The film composer with a west coast music background….
Prolific film composer Randy Edelman was born June 10, 1947, in Patterson, NJ, and learned to play piano by ear and wrote his first songs at age 14. He briefly studied medicine at the University of Cincinnati before quitting school to pursue a career in music, eventually landing an arranging gig at King Records.
In 1970, Edelman relocated to New York to work as a staff writer at CBS Records, concurrently playing keyboards in the Broadway production The Boyfriend. He issued his self-titled debut pop album in 1972, followed later that year by his first film score, Outside In. Around that same time, he settled in Los Angeles and became the regular opening act for the Carpenters, who covered his “Piano Picker” on their A Song for You LP.
While solo records like 1973’s Laughter & Tears and 1975’s Prime Cuts earned Edelman a devoted cult following in Britain, back home he remained best-known as a songwriter, with artists as diverse as Patti LaBelle, Olivia Newton-John, and Bing Crosby recording his material; in 1976, Barry Manilow reached the Top Ten with Edelman’s “Weekend in New England.”
During the early ’80s, he began writing for television, most notably scoring the hit MacGyver, as well as a series of TV movies; his first major film work, on the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny DeVito comedy Twins, followed in 1988. After a flurry of comedic projects including Ghostbusters 2, Kindergarten Cop, and My Cousin Vinny, Edelman earned his first Academy Award nomination for his work on the 1992 historical action-drama The Last of the Mohicans. He later earned an Emmy Award for his contributions to NBC’s coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Words from allmusic.com. Picture taken from the official Randy Edelman website.
Selected Discography
Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman
Spectrum Records 1988
Tracks: Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman, Weekend In New England, Sentimental Fool, You, Laughter And Tears, My Special Friend, I Can´t Make Music, Today, My Heart Got In The Way, Woman On Your Arm, Turn The World Around, Growing Older, Look Both Ways, The Italian Star, Blowin´ Us Lovers Away, My Ole Man & The Music Still Plays.
Musicians on the Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman album: Randy Edelman and others.
Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman
Warwick Records 1987
Tracks: Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman, Weekend In New England, Sentimental Fool, You, Laughter And Tears, My Special Friend, I Can´t Make Music, Today, My Heart Got In The Way, Woman On Your Arm, Turn The World Around, Growing Older, Look Both Ways, The Italian Star, Blowin´ Us Lovers Away, My Ole Man & The Music Still Plays.
Musicians on the Up-Town Up-Tempo Woman album: Randy Edelman and others.
You´re The One
Arista Records 1979
Tracks: Don't Let Go Of Me, You Can Always Buy Her Pearls, If This Is Love, Thirty Years Old, Night Music, You're The One, Time Changes People, A Potato In The Rain, My Heart Got In The Way & All Along The Rhine.
Musicians on the You´re Are The One album: Randy Edelman, Dean Parks, Jay Graydon, Ben Benay, Steve Lukather, Al Kooper, Mike Baird, Rick Marotta, Gred Mollin, Matthew McCauley, David Paich, Mike Porcaro, Lee Sklar, Lyle Ritz, Doug Masek, Jackie De Shannon, Jimmy Faragher, Tommy Faragher, Danny Faragher, Leah Kunkel, Fred Mollin, Michael McDonald, Bobby Kimball & Tom Kelly.
If Love Is Real
Arista Records 1977
Tracks: Take My Hand, Slippin' Away, Autumn Days With You, Today, Can't It All Be Love, If Love Is Real, The Night Has A Thousands Eyes, Looking Up At Mars, It' s Hard To Say Goodbye & Sentimental Fools.
Musicians on the If Love Is Real album: Randy Edelman, Dean Parks, Jeff Porcaro, Tommy Vig, Victor Feldman, Lee Sklar, Doug Masek, Tom Bahler, Jim Horn, Dee Murray, Nigel Olsson & John Joyce.
Farewell Fairbanks
20th Century Records 1975
Tracks: Concrete And Day, Blue Street, The Uptown Uptempowoman, Highway Affair, Farewell Fairbanks, You, Let The Sailor Dance, Fresh Out' A Love, Bring The Baby In With The Bacon & A Weekend In New England.
Musicians on the Fairwell Fairbanks album: Randy Edelman, Dean Parks, Lee Ritenour, Steve Cropper, Art Munson, Ben Benay, Andrew Gold, Nigel Olsson, Gary Coleman, Reinie Press, Tom Bahler, Jimmy Haas, Melissa Manchester, Vini Poncia & Jackie De Shannon.