 1954 after Malcolm Mitchell broke up the group to start a solo career. During his time with the trio, Johnny Pearson toured England and Europe, playing the West End and theatres. The early Malcolm Mitchell Trio consisted of Malcolm Mitchell, Teddy Broughton and Johnny Pearson. After leaving
1998-400: The orchestration of the accompaniment parts and writing of the overture is done by an orchestrator, and the words may be written by a third person. A piece of music can also be composed with words, images, or, in the 20th and 21st centuries, computer programs that explain or notate how the singer or musician should create musical sounds. Examples of this range from wind chimes jingling in
2072-427: The 17th to 20th centuries inclusive. London was the second most meaningful city: eighth in the 15th century, seventh in the 16th, fifth in the 17th, second in the 18th and 19th centuries, and fourth in the 20th century. Rome topped the rankings in the 15th century, dropped to second in the 16th and 17th centuries, eighth in the 18th century, ninth in the 19th century but back at sixth in the 20th century. Berlin appears in
2146-515: The 1968 KPM album Gentle Sounds , and was retitled "Heather" by producer John Bettis in the Carpenters' version. Richard Carpenter apparently first heard the track as background music for a commercial for the US health food supplement maker Geritol , and loved it straight away. "Autumn Reverie" would also feature again on the 1974 Johnny Pearson LP Touch Me in the Morning , and as background music on
2220-658: The 1980s. With his friend and business partner Adrian Kerridge he took on the ownership of the Lansdowne Studios in Holland Park . In 1982 he released the instrumental album On Golden Pond through Larry Page's Page One Records . In 1984, Pearson assembled another orchestra, the Johnny Pearson Studio Orchestra, and contributed to John Paul Jones ' motion picture soundtrack, Scream For Help . Following this, during 1985, he worked on producing music for
2294-410: The 20th century the terms ' songwriter ' or ' singer-songwriter ' are more often used, particularly in popular music genres. In other contexts, the term 'composer' can refer to a literary writer, or more rarely and generally, someone who combines pieces into a whole. Across cultures and traditions composers may write and transmit music in a variety of ways. In much popular music, the composer writes
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2368-422: The 20th century, composers also earned money from the sales of their works, such as sheet music publications of their songs or pieces or as sound recordings of their works. In 1993, American musicologist Marcia Citron asked, "Why is music composed by women so marginal to the standard 'classical' repertoire?" Citron "examines the practices and attitudes that have led to the exclusion of women composers from
2442-556: The BBC TV production drama Maelstrom . Notable on the recordings for Maelstrom is the track "Camellia Waltz", which was treated to sound like an old 78rpm record. Other tracks by Pearson for the series came from his work with KPM. In 1987, together with business partner at Lansdowne Adrian Kerridge, Pearson negotiated the purchase of CTS Studios in Wembley . In 1988, he returned to the KPM record label and
2516-712: The BBC music show Top of the Pops in January 1965 playing piano with Sounds Orchestral on "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", which charted at the time. The following year in 1966, Pearson took charge of the Top of the Pops Orchestra, established after the Musicians' Union forbade miming on televised musical performances. By the summer of 1980, the Musicians' Union went on strike after budget cuts led to
2590-439: The BBC terminating several orchestras, including that of Top of the Pops . During the strike, Top of the Pops was off the air from June to August 1980. Pearson continued contributing to the programme until the 900th episode in the summer of 1981. Pearson's arrangement for the Top of the Pops Orchestra of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was the theme tune to Top of the Pops for most of the 1970s. During 1966, as well as Top of
2664-711: The BBC", on DVD. In 1966, Johnny Pearson also started his long association with the KPM library record label. KPM was originally known as Keith Prowse Music. KPM would later become part of the EMI Group of companies but was able to retain its independence due to its specialist nature. Pearson's involvement with KPM was to last many years until 1978, which is when he switched over his music library efforts to Bruton Music. Johnny Pearson would however again later return to KPM during 1988. That year's KPM 1000 Series double release Johnny Pearson Piano and Orchestra included several pieces featured in
2738-727: The British television series All Creatures Great and Small (1978–90). As leader of the Johnny Pearson Orchestra he reached number 8 in the United Kingdom chart in early 1972 with "Sleepy Shores", the theme from the television series Owen, M.D. (1971–73). The Johnny Pearson Orchestra, which as a musical project was begun in 1972, ran side by side with his other projects. At the time these projects included working on albums with John Schroeder for Sounds Orchestral and also providing library music to Britain's KPM Records. Instead of
2812-485: The Carpenters, has served as the background music to the "Plaat & zijn Verhaal"-section ("A record and its story") at Radio Veronica , in which a song's lyrics are translated into Dutch and read by the DJ . This composition, in the Carpenters' version, was also the last music to be heard before Radio Veronica went off the air in 1974. After leaving Top of the Pops , Pearson continued to work on independent projects throughout
