Samuel H. Pottle (May 8, 1934 – July 4, 1978) was an American composer, conductor, and musical director involved in many theatrical and television productions. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he is perhaps best remembered for his work on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, having co-written the iconic melody Muppet Show theme song by using the music from the song Musik, Musik, Musik which is used originally in the movie Hello Janine! with music composed by Peter Kreuder. However, Pottle was also involved with many theatrical productions in the 1960s and 1970s. His principal collaborators were David Axelrod and Tom Whedon, although he also worked with other lyricists. He replaced Joe Raposo as musical director for Sesame Street from season 6 through season 9.
Pottle graduated from Yale in 1955. At Yale he was president of the Yale Dramatic Association, and in 1954 he wrote the music for the Dramat's successful original musical, "Stover at Yale." His father was Frederick Pottle, Sterling Professor of English at Yale.
He died on July 4, 1978, from a heart attack while on holiday in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. [1] His partner, writer Charles Choset, dedicated the 1982 plays Letters to Ben and The Messiah to him. His remains were donated to medical science.