Bob Thompson (musician)

Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson in 1990
Background information
Birth nameRobert Lamar Thompson
Born(1924-08-24)August 24, 1924
San Jose, California, United States
DiedMay 21, 2013(2013-05-21) (aged 88)
Los Angeles, California
Genres
Occupation(s)Orchestra leader, composer, arranger
InstrumentPiano
Years active1955-1980
LabelsDot, RCA Victor
Websitebobthompsonmusic.com

Robert Lamar Thompson (August 24, 1924 – May 21, 2013) was a composer, arranger, and orchestra leader from the 1950s through the 1980s. Active in Los Angeles, Thompson was a recording artist for RCA Victor and Dot Records, scored film and television soundtracks, and wrote musical accompaniments for commercials.[1][2] He composed, arranged, and conducted the orchestra for such wide-ranging artists as Rosemary Clooney, Mae West, Julie London, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, and Phil Ochs.[2]

In an interview, Van Dyke Parks, who hired Thompson to arrange "Canon in D" for his 1976 album Clang of the Yankee Reaper, said: "In terms of raw invention, I place Bob in the pantheon of Spike Jones, Les Paul, and Juan García Esquivel. Like Beethoven, they were 'populists' in good heart. They meant to appeal to the masses, and did so, by enlightening them."[3]

Thompson is considered a prime exponent of what has belatedly been termed "Space Age Pop,"[2] or "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music." This style of breezy, experimental orchestral music became popular in the 1950s and 1960s following the introduction of the long-playing microgroove record and the advent of high-fidelity and stereo home audio systems, which allowed enhanced sonic reproduction. In Thompson's 2013 L.A. Times obit, Koop Kooper, creator of the “Cocktail Nation” podcast and radio show, called Thompson "a seminal figure, a major inventor of this kind of music."[4]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Vigil, Delfin (26 June 2005). "Hey, Mr. Space Man". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  3. ^ "The Art of Music Arranging: Van Dyke Parks Interview". Bob Thompson Music. Archived from the original on 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  4. ^ Chawkins, Steve (9 June 2013). "Bob Thompson dies at 88; 'Space Age pop' composer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-07-17.