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Star Trek Theme Vocalist Dies

More on Norman and the saga of Star Trek's original theme song may be found in the Wikipedia .

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UNREMEMBERED

A history of the famously interesting and mostly forgotten, the out of this world voice of loulie jean norman.

Posted on September 26, 2017 Updated on October 2, 2019

By Ken Zurski

Singer Loulie Jean Norman may not be a household name, but her voice is an unmistakable part of television history.  More on that in a moment. First a little background.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1913, Norman soon discovered a knack for singing. She was uniquely talented as a coloratura soprano, a vocal range most commonly suited for opera.  Unlike counterparts like stage star Maria Callas, however, Norman took her gift to radio instead.

It was the 1930’s, and radio was just starting to emerge as an entertainment force. Norman was in her twenties at the time. Her voice and beauty were being noticed. So she moved from Birmingham to New York City to jump start her career. Modeling jobs paid the bills at first, but singing was her passion.

She eventually got bit parts in singing ensembles on several musical variety shows including one with Bing Crosby who would signal her out several times for her solo passages. Norman provided studio background vocals to hitmakers like Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme and Elvis Presley.  On TV, she appeared on the Dinah Shore Show, with Dean Martin, and as a back-up on Carol Burnett’s popular variety program.

“When you sang,” a colleague once told Norman, “it was the angels [voice].”

But her most influential and unaccredited contribution is truly out of this world.

In 1964, when television producer Gene Roddenberry introduced a new space serial he asked a friend Jerry Goldsmith to write the theme music. Goldsmith was too busy but enlisted fellow composer and collaborator Alexander Courage, who was said to be no fan of the science fiction genre, but drew inspiration from a song he heard on the radio titled “Beyond the Blue Horizon, ” which was featured in the 1930 movie “Monte Carlo” and sung by actress Jeannette McDonald, a soprano.

Courage wrote the theme for Star Trek  the TV series.

Roddenberry heard the music and for reasons some explain were financially motivated, wrote lyrics for the tune.  “Hey, I have to get some money somewhere,” Roddenberry reportedly said.  “I’m sure not going to get it out of the profits of  Star Trek. ”

In 1999, Snopes.com  confirmed there were Star Trek lyrics and debunked the theory that they (unearthed here) were ever used in the TV show’s theme.

Beyond The rim of the star-light My love Is wand’ring in star-flight I know He’ll find in star-clustered reaches Love, Strange love a star woman teaches. I know His journey ends never His star trek Will go on forever. But tell him While he wanders his starry sea Remember, remember me.

Courage was surprised – and perhaps, a bit offended – by Roddenberry’s lyrical contribution. He had included a voice in his recording, but no words. In the end, as Snopes reported, the lyrics were never used.

The choice of a singer was another matter. Courage picked someone similar to MacDonald, who ironically died the year the theme was written. It was Loulie Jean Norman. At the time, Norman was known for her studio work. Plus, she wasn’t a big enough star to turn down such an offer. Norman had the range Courage needed to make the tune work.

Star Trek: The Original Series  ran for  three seasons and 79 episodes. In the third and final year, despite a growing fan base, Roddenberry was hopelessly fighting low ratings, high production costs, and threats from the network to cancel.

He reportedly couldn’t pay Norman her royalty cut that year.

So after the second season, the theme was re-recording without the vocals.

Norman continued to do studio work, mostly backing vocals for songs like The Tokens version of  The Lion Sleeps Tonight.   The papers called Norman “the invisible soprano” for the work behind the scenes. “You’ve heard the voice, even if you’ve never heard the name.”

Even though fame eluded her, Norman acknowledged she would have been uncomfortable with it. “The reason why I didn’t care about being a star is because I saw what happened to stars,” she said in 1995. “I was close enough to see that they were not very happy.”

Norman died in August of 2005 at the age of 92.

Her obituary mentioned that unrecognized role.

“A voice heard around the world,” it read, “in the wordless, Star Trek theme.

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This entry was posted in History , unrememebred history and tagged Alexander Courage , American history , Gene Roddenberry , History , Louile Jean Norman , Star Trek history , Star Trek music history , Star Trek Theme , Star Trek: The Original series , television history , Unremembered .

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Loulie Jean Norman (1913-2005)

Additional crew.

