"The Rockford Files" is a 1975 instrumental by Mike Post and co-composer Pete Carpenter. The song is the theme from the TV series '' The Rockford Files'' starring James Garner. It appears at the opening and ending of each episode with different arrangements. Throughout the show's tenure, the theme song went through numerous evolutions, with later versions containing a distinct electric guitar bridge section played by session guitarist Dan Ferguson. The Instrumental features a blues

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

solo,

dobro guitar Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

, an electric guitar solo heard in the bridges, plus a

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

synthesizer, heard in the refrains. This was one of the first popular song appearances for the synthesizer. The song spent four months on the charts and in August 1975 became a Top 10 hit in the U.S. (#10, for two weeks) and in Canada (#8). It was also a Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit in both nations. "The Rockford Files" won a 1975 Grammy Award for

Best Instrumental Arrangement The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement (and its subsequent name changes) has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger(s) of the music. Only songs or tracks are eligible, no longer works (e.g. albums). The perfor ...

.Knight, Judson
Mike Post
— at eNotes.comPost and Carpenter
— Grammy.com B-side track (or "flip-side") entitled "Dixie Lullabye" was also composed by Post and Carpenter. "The Rockford Files" is also the music football team Tranmere Rovers run out to.

Personnel

* Lead guitar, dobro — Dan Ferguson * Guitar — Stephen Geyer * Bass — Lyle Ritz * Minimoog synthesizer — Mike Post * Harmonica — Tommy Morgan * Banjo — Herb Pedersen * Drums — Jim Gordon (musician), Jim Gordon * Percussion — Gary Coleman

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* 1975 songs MGM Records singles Television drama theme songs Song recordings produced by Mike Post 1970s instrumentals The Rockford Files {{1970s-song-stub