Barry Gray (born John Livesey Eccles; 18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...

Life and career

Born into a musical family in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, Lancashire, Gray was encouraged to pursue a musical career from an early age. Starting at the age of five – with piano lessons – he studied diligently and became a student at the Manchester Royal College of Music and at

Blackburn Cathedral Blackburn Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Blackburn Saint Mary the Virgin with St Paul, is an Anglican (Church of England) cathedral situated in the heart of Blackburn town centre, in Lancashire, England. The cathedral si ...

. He studied composition under the Hungarian born émigré composer Matyas Seiber. Gray's first professional job was for B. Feldman & Co. in London, where he gained experience in scoring for theatre and variety orchestras. From there, he joined

Radio Normandy Captain Leonard Frank Plugge (21 September 1889 – 19 February 1981) was a British radio entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. Early years and political life Plugge was born at Walworth, only son of Frank Plugge (1864–1946), a co ...

as a composer-arranger. After serving for six years with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he returned to the music industry to work with such names as

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

and

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

. In 1956 Gray joined

AP Films AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

and scored its first marionette puppet television series, ''

The Adventures of Twizzle ''The Adventures of Twizzle'' is a television show produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson. Conceived by author Roberta Leigh, later a co-producer, the children's show premiered in 1957. The show follows a young boy named Twizzle and his comp ...

''. This was followed by ''

Torchy The Battery Boy ''Torchy the Battery Boy'' is a British television series, the second produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson, running from 1959 to 1961. Directed by Anderson, it was a collaboration with author Roberta Leigh, with music scored by Barry Gray ...

'' and ''

Four Feather Falls ''Four Feather Falls'' is a British television programme, the third puppet TV show produced by Gerry Anderson for ITV Granada, Granada Television (now ITV Granada). It was based on an idea by Barry Gray, who also wrote the show's music. The ser ...

'', a puppet

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

based on a concept suggested by Gray. His association with Anderson lasted throughout the 1960s. Although best known for his score to '' Thunderbirds'' (in particular the "March of the ''Thunderbirds''" title music), Gray's work also included the themes to all the other " Supermarionation" productions, including ''

Fireball XL5 ''Fireball XL5'' is a 1960s British children's science-fiction puppet television series about the missions of ''Fireball XL5'', a vessel of the World Space Patrol that polices the cosmos in the year 2062. Commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac, ''XL5' ...

'', '' Stingray'', ''

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', often shortened to ''Captain Scarlet'', is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions for distributor ...

'' and ''

Joe 90 ''Joe 90'' is a 1968–1969 British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, AP Films#Century 21, Century 21, for ITC Enterta ...

''. Recording sessions were held at Olympic Studios,

Pye Studios Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

and CTS Studios in London, Anvil Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire and Gray's own studios at his residence in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

, Surrey. Additionally, Gray is known as the composer for the Anderson live-action series of the 1970s, such as ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

'' and '' Space: 1999'' (though he was not involved in scoring ''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

''). His work in cinema included the scores to the ''Thunderbirds'' feature films '' Thunderbirds Are Go'' (1966) and ''

Thunderbird 6 ''Thunderbird 6'' is a 1968 British science fiction puppet film based on '' Thunderbirds'', a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by ...

'' (1968), and the live-action science-fiction drama '' Doppelgänger'' (1969). Gray's professional association with Anderson and his career in TV and film scoring ended when he decided to leave the production of ''Space: 1999'' after the completion of the first series. His replacement for the second series was Derek Wadsworth, who composed new title music. In 1970, Gray moved from Esher to

St Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. P ...

, Guernsey. Later, after his retirement, he served as resident pianist at the Old Government House Hotel. Gray died in hospital on Guernsey on 26 April 1984. He had a son, Simon.

Composing style

Gray's music is characterised by the use of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and percussion sections. It made extensive use of leitmotifs, with each machine in '' Thunderbirds'' having its own theme and the eponymous title character of ''

'' being accompanied on-screen by a wordless representation of his name. The ensembles required for Gray's scoring in series such as ''Thunderbirds'' and '' Stingray'' dwarfed those used in the production of most contemporary television programmes; even the orchestra employed for the first Anderson-produced series to carry the "Supermarionation" label, ''

Supercar A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...

'', comprised some forty instrumentalists. A standout example is ''Stingray: March of the Oysters'' (1964), which was later recorded by the

City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech: ''Filharmonici města Prahy'') is a classical orchestra, predominantly composed of Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians. The history of the orchestra goes back to the Film Symphony Orchestr ...

, conducted by Nic Raine. Besides composing and conducting orchestral scores for television and film, Gray developed an interest in the

Ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player ...