2886-484: The Loved ", in 1963, but it had charted only modestly despite having been written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney . A scout for George Martin had spotted the track " Anyone Who Had a Heart " after hearing the US singer Dionne Warwick 's version. Originally the song was to have been recorded in the UK by Shirley Bassey , but George Martin saw the piece as being more suitable for Black's voice. Early in 1964, "Anyone Who Had
2960-699: The Malcolm Mitchell Trio, Pearson turned his talents to British radio, as well as performing in the Peter York Concert Orchestra. By 1960, he was conducting the Romance in Rhythm Orchestra. He recorded two singles for Parlophone , "Waterfall" in mid 1959, and "Theme from The L Shaped Room" in 1962. He was then offered a solo album deal with Oriole Records , which first teamed him up with John Schroeder . The Oriole album, Piano Sweet - Piano Wild
3034-492: The Morning are on Festival Records. In Australia from 1976 to 1980, Johnny Pearson and his Orchestra were on M7 Records. M7 Records was the offshoot of the ATN7 Television network of Australia. In Japan, Pearson was on JVC Victor. Around 1989, multiple releases occurred to coincide with the abandonment of vinyl records by the global music industry. Titles to be found included Themes and Dreams . Composer A composer
Johnny Pearson - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-491: The Pops, Johnny Pearson worked and directed the orchestra for the Dusty Springfield shows which were produced and directed by Stanley Dorfman and recorded by the BBC, for television. It featured Johnny Pearson directing a full 32 piece orchestra. There were a total of twelve episodes made, six in 1966 and six in 1967. In recent years, the surviving nine episodes have been remastered and released as "Dusty Springfield Live at
3182-558: The UK. In Canada, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" reached #6 on the CHUM Charts and #5 on the RPM AC charts, and " Canadian Sunset " was #25 on RPM's Top 40. Sounds Orchestral made one last original album, in 1977 for K-tel , featuring 20 of the most current and popular television and movie themes. By the close of 1977, Sounds Orchestral had released sixteen different record albums, twelve vinyl 7" singles and three vinyl EPs, besides those in
3256-460: The United Kingdom, which had many differently packaged versions of the latter, particularly singles. Pianist Johnny Pearson is featured on all the Sounds Orchestral albums. When Sounds Orchestral had effectively come to an end in 1977, Pearson had already established a successful solo career on other record labels. He was also music arranger on the UK BBC television programme, Top of the Pops . At
3330-647: The United States, Pearson's best-known composition is " Heavy Action ", originally used as the theme to the BBC sports show Superstars , and subsequently adopted by ABC 's Monday Night Football (the NFL's weekly nationally televised showcase) and the SFM Holiday Network . In 1989 , Edd Kalehoff composed and recorded a new arrangement of this music for later seasons of Monday Night Football . Pearson's piece "Graveyard"
3404-461: The Western world, before the Romantic period of the 19th century, composition almost always went side by side with a combination of either singing, instructing and theorizing . Even in a conventional Western piece of instrumental music, in which all of the melodies , chords , and basslines are written out in musical notation, the performer has a degree of latitude to add artistic interpretation to
3478-489: The album was subsequently released through EMI. More recently, it has now been reissued on compact disc. In 1996, Johnny Pearson recorded a CD of library music, for the radio and television industry, titled Simply Piano . This was followed in 2005 by another CD, Simply Piano 2 . Johnny Pearson died at the age of 85, on 20 March 2011. He is survived by Alex, his wife of many years whom he married in 1963. Johnny Pearson at one time had at least four different projects going at
3552-517: The definition of composition is broad enough for the creation of popular and traditional music songs and instrumental pieces and to include spontaneously improvised works like those of free jazz performers and African percussionists such as Ewe drummers . During the Middle Ages, most composers worked for the Catholic church and composed music for religious services such as plainchant melodies. During
3626-622: The end of the late 1980s, the CD era arrived. A number of Sounds Orchestral albums were re-released for the first time on compact disc. Most notable was the reissue in 1991, of the fourth 1966 Sounds Orchestral album, Sounds Orchestral Play Favourite Classical Melodies . Retitled Classical Classics , but with eight new tracks by Schroeder and Pearson, the album was dedicated to the memory of Sounds Orchestral members who had died, including McGurk, Clare, and Gilbert. Pearson himself died on 20 March 2011. In Australia, some of these were released through Astor,
3700-503: The guidance of faculty composition professors. Some schools require DMA composition students to present concerts of their works, which are typically performed by singers or musicians from the school. The completion of advanced coursework and a minimum B average are other typical requirements of a D.M.A program. During a D.M.A. program, a composition student may get experience teaching undergraduate music students. Some composers did not complete composition programs, but focused their studies on