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Additional Crew (uncredited, "Theme")
• 1966 • 1 ep

• Clara (singing voice, uncredited)

• Soundtrack ("Till We Meet Again")

• Chorus (voice)

• Singer (voice, as Lulie Jean Norman)

• Roo (voice, uncredited)
• Belvederes Singer
• 24 episodes

• Background Singer (uncredited)

• Penelope Pinfeather (voice, uncredited)

• Singer in 'That's Entertainment' Sequence (uncredited)

• Tarji (singing voice, uncredited)

• Fountain of Youth Singer (uncredited)

• Soloist (uncredited)

• Townsfolk (voice, uncredited)

• Harvey Girl (uncredited)
• Performer: "Theme" (uncredited)

• performer: "Star Trek Theme" (uncredited)
• performer: "Till We Meet Again"
• performer: "Star Trek Theme"
• performer: "Theme"
• 49 episodes
• performer: "Summertime"

Personal details

• Memorial and remembrance site
• Lulie Jean Norman
• March 12 , 1913
• Birmingham, Alabama, USA
• August 2 , 2005
• Studio City, California, USA (undisclosed)
• Norman Henry Price (his death, 4 children)

Did you know

• Trivia She is the soprano who is heard singing the "Star Trek" theme during the opening credits of the original 1966 TV series.
• When did Loulie Jean Norman die?
• How did Loulie Jean Norman die?
• How old was Loulie Jean Norman when she died?

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Beginning with the now-famous monologue by William Shatner, “Space: the final frontier”, the opening notes of Star Trek’s theme song have become ingrained in the minds of fans around the world.

The iconic song, written by Alexander Courage in 1964, is played at the opening and closing credits of every episode of the original series and has been reinterpreted in some form for each Star Trek feature film.

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A classical soprano hits the right notes with the Star Trek: The Original Series theme

By rachel carrington | sep 13, 2020.

The Star Trek: The Original Series theme is known worldwide

This couldn’t be any more evident than when Spanish Soprano Laura Ruhí Vidal appeared in London with the Rainer Hersch Orkestra (yes, that is the correct spelling). Like any good singer will do, Vidal wanted to warm up prior to her full performance, and Hersch was happy to oblige her after a bit of humor. The classical soprano gave her rendition of the theme for Star Trek: The Original Series, and it was pitch perfect.

Vidal’s warm-up didn’t just impress the crowd as the video, which was posted on May 15th, now has 1.7 million views, 59,000 likes, and over 2,700 comments. And the only criticism is for the title of the video as Vidal’s piece is classified as a parody when, in all actuality, it’s an homage. As one Star Trek fan wrote, it’s  “the Trekkie national anthem.”  And her Vulcan greeting at the end of the song just added to the pure perfection of the moment.

The theme to Star Trek: The Original Series is, perhaps, the most well-known, despite the many years and series that followed. Soprano Loulie Jean Norman voiced the wordless melody line which was used for most of the first two seasons. The first few episodes of the series did not use any vocals, and Norman’s vocals were dropped after the second season.

In 2006, CBS began airing a remastered version of the series which included a re-recording  of the the theme. Norman’s vocals were replaced by Elin Carlson who said it was a dream come true for her as she was a lifelong Star Trek fan.  She also said the style and feel of the original theme was “authentically reproduced.” Though the original theme will always have first place in our hearts, both Carlson and Vidal do a wonderful job of recreating the beginning to a series that means the world to us.

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Every STAR TREK Opening Theme Song Ranked from Worst to Best

Find out which is the greatest opening in Star Trek television history. Star Trek is the most iconic television show ever. It’s also spawned one of the most successful movie franchises ever made.

Part of its success is the Star Trek theme song. The original song is so iconic people know it even if they’ve never seen an episode of the show. Over the years there have been many spin-offs of the show which each used a new theme song. Some have been brilliant and some have been horrible.

Most recently Star Trek: Discovery is airing   on CBS All-Access . Soon the upcoming Picard series will introduce a new theme song. We don’t know if the opening for Picard will match up with some of the others. But it’s time to look back at the history of the Star Trek opening songs and rank them from worst to best.

Make it so.

11. Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3-4 (2003–2005)

Composed by Dennis McCarthy

Enterprise’s theme song is the first (and last) time Star Trek uses a contemporary song for the opening. Dennis McCarthy scored the pilot episode. Executive producer Rick Berman promised something new for Star Trek’s sixth spin-off series. He said the opening would “be using a little bit more contemporary kind of music. […] It’s not all of a sudden that the show is going to be scored with electric guitars. It’s going to be a little hipper.”

