Shirley Walker

Shirley Walker
Birth nameShirley Anne Rogers
Born(1945-04-10)April 10, 1945
Napa, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2006(2006-11-30) (aged 61)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
GenresFilm scores
Occupation(s)Composer, conductor, orchestrator, music arranger[1]
InstrumentKeyboards
Years active1979–2006
Spouse
Don Walker
​
​
(m. 1967; died 2006)​
WebsiteOfficial site

Shirley Anne Walker (née Rogers; April 10, 1945 – November 30, 2006) was an American film and television composer and conductor. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood during her career. Walker was one of the first female composers to earn a solo score credit on a major Hollywood motion picture (preceded by Suzanne Ciani for 1981's The Incredible Shrinking Woman) and according to the Los Angeles Times, is remembered as a pioneer for women in the film industry.[2][3]

Walker often wrote her film scores entirely by hand,[4] and always orchestrated and conducted her own scores herself.

She won two Emmy Awards during her career, while the ASCAP Shirley Walker Award was created in her honor in 2014.

  1. ^ "Shirley Walker Credits". Variety. Archived from the original on 2009-12-25. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  2. ^ Southern, Nathan. "Biography: Shirley Walker". allmovie. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  3. ^ UPI staff writer (2006-12-26). "Film composer Shirley Walker dies at 61". United Press International. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  4. ^ Goldwasser, Dan (2006-01-05). "Shirley Walker's Final Destination 3 kicks off 2006 with a scream". ScoringSessions.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2008-09-13.