Benjamin Harwood Jr. (March 6, 1946 – September 1, 2022), better known as Bo Harwood, was an American

sound mixer A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instr ...

, sound editor,

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

music supervisor A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games ...

, composer, and songwriter. Harwood's sound work gained attention in the 1970s after his work on films directed by

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

. In the 1990s and 2000s, Harwood worked primarily as a mixer for several television series, including '' Felicity'', and '' Six Feet Under''.

Film work

In 1966, Bo Harwood was the lead singer and guitarist in a rock band. His first feature film score was for 1969's '' The Bach Train''.

The Cassavetes films

Harwood began working with Cassavetes doing "a little editing" on ''

Husbands A husband is a male in a marital relationship, who may also be referred to as a spouse. The rights and obligations of a husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between societies and cultures, ...

'' (1970), and "a little sound editing" on ''

Minnie and Moskowitz ''Minnie and Moskowitz'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring his wife Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the title roles of Minnie and Moskowitz, respectively. Plot Seymour Moskow ...

'' (1971). Before the production of 1974's ''

A Woman Under the Influence ''A Woman Under the Influence'' is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and family. It rec ...

'',Cassavetes approached Harwood with the idea that he be the sound mixer as well as composer on the film. Harwood, who at the time had no experience with sound recording was hesitant but Cassavetes prevailed. He is credited as the composer (Music) and as the mixer (Sound) on the film. Harwood composed music for three more Cassavetes films, and was credited as "

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

" for two of them. During these projects, Harwood wrote several songs, some which he co-wrote with Cassavetes, only a few of which were eventually used in the films, such as "Morning Fields of Frost and Magic," which can be heard in the audition scene of ''

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie ''The Killing of a Chinese Bookie'' is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following ''Husbands'' and pre ...

''. During his work with Cassavetes, Harwood claimed that the notoriously unpredictable director preferred to use the "scratch track" version of his compositions, rather than to let Harwood refine and re-record them with an orchestra. Some of these scratch tracks were recorded in Cassavetes office, with piano or guitar, as demos, and then eventually ended up in the final film. Though Harwood was sometimes surprised and embarrassed by this, the technique matched the raw, unpolished feel that marks most aspects of Cassavetes' films. On the Criterion Collection DVD version of

, Bo Harwood, cameraman Mike Ferris do a commentary to the movie, discussing much of their interpretations of the film and their history with Cassavetes. Bo's relationship ended only with the death of Cassavetes in 1989. When asked by documentarian Michael Ventura, during the making of Cassavetes' last film '' Love Streams'', what he had learned from working with Cassavetes, Harwood wistfully replied:

I learned a lot through John. I've done a lot of editing for him. Picture editing, sound editing, music editing, shot sound, composed score, and I've learned a lot about integrity...I think you know what I mean. You know, thirty years from now, I can say I rode with
Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...
."

Later work

Starting in 1986, with ''

Pee-wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was developed from Reubens's po ...

'', Bo Harwood has done work mixing sound for several television series, including ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bed ...

'', ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunctional ...

'', and a couple of episodes of ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

''. Harwood, along with two other musicians, was involved in a music group named "TRIO".

Personal life and death

Harwood was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, on March 6, 1946 to Benjamin Harwood, Sr., and Jeanne Elaine Yourell Harwood. He died on September 1, 2022, at the age of 76.

Selected work in film and television

*Composer for ''

I'm Calling Frank I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (po ...

'' (2007) *Sound Mixer for ''

'' (2 episodes) (2006) *Sound for ''

In Order of Appearance IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'' (2005) *Sound Mixer for '' Six Feet Under'' (26 episodes) (2003–2005) *Production Sound Mixer for '' Felicity'' (61 episodes) (1998–2002) *Production Sound Mixer for ''

'' (pilot) (2000) *Sound for ''

'Til There Was You ''Til There Was You'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Scott Winant and starring Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dylan McDermott, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The screenplay, written by Winnie Holzman, traces thirty-odd years in the parallel ...

'' (1997) *Production Sound Mixer for ''

'' (19 episodes) (1994–1995) *Sound for ''

Night of the Demons 2 ''Night of the Demons 2'' is a 1994 American horror film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Amelia Kinkade, Cristi Harris, Rick Peters, Jennifer Rhodes and Christine Taylor. It is the sequel to '' Night of the Demons'' and was released ...

'' (1994) *Composer for '' Love Streams'' (1984) *Composer for '' Happy Birthday to Me'' (1981) *Composer for '' Ups and Downs'' (1983) *Sound for '' My Bloody Valentine'' (1981) *Sound Mixer for ''

Terror Train ''Terror Train'' is a 1980 slasher film directed by Roger Spottiswoode in his directorial debut and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and Hart Bochner. Set aboard a moving train on New Year's Eve, the film follows a group of pre-medical sc ...

'' (1980) *Composer and Sound for ''

Opening Night A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

'' (1977) *Composer and Sound for ''

'' (1976) *Composer (and uncredited Sound) for ''

'' (1974) *Music Supervisor for ''

'' (1971)

Awards

Cinema Audio Society Award The Cinema Audio Society Awards are an annual awards ceremony given by the Cinema Audio Society that honor outstanding achievements in sound mixing. These awards have been presented by the Cinema Audio Society since 1994. The competition is open ...

for "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television-Series", '' Six Feet Under'' (2004) - NOMINATED *

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for "Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing", ''

'' (1991) – WON *

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

for "Best Original Song", ''Ups & Downs'' (1984) - WON *

for "Best Achievement in Music Score",'' Happy Birthday to Me'' (1982) - NOMINATED *

for "Best Achievement in Overall Sound", ''

'' (1981) - NOMINATED

References

External links

*
Bo Harwood discusses microphones at Obama rallies (14 October 2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harwood, Bo 1946 births 2022 deaths 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians American audio engineers American male composers Best Original Song Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners