Shirley Walker

Infobox musical artist
Name = Shirley Walker


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Born = birth date|1945|4|10|mf=y
Died = death date and age|2006|11|30|1945|4|10|mf=y
Origin = Napa, California, United States
Genre = Film scores: Action, Horror, Thriller, Drama, Science Fiction
Occupation = Composer, conductor, orchestrator, music arrangercite web|url=http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/main/1061806/Shirley%20Walker.html?dataSet=1|title=Shirley Walker Credits|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="Variety"]
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Shirley Walker (April 10, 1945 - November 30, 2006) was an Emmy award-winning American television and film composer and conductor. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood. She 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.cite web |first=Nathan|last=Southern|url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:115807~T1|title=Biography: Shirley Walker|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="allmovie"] cite web |author=UPI staff writer|url=http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2006/12/26/Film_composer_Shirley_Walker_dies_at_61/UPI-73801167184545/|title=Film composer Shirley Walker dies at 61|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="United Press International"|date=2006-12-26]

Biography

Shirley Walker was born in Napa, California 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.cite web|last=Nelson|first=Valerie J.|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1185922651.html?dids=1185922651:1185922651&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+26%2C+2006&author=Valerie+J.+Nelson&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=OBITUARIES%3B+Shirley+Walker%2C+61%3B+won+Emmys+for+film+scores&pqatl=google|title=OBITUARIES; Shirley Walker, 61; won Emmys for film scores|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="The Los Angeles Times"|date=2006-12-26] She studied music composition under Roger Nixon and piano studies with Harald Logan of Berkeley, California.cite web|last=Doyle|first=Jim|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/10/BAGJGMSURB1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea|title=Shirley Walker -- film score composer|accessdate=2008-09-12 |publisher="The San Francisco Chronicle"] For several years, she wrote jingles and composed for industrial films.

Walker's career in film began in 1979, when she was hired to play the synthesizers on Carmine Coppola's score for "Apocalypse Now".cite web |first=Jon|last=Burlingame|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117955064.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1|title=Composer Walker dies|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="Variety"|date=2006-12-04] 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". 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", "", "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".cite web|last=Ball|first=Ryan|url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=6199|title=Cartoon Composer Shirley Walker Dies|accessdate=2008-09-13|publisher="Animation Magazine"|date=2006-12-01]

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.cite web |url=http://www.thescl.com/php/content.php?type=1&id=6264|title=In Memoriam: Shirley Walker|accessdate=2008-09-13|publisher=The Society of Composers & Lyricists] Articles and interviews are written by and about Shirley Walker in the SCL's publication, [http://www.thescl.com/site/scl/section.php?id=4505 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 the popular DC Comics character extended to television where she served as composer on ', "Batman Beyond" and ', 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 (music). Despite the fact that very few female composers exist, Shirley Walker was not recognized during the "In Memoriam" segment of the 79th Academy Awards.cite web|last=Goldwasser|first=Dan|url=http://www.soundtrack.net/news/article/?id=937|title=Shirley Walker to be overlooked at the Oscars|accessdate=2008-09-12 |publisher="SoundtrackNet"]

Awards

In 1996, Shirley Walker won her first Daytime Emmy Award as music director on "The Adventures of Batman & Robin". She won another Daytime Emmy in music-composition for "Batman Beyond" in 2001.

Death

Shirley Walker died on November 30, 2006 at Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, due to complications from a stroke that she had experienced two weeks before. She passed away 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.cite web|last=Burlingame|first=Jon|title=Shirley Walker Memorial|url=http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2007/031407.html|accessdate=2008-09-12 |work= |publisher="The Film Music Society"|date=2007-03-14] She is survived by her two sons, Colin Walker and Ian Walker.

Notable film scores

*"Black Christmas" (2006)
*"Final Destination 3" (2006)
*"Willard" (2003)
*"Final Destination 2" (2003)
*"Final Destination" (2000)
*"Escape From L.A." (1996) (with John Carpenter)
*"" (1993)
*"Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992)

Trivia

*She wrote her film scores entirely by hand.cite web|last=Goldwasser|first=Dan|url=http://www.scoringsessions.com/news/36/|title=Shirley Walker's Final Destination 3 kicks off 2006 with a scream|accessdate=2008-09-13|publisher="ScoringSessions.com"|date=2006-01-05]
*She always orchestrated and conducted her own scores by herself.
*Walker worked with Danny Elfman on many DC Comics works. She served as conductor for "Batman", wrote most of the scores for "" using a theme inspired by Elfman's, scored episodes of "The Flash" (the main theme was written by Elfman) and scored episodes of "Batman Beyond" with Michael McCuiston, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0002980|name=Shirley Walker
* [http://walker.filmmusic.com/ FilmMusic: Shirley Walker - a website devoted to the music of Shirley Walker]
* [http://www.thescl.com/site/scl/section.php?id=5070/ Shirley Walker speaking at the annual meeting of The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL)]
* [http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2006/120706.html Film Music Society Appreciation]