, which he used to produce unconventional musical notes as well as

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

sound effects in several of his scores, including those for ''

'' and '' Doppelgänger'' (1969). Gray's knowledge and recognition in the field resulted in commissions to provide electronic music and sound effects for such films as ''

Dr. Who and the Daleks ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' is a 1965 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the first of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars Peter Cushi ...

'' (1965), '' Island of Terror'' (1966), and ''

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars ...

'' (1966), and uncredited work on ''

Fahrenheit 451 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. Often regarded as one of his best works, ''Fahrenheit 451'' presents an American society where books have been personified and outlawed and "firemen" burn any that ar ...

'' (1966). Gray believed that the score for the live action ''Doppelgänger'' was his best. It was recorded in three studio sessions between 27 and 29 March 1969.Archer, Simon; Hearn, Marcus (2002). ''What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson''. London, UK: BBC Books. . The first of these sessions used a 55-member orchestra, the second 44 and the third 28. The scenes of Ross and Kane's journey to the Counter-Earth are accompanied by a piece titled "Sleeping Astronauts" featuring the Ondes Martenot, played by French ondiste Sylvette Allart. Archer and Hearn describe this piece as "one of the most enchanting" ever written by Gray, adding that the soundtrack as a whole evokes a "traditional Hollywood feel" in contrast with the film's future setting. Fanderson, the official appreciation society dedicated to the productions of Gerry Anderson, has gained access to all Gray's original studio tapes and undertaken a major re-issue project, compiling the theme and incidental music from Gray's various collaborations with Anderson onto a series of re-mastered CDs. Silva Screen Records has released several single-disc versions of the tv series soundtracks (''Supercar'', ''

'', '' Thunderbirds'') and feature film ''Thunderbirds are Go'' Unlike the Fanderson releases (members-only) the Silva Screen discs are available to the general public.

Centenary concert

On the evening of 8 November 2008, to mark the centenary year of Gray's birth, a concert was held in the Royal Festival Hall at London's

South Bank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

. Ralph Titterton, restorer of the Gray archive and co-producer of the original soundtrack CDs, and Cathy Ford, a librarian, researcher and biographer, joined film composer, conductor and arranger François Evans to produce the event in aid of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.

Discography

*''Space Age Nursery Rhymes'' (Mini- EP, Century 21. Comical updates of nursery rhymes sung by

Ken Barrie Leslie Hulme (9 January 1933 – 29 July 2016), known professionally as Ken Barrie, was an English voice actor and singer. He was best known for singing the theme tune of the BBC television programmes ''Hi-de-Hi!'', ''Postman Pat'' and ''Charli ...

and Eula Parker; "Three Refined Mice" sung by Gray.) *''Great Themes from Thunderbirds'' (Mini-EP, Century 21. Record with incidental music.) *''Themes from Captain Scarlet'' (Mini-EP, Century 21. Record with songs and instrumentals from the series and some cover versions of other series.) *''No Strings Attached'' (

Maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

. A release of all the commercial recordings of theme music, near-originals. The CD release also includes "March of the Oysters" from the '' Stingray'' episode "Secret of the Giant Oyster".) *'' Thunderbirds Are Go!'' ( LP,

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

. Film soundtrack incorporating pieces from the TV series; not the original film recording. The

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

CD release also includes the tracks sung by

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

.) *'' Thunderbirds'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *'' Captain Scarlet'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *'' Space: 1999'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *''

'' (CD, Silva Screen. TV soundtrack, released posthumously.) *''Stand By For Adverts'' (CD,

Trunk Records Trunk Records is a British independent record label, which specialises mainly in lost film scores, unreleased TV music, library music, old advertising jingles, art, sexploitation and kitsch releases. It was founded in 1995 by Jonny Trunk, and ...

. A compilation of Gray's TV advertising

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

s and incidental music recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s. Released in 2011.)
''The Cult Files Re-Opened''. Silva Screen 2 CDs (1997)
Cult TV and film themes. *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 1998) *'' Space: 1999 year 1'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 1998) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2003) *''

'' (CD,

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. Film soundtrack, released posthumously in 2005) *''

The Secret Service ''The Secret Service'' is a 1969 British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, Century 21, for ITC Entertainment. It follows the exploits of Father Stanley Unwin, a pup ...

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2007) *'' Stingray'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2009) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2010) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2011) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2012) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2013) *'' Space: 1999 year 1'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2014) *'' Thunderbirds Are Go/

'' (CD, La-La Land records. Films soundtrack, released posthumously in 2014) *'' Thunderbirds'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2015) *'' Captain Scarlet'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2015) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, released posthumously in 2017) *'' Doppelgänger'' (CD, Fanderson, Film soundtrack, released posthumously in 2018) *'' Stingray'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2019) *''

'' (CD, Fanderson. Original incidental music from the series, re-released posthumously in 2020)

References

External links