The song “Faith of the Heart” is written by Diane Warren and sung by Rod Stewart for Robin Williams’ comedic-drama Patch Adams (1998). The song was a hit and charted at number three on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and number 60 on the UK Singles Chart. It’s used for Star Trek and sung by Russell Watson . It’s a good song and some of the lyrics match up with the idea of space travel.

You have to inspire the courage of the producers for trying something new but it doesn’t work. There’s a tradition of Star Trek shows opening with a grand orchestral theme. This song sounds like a Rod Stewart concert. After fans complained the song is different in the third and final season of Enterprise .

The new version has a higher pitch and is sped up. They added tambourine and a more pronounced electric guitar. Star Trek managed to make a bad decision even worse.

10.  Star Trek: Enterprise  Season 1-2 (2001–2002)

Dennis McCarthy first made music for the Next Generation pilot episode and scored dozens of other episodes. McCarthy later composed the theme for the shows  Deep Space Nine and  Voyager. Plus he scored the soundtrack for movies like  Star Trek: Generations . 

The opening of  Enterprise uses the song “Faith of the Heart” sung by British crossover opera singer Russell Watson. Fans hated it so much that fans created many petitions to get rid of it. “[We] urgently request that you remove [‘Faith of the Heart’] and in its place utilize a score that is without vocals, as traditionally used by [the] ‘Star Trek’ television series,” one petition said.

“We wish to express our unmitigated disgust with the theme song that has been selected for the new ‘Enterprise’ series,” another online petition said. “It is not fit to be scraped off the bottom of a Klingon’s boot.”

“I’m in the horrible minority of people who like the song,” Rick Berman defended the song telling Sci-Fi Wire . “I think it fits beautifully. I think it’s a song that’s got a lot of hopefulness and uplifting qualities to it. And I like it. I’ve met a lot of other people who like it, but I’ve also heard a tremendous amount of banter about people who don’t. And what’s a Star Trek series without something for people to hate?”

Whatever you think of the song it was used as a wakeup call for NASA missions .

9. Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4 “Mirror Darkly” (2005)

Composed by Dennis McCarthy & Kevin Kiner

In 2005 the series Enterprise traveled to an alternate “evil mirror universe” for several episodes. To complete the feel that the show had traveled to another world they changed the opening. The theme song has a more militaristic tone and a darker feel.

It works well, especially when shown along with images showing how Earth entered into a long-standing war. Considering it replaced a pop song it’s even more impressive. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few episodes before going back to “Faith of the Heart”.

8. Star Trek: Discovery  (2017-2019)

Composed by Jeff Russo

When CBS started work on the Star Trek prequel Star Trek: Discovery they hired Jeff Russo to compose a new opening theme. Russo has started in a ’90s alternative rock band named “Tonic”. After that, he started composing songs for video games and television shows. He won an Emmy for his work on the FX series Fargo .

He describes himself as a life-long fan of Star Trek and Jerry Goldsmith’s work on The Next Generation in particular. The theme for Discovery sets itself apart because they decided to focus on emotion rather than exploration. It starts with the familiar fanfare for Star Trek and then uses stringed instruments to give a sense of mystery and hope. It ends with the theme again which implies the future of the franchise.

It’s a solid piece that relies on fan recognition. So it doesn’t stand out on its own.

7. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)

Composed by Alexander Courage

The theme for Star Trek played over every episode in the show’s three seasons. It’s called “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. It’s an instrumental piece and opens with a monologue by William Shatner starting with “Space. The final frontier”. The song itself relied on wind instruments and percussion by bongo drums, which was a popular instrument at the time.

Alexander Mair “Sandy” Courage Jr. was an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, and orchestrator of television shows and movies like Jurassic Park (1993), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), and Hello, Dolly! (1964).

Courage was inspired by the Richard Whiting song “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” giving him the idea for a song which was a “long thing that…keeps going out into space…over a fast-moving accompaniment.”

The original song is a masterpiece of its time evoking a feel of adventure and excitement and has been used in several pieces for Star Trek since then. Unfortunately, it feels dated. Bongo drums fell out of fashion decades ago. The operatic singing by  Loulie Jean Norman feels out-of-place. Iconic, but not quite as good as others.

6. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)

Composed by Ray Ellis (Yvette Blais), Norm Prescott (Jeff Michaels)

Raymond Spencer Ellis arranged many hit records in the 1950s and 1960s. He later started working with Filmation on their animated series. He used his wife’s name “Yvette Blais” as a pseudonym. Norman Prescott was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Associates and worked with Ellis on the theme song. He used the pseudonym “Jeff Michael” after his sons Jeff and Michael.

