Sam Spence
Sam Spence | |
---|---|
Birth name | Samuel Lloyd Spence |
Born | San Francisco, California, U.S. | March 29, 1927
Died | February 6, 2016 Lewisville, Texas, U.S. | (aged 88)
Genres | Film score |
Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
Years active | 1966–1990 |
Samuel Lloyd Spence (March 29, 1927 – February 6, 2016)[1] was an American soundtrack composer best known for his work with NFL Films.[1] His music has also been in the EA Sports Madden NFL football video games and many football-related commercials.
Biography
Spence was born in San Francisco and attended the University of Southern California. In 1966, while working as a music instructor in Munich, he was hired to score the mini-documentaries that conveyed National Football League highlights and personalities to fans in the network-television era. His music cues, combined with the voices of announcers Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier, Charlie Jones, John Facenda and Harry Kalas, created the trademark style of the NFL's sports highlights films.
Initially,
In Germany, Spence wrote several TV soundtracks with Hani Chamseddine, e.g., for the Francis Durbridge thriller Wie ein Blitz . After his retirement in 1990, he returned to Munich. He achieved unexpected fame in 1998 with the success of a CD compilation entitled The Power and the Glory: The Original Music & Voices Of NFL Films.[citation needed] Spence died at a Lewisville, Texas nursing center on February 6, 2016, at the age of 88.[3]
Discography
- 1970: "Wie ein Blitz" – Main theme for the Durbridge series on German network TV (Single, Kuckuck Schallplatten)
- 1971: The Art of the Synthesizer – Interesting, Unusual and Melodic Moog Sounds (LP, Kuckuck Schallplatten)
- 1972: Fantastic Sounds: TV Themes and Pop Covers (LP, Kuckuck Schallplatten)
- 1998: The Power And The Glory: The Original Music & Voices of NFL Films
- 2007: Sam Spence: Our Man in Munich (Allscore – Indigo)
- 2009: Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films Music
Remake
In 2005, Spence's music was remade by the hip hop music group Da Riffs, which can be heard on several NFL Network shows and found in the soundtrack of the game Madden NFL 06. Along with the urban remakes, the original songs still play in the game's soundtrack. His music was also included in Madden NFL 07, Madden NFL 08, and Madden NFL 09, being remixed again by Da Riffs.
Later appearances
Spence's music has been performed live several times, with the composer conducting guest residencies with regional orchestras. On June 14, 2008, he guest conducted a medley of his NFL Films hits with the Golden State Pops Orchestra in San Pedro, California, as part of the orchestra's "Pops for Pops" concert.[4] In November 2010, a concert devoted almost entirely to his football scores was staged in Green Bay, Wisconsin. An audience of nearly 1,000 turned out at the historic Meyer Theater downtown for a program that featured three local ensembles—The Civic Symphony of Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Wind Ensemble, and a big band jazz ensemble—performing a wide range of Spence's football scores, from symphonic to jazz to pop.[5]
Criticism
One of the hallmarks of Spence's music is its intangible familiarity. Two film score enthusiasts have pointed out the similarity of his more popular themes to several contemporary film scores; one has criticized them of "get[ting] too close to their obvious film inspiration".[6] They have lauded some of his compositions as "cool homage[s]",[6][7] while describing others as "barely disguised"[6] "knock-offs".[7]
NFL music
Over his three-decade career, Spence composed hundreds of short sound-track scores for NFL Films. Some of his more recognizable songs are:
- "A Golden Boy Again" aka "Up As She Rises"
- "March to the Trenches"
- "Big Game America"
- "Rainbows To The End Zone"
- "The Over the Hill Gang"
- "West Side Rumble"
- "The Pony Soldiers"
- "Round Up"
- "Classic Battle"
- "Forearm Shiver" aka "The Lineman"
- "The Magnificent Eleven"
- "Ramblin' Man from Gramblin'"
- "Whirlwinds To The End Zone"
- "Path To The Title" aka "Cossacks' Charge"
- "Game Plan For Sudden Death"
- "Aggression" aka "Life on the Wild Side"
- "Street Warfare"
- "Sunday With Soul" aka "Pell Mell"
- "A Chilling Championship"
- "Sunday Afternoon Fever"
- "The Equalizer"
- "Lombardi Trophy Theme"
- "Final Quest"
- "Industrial Giant"
- "Macho Theme"
- "Torpedo"
- "Police Car"
Performance rights controversy with NFL Films
Spence had long been involved in a controversial situation with the NFL regarding the rights to perform or use his music in any media outlets. The case was first reported by musicologist Alexander Klein in a 2013 article published by Film Score Monthly magazine.[8] Through personal conversations with the composer, Klein reported that Spence was convinced to sign a contract that relinquished all of the rights to his music to NFL Films under the promise that the enterprise would return the document to the composer.
After allegedly receiving a phone call in which NFL Films claimed that his music had been stolen and illicitly used, Spence said, "They would send me a paper to sign to the effect that NFL Films was empowered to protect the music in a court of law. In all sincerity, I did not see a possible 'plot' here at all. However, I unwittingly 'punctured their balloon' by explaining that they didn't have to bother with this at all because
References
- ^ a b Weber, Bruce (February 8, 2016). "Sam Spence, Who Set the Fierce Dance of the N.F.L. to Music in Film, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films Music liner notes.
- ^ Barron, David (February 6, 2016). "Sam Spence, longtime composer for NFL Films, has died". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Golden State Pops Orchestra Performs Indy and Jurassic". May 30, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Video: Legendary NFL Films composer Sam Spence visits Green Bay". Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c Lukas Kendall, "CD Review: NFL Films: The Power and the Glory", Film Score Monthly, November 1998.
- ^ a b Jeff Bond, "CD Review: Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films Music", Film Score Monthly, July 2005.
- ^ a b Alexander Klein, "The Sam Spence Case: The shocking truth about production companies and royalties", Film Score Monthly, April 2013.