3774-552: The highest artistic and pedagogical level, requiring usually an additional 54+ credit hours beyond a master's degree (which is about 30+ credits beyond a bachelor's degree). For this reason, admission is highly selective. Students must submit examples of their compositions. If available, some schools will also accept video or audio recordings of performances of the student's pieces. Examinations in music history, music theory, ear training/dictation, and an entrance examination are required. Students must prepare significant compositions under
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#17330849072993848-405: The increased use by composers of more detailed scoring in the form of dynamics, articulation et cetera; composers became uniformly more explicit in how they wished their music to be interpreted, although how strictly and minutely these are dictated varies from one composer to another. Because of this trend of composers becoming increasingly specific and detailed in their instructions to the performer,
3922-400: The mid-20th century was Nadia Boulanger . Philips states that "[d]uring the 20th century the women who were composing/playing gained far less attention than their male counterparts." Women today are being taken more seriously in the realm of concert music, though the statistics of recognition, prizes, employment, and overall opportunities are still biased toward men. Famous composers have
3996-400: The music are varied, depending on the musical culture in the country and the time period it was written. For instance, music composed in the Baroque era , particularly in slow tempos, often was written in bare outline, with the expectation that the performer would add improvised ornaments to the melody line during a performance. Such freedom generally diminished in later eras, correlating with
4070-435: The orchestration. In some cases, a pop songwriter may not use notation at all, and, instead, compose the song in their mind and then play or record it from memory. In jazz and popular music, notable recordings by influential performers are given the weight that written scores play in classical music. The study of composition has traditionally been dominated by the examination of methods and practice of Western classical music, but
4144-481: The performance of voice or an instrument or on music theory , and developed their compositional skills over the course of a career in another musical occupation. Sounds Orchestral Sounds Orchestral was a British studio-based easy listening group, assembled by John Schroeder with Johnny Pearson in 1964. John Schroeder had worked with Johnny Pearson previously over at Oriole Records , producing Johnny Pearson's first solo album. Moving to Pye , Schroeder
4218-408: The performer elaborating seriously the music as given in the score, particularly for Baroque music and music from the early Classical period . The movement might be considered a way of creating greater faithfulness to the original in works composed at a time that expected performers to improvise . In genres other than classical music, the performer generally has more freedom; thus for instance when
4292-479: The received ' canon ' of performed musical works." She argues that in the 1800s, women composers typically wrote art songs for performance in small recitals rather than symphonies intended for performance with an orchestra in a large hall, with the latter works being seen as the most important genre for composers; since women composers did not write many symphonies, they were deemed to be not notable as composers. According to Abbey Philips, "women musicians have had
4366-551: The recording of two new library CDs for the radio and television industry. Both were recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley, with Adrian Kerridge. After the 1980s, Pearson made occasional live appearances as part of a quartet. During 1993, Johnny Pearson worked with Shirley Bassey on a new album recording. Titled "Shirley Bassey sings the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber", this was recorded at the CTS Studios. With Johnny Pearson mainly conducting,
4440-430: The role of male composers. As well, very few works by women composers are part of the standard repertoire of classical music. In Concise Oxford History of Music , " Clara Shumann [ sic ] is one of the only female composers mentioned", but other notable women composers of the common practice period include Fanny Mendelssohn and Cécile Chaminade , and arguably the most influential teacher of composers during
4514-561: The same time: Sounds Orchestral, as pianist; Johnny Pearson and his Orchestra; work with KPM Records, with background music for radio and television; and as arranger with Top of the Pops . Apart from his work with John Schroeder and Sounds Orchestral, at Pye during 1964–1975, his solo work included: Compilations: All the above were released on 12" vinyl, and from 1972 to the late 1970s, on the Penny Farthing Label, with Larry Page producing. In Australia, Sleepy Shores and Touch Me in
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#17330849072994588-621: The second run of All Creatures Great and Small , which did not have the accompanying soundtrack release that the original run did. Johnny Pearson's earliest contributions at KPM came in the form of contributing to KPM's in house orchestra, the Group-Forty Orchestra. KPM's Group-Forty Orchestra was an orchestra that existed between 1959 and 1966. Its role was to record background music for radio and television. From 1967, Johnny Pearson started appearing on many of KPM's music library recordings, in his own right. In October 1971 Johnny Pearson