Paramount decided to revive the original series for a Saturday morning cartoon. They decided to make the theme more modern.

Like the original song, it starts with Shatner’s monologue “where no man had gone before”. Then it moves onto a song with a much faster pace and tone than the original. The tone is slightly different as well but manages to capture the same feel of the original song. Plus, there’s no singing.

5. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1-3 (1993–1995)

Jerry Goldsmith was contacted to do the theme song but declined because of scheduling problems. Dennis McCarthy has done a ton of work on Star Trek and he admired the Star Trek: The Next Generation song. He said that he loved the trumpets and French horns in the theme so McCarthy used wind instruments to write the song for DS9 .

It’s different from other songs because it’s the first show to focus on a starbase instead of a spaceship. So the feel of the song is very different for the fourth television spin-off. Berman said he wanted to emphasize the loneliness of the station. McCarthy told SyFy he wanted the theme to say, “We are alone” and he accomplished it. It’s different but beautiful. In 1993 he won an Emmy for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music” on DS9.

4. Star Trek: Picard (2019-)

Composed by Jeff Russo

CBS All Access went in a different direction with the theme song for Picard. Instead of relying on strings and a large orchestra to play the song it goes smaller. The song is thoughtful, serene and melodic. It’s not bombastic like the N ext Generation  theme or slow like  Deep Space Nine.

But it does owe a debt to the 90s Star Trek series. In the TNG episode “The Inner Light” Picard is knocked unconscious by an alien probe. He lives 40 years of life as an alien scientist named Kamin in the span of a few minutes. During the episode, he hears a flute song played by his “son” Batai (Daniel Stewart). After Picard returns to his normal life, he still remembers how to play and plays a melody on a flute. That flute and song have a special place in Picard’s life since it’s the family he never had but “lost”. It’s not a coincidence. The composer said he wanted to use a flute to evoke some of the feelings from the episode.

Russo told  The Ready Room  he wanted to “change to a feeling of emotional contentment for him because as we come to see, he lives on a chateau. And it’s sort of what we always thought would happen at the end of The Next Generation, and those movies where he would always sort of end up … That was his happy place. And then I wanted to … evoke how he has been awoken again.”

It ends with a small section of the theme from  Star Trek: The Next Generation . It’s lovely, thoughtful and moving.

3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4-9 (1996–1999)

For the fourth season to the final season, the song changed. It’s actually better in many ways. The show had changed by the fourth season. New characters joined the show like Leeta (Chase Masterson) the Dabo girl. Other characters, like Worf (Michael Dorn) from Next Generation, returned. The starship USS Defiant was added to allow the show to travel to different parts of space.

All these changes led the producers and McCarthy to rework the theme song to make it lighter. The reworked song makes the show brighter and gives more hope. Star Trek is all about hope and it fits wonderfully.

2. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

Composed by Jerry Goldsmith

Jerry Goldsmith is a legend in the industry with a long list of awards including 18 Academy Award nominations. He won an Oscar for The Omen (1976) and was nominated for Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

Unlike The Next Generation which used music from his movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture, he decided to write a new song. The song is a beautiful sweeping theme that has stunning pictures of the ship soaring through space. The Voyager theme is somber and lonely but not sad. It’s uplifting.

The Voyager opening theme song is wonderful.

1. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1-7 (1987–1994)

Composed by Dennis McCarthy, Jay Chattaway, Ron Jones, Alexander Courage, Jerry Goldsmith

When the producers were planning out the first Star Trek show in decades they wanted to make sure the music would meet fan expectations. So they turned to the work of Jerry Goldsmith and used a piece from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Specifically, they took a piece that played several times in the soundtrack. The first time is before the Enterprise’s first warp test.

The song is perfect for the opening as it has a feel of hope and majesty. The original song was performed by a 100-piece orchestra. Too much for a TV show so they scaled it back and McCarthy led the original orchestration of a slightly different version of the song.

It opens with the opening of the original Star Trek theme. Then Patrick Stewart says a version of the “Where no man has gone before” monologue. After that, the song begins and blows the doors off. It’s the best theme Star Trek has ever had and set the standard for all other openings.

Which is your favorite Star Trek theme song? Which one do you hate? Let us know in the comments below!

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The Star Trek Theme Song Has Lyrics

By eddie deezen | jul 20, 2018.

The Star Trek theme song is familiar to pretty much anyone who lived in the free world (and probably elsewhere, too) in the late 20th century. The tune is played during the show's opening credits; a slightly longer version is played, accompanied by stills from various episodes, during the closing credits. The opening song is preceded by William Shatner (as Captain Kirk) doing his now-legendary monologue recitation, which begins: "Space, the final frontier ..."

The show's familiar melody was written by respected film and TV composer Alexander Courage, who said the Star Trek theme's main inspiration was the Richard Whiting song "Beyond the Blue Horizon." In Courage's contract it was stipulated that, as the composer, he would receive royalties every time the show was aired and the theme song played. If, somehow, Star Trek made it into syndication—which, of course, it ultimately did—Courage stood to make a lot of money. And so did the person who wrote the lyrics.

WAIT... THERE WERE LYRICS?

Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, wrote lyrics to the theme song.

"Beyond the rim of the star-light, my love is wand'ring in star-flight!"

Why would Roddenberry even bother?

The lyrics were never even meant to be heard on the show, but not because the network (NBC) nixed them. Roddenberry nixed them himself. Roddenberry wanted a piece of the composing profits, so he wrote the hokey lyrics solely to receive a "co-writer" credit.

"I know he'll find in star-clustered reaches Love, strange love a star woman teaches."

As one of the composers, Roddenberry received 50 percent of the royalties ... cutting Alexander Courage's share in half. Not surprisingly, Courage was furious about the deal. Though it was legal, he admitted, it was unethical because Roddenberry had contributed nothing to why the music was successful.

Roddenberry was unapologetic. According to Snopes, he once declared, "I have to get some money somewhere. I'm sure not gonna get it out of the profits of Star Trek ."

In 1969, after Star Trek officially got the ax, no one (Courage and Roddenberry included) could possibly have imagined the show's great popularity and staying power.

Courage, who only worked on two shows in Star Trek 's opening season because he was busy working on the 1967 Dr. Doolittle movie, vowed he would never return to Star Trek .

He never did.

If you're looking for an offbeat karaoke number, here are Roddenberry's lyrics, as provided by Snopes :

Beyond The rim of the star-light My love Is wand'ring in star-flight I know He'll find in star-clustered reaches Love, Strange love a star woman teaches. I know His journey ends never His star trek Will go on forever. But tell him While he wanders his starry sea Remember, remember me.

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Singer dave loggins dead at 76.

Dave Loggins , a country singer and songwriter who wrote the theme song for the Masters golf tournament, is dead.

Dave died Wednesday in Nashville ... according to an obituary in The Tennessean .

The cause of death is unclear, but Dave was said to be in hospice care when he passed.

Born and raised in Tennessee, Dave was one of the state's most notable songwriters ... writing hits for Johnny Cash , Toby Keith , Alabama, Wynonna Judd , Reba McEntire , Willie Nelson , Kenny Rogers , Ray Charles , Smokey Robinson and Three Dog Night ... among others.

Dave also famously penned "Augusta," the theme song for the Masters ... and it's been a staple of the TV broadcast ever since he wrote it way back in 1981, becoming synonymous with CBS Sports and Jim Nantz .

In 1986, Dave became the first and only unsigned artist to win a CMA award ... taking home the hardware for a duet with Anne Murray , "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do."

He had a solo hit too ... "Please Come to Boston" ... and his career included a Grammy nomination, plus an induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He's survived by his three sons and a grandson.

Dave was 76.

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Michael Giacchino Remixed His Music With Beach Vibes and It’s Pure Magic

Composer Michael Giacchino already has one of the most impressive resumes in recent history, but with his latest release, he may have just topped it all. Though Giacchino first became known for his work on Lost , he’s also composed scores for Spider-Man, Thor, The Batman, The Incredibles, Star Trek, Star Wars, Mission Impossibl e, and many, many more . All of which are fantastic, but movie music has a very specific vibe . Now, Giacchino has taken many of those scores and made them perfect for summer lounging. And it’s incredible.

The project is called Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1  and it’s now available for preorder on both LP and CD from Mutant. Truly though, to understand what’s happening here, it’s better to let the music do the talking. Here’s one of Giacchino’s most famous tracks, “Enterprising Young Men” from J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek , done in the Exotic Themes style.

Isn’t that, quite possibly, the coolest thing you’ve ever heard? Don’t you just want to sit by the pool or on the beach, have a drink with an umbrella coming out of it, and listen to this on repeat? That was the point.