4662-532: The slightly jazzy sounding Sounds Orchestral albums, Pearson was offered a project for easy listening and romance music, based on the success of his "Sleepy Shores" hit. This time he teamed up with music executive Larry Page , who wanted to move his label Penny Farthing into the easy listening genre. The albums were released outside the UK in Europe, Australia, Canada and the US. In 1978 Larry Page decided to rename his Penny Farthing label to Rampage Records, to reflect
4736-515: The studio, there would be a trio, backed by other instruments led by Tony Gilbert, who would play violin on many of the tracks. On the second last album in 1975, members had changed to Johnny Pearson on piano, Ronnie Verrell on drums, and Russ Stapleford on bass guitar. Sounds Orchestral's version of Vince Guaraldi 's 1962 instrumental " Cast Your Fate to the Wind " hit No. 1 on the 1–15 May 1965 US Adult Contemporary charts and No. 10 on 8 May 1965 Hot 100 . With Sound Orchestral's peak that week,
4810-440: The top ten rankings only in the 18th century and was ranked third most important city in both the 19th and 20th centuries. New York City entered the rankings in the 19th century (in fifth place) and stood at second rank in the 20th century. The patterns are very similar for a sample of 522 top composers. Professional classical composers often have a background in performing classical music during their childhood and teens, either as
4884-422: The work, by such means as by varying their articulation and phrasing , choosing how long to make fermatas (held notes) or pauses, and — in the case of bowed string instruments, woodwinds or brass instruments — deciding whether to use expressive effects such as vibrato or portamento . For a singer or instrumental performer, the process of deciding how to perform music that has been previously composed and notated
4958-533: Was "Power Drive," which was used as the theme for the 1969-75 police drama Division 4 . Some of Johnny Pearson's library music was also used as background scene music for the Ten Network series, Prisoner . Also during late 2011, another Johnny Pearson track, And a Very Good Morning to You , from 1970, was used as a piece of background music, on the Nine Network series, Underbelly . The track "Sleepy Shores"
5032-503: Was also used as incidental music in some of the courting scenes from the 1970s ABC TV drama series, Certain Women . Alternative rock band TISM sampled "Power Drive" in their 1998 single " Thunderbirds are Coming Out ". In the 1970s, Johnny Pearson composed the music score for the Dutch TV series Sil de Strandjutter , performed by his orchestra. Pearson's composition "Heather", as performed by
5106-431: Was an idea by John Schroeder, who had moved from Oriole Records to become the label manager at Pye Records and was interested in producing an instrumental version of the US hit song " Cast Your Fate to the Wind ". This had been suggested to him at the time by Pye staff member, Tony Reeves. As his project moved to fruition, Schroeder looked for a piano player. His efforts came about when he was reminded of Johnny Pearson from
5180-523: Was known in the U.S. and Canada for use in some episodes of the 1967-70 cartoon series Spider-Man , as well as being the theme for Los Angeles station KNXT/KCBS-TV 's afternoon movie series The Early Show for much of the 1970s and into the 1980s, as well as for their Saturday night movie show The Fabulous 52 from the late 1960s until the end of its run in 1974. "Power Drive" and "Evening Sky," among others, were also used as background music by NFL Films . In Australia, his best-known library music piece
5254-478: Was quick to assemble the line-up which would become Sounds Orchestral, intended to be a competitor group to EMI 's successful Sounds Incorporated . Johnny Pearson (piano), Kenny Clare (drums and percussion), and Tony Reeves (bassist, who later played with Curved Air ) filled out the group. Other members included Peter McGurk on bass, who died in June 1968. McGurk's position was assumed by Frank Clark. Generally in
5328-572: Was released in 1962 and was Johnny Pearson's first full vinyl album release. Also there was a 45 single released, "Ooh La La", in 1962 but this track and its b-side did not appear on the album. After the Oriole releases, Johnny Pearson continued to perform with various concert orchestras until 1964. In early 1964, Johnny Pearson took part in helping launch the career of Cilla Black , a rising singer who had been spotted by The Beatles ' producer , George Martin . She had released her first 45 single, " Love of
5402-584: Was the musical director on the Stanley Dorfman directed and produced BBC Television special Carpenters: Live at the BBC , featuring the American musical duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter . It first aired on BBC1 on November 6, 1971. In early 1973 Pearson was again contacted by Richard Carpenter to ask permission to use one of his songs on the then forthcoming Carpenters LP, Now & Then . This track, originally titled "Autumn Reverie", first appeared on
5476-546: Was used in The Ren and Stimpy Show and SpongeBob SquarePants , and his piece "Mini Walking" was used on Sesame Street as the score for the animated story segment Nancy the Nannygoat by Tee Collins and part of the score for Bill Cosby's Aesop's Fables animated special from Filmation. NFL Films has used many of his other compositions for its Super Bowl and other highlight films. Pearson's "Power Drive," composed in 1967,
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