“This album was inspired by the work of Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny,” Giacchino said in a press release. “What would they do with the Star Trek  theme? Or video games like  Medal of Honor ? It was a way for me to play in that world I loved so much growing up. I thought it would be fun to create a fantasy world, where this album was recorded back in 1967 and then lost, only to resurface today.”

And that’s just one of the many, many tracks. Here’s the album cover followed by full tracklisting.

• Primordial Forest ( The Lost World Jurassic Park )
• Medal of Honor
• Bristow and Bristow ( Alias )
• Secret Weapons Over Normandy
• The Incredibles Suite
• Take a Hike ( Lost )
• Life and Death ( Lost )
• Space Mountain
• The Family Stone Waltz ( The Family Stone )
• Le Festin ( Ratatouille )
• Ratatouille
• ROAR! ( Cloverfield )
• Casa Cristo ( Speed Racer )
• Land of the Lost
• Enterprising Young Men ( Star Trek )
• Married Life ( Up )
• LAX ( Lost )
• The Turbomater ( Cars 2 )
• A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai ( Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol )
• Monte Carlo
• Super 8 Suite

You almost forget Giacchino did many of those, but he did, and it’s awesome. Plus, it’s just Volume 1 . Does that mean we could hear Jyn Erso’s theme like this? Spider-Man’s? We certainly hope so.

The album will be released on all streaming platforms, digital retailers, and available for pre-order at independent record stores on July 26. But, if you can’t wait that long, you can listen to “LAX ” from Lost and “Married Life” from Up on Spotify at those links.

And head over to Made By Mutant to preorder the album, CD, and even some limited edition merch. If you’re looking for us, we’ll be listening to these tracks on repeat.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest  Marvel ,  Star Wars , and  Star Trek  releases, what’s next for the  DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of  Doctor Who .

Lost Michael Giacchino movie soundtracks Music Pixar Star Trek Star Wars

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Dave Loggins, Singer Known for '70s Smash ‘Please Come to Boston,' and Composer of Golf's Masters Theme, Dies at 76

Dave Loggins, a singer-songwriter who had a memorable chart-topper with “Please Come to Boston” in 1974, died Wednesday at Alive Hospice in Nashville. He was 76; no cause of death was given.

With “Please Come to Boston” being the sole hit in his solo discography, Loggins - the second cousin of pop star Kenny Loggins - was sometimes branded a one-hit wonder. But he also enjoyed a highly successful career as a songwriter, mostly for country artists.

And in an unquantifiable sense, his biggest “hit” might actually be the theme song he wrote for golfing’s Augusta Masters Golf Tournament, which has been used since 1982. An obituary placed in the Tennessean says the golfing theme is “the longest running sports theme in history.”

He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. 

The plaintive “Please Come to Boston,” a song about lovers who can’t - or won’t - overcome the obstacles that would have them living in the same city, has long been an anthem for music fans who couldn’t make a long-distance relationship come together. In 1974, it reached No. 1 on what was then known as the easy listening chart (since rebranded as adult contemporary), and No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It landed him a Grammy nomination for best pop male vocal performance, the first of his four Grammy nods.

Altogether, Loggins released five albums and 13 songs in the 1970s, primarily on Epic Records, but “Boston” remained the only solo recording of his to click with the public in a big way.

However, he found success again in the ’80s as a duet partner with Anne Murray on the song “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” a song that began its life on the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns.” Murray and Loggins performed the tune on the series. (It was also separately recorded by Jermaine Jackson and a very young Whitney Houston.) The collaborative recording went to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart and No. 10 on the Hot AC chart.

In 1985, Murray and Loggins shared the CMA Awards’ vocal duo of the year award, based on the success of “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.” According to his Tennessean obituary, this made Loggins the only unsigned artist ever to win a CMA Award. The pair were also nominated for a Grammy for best country performance by a duo or group.

The list of artists who recorded his songs included Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Ray Charles, Tanya Tucker, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Alabama, Wynonna Judd, Johnny Cash, Three Dog Night, Don Williams, Lee Greenwood, Smokey Robinson, Crystal Gayle, John Conlee and Restless Heart. Two of his compositions, Kenny Rogers’ “Morning Desire” and Juice Newton’s “You Make Me Want to Make You MIne,” reached No. 1 on the country chart.

His theme for the masters tournament had a name, “Augusta” - and also a generally unheard set of lyrics. He wrote it after golfing at the site in 1981, and it got picked up for network use - sans words - the following year.

In 2019, Loggins told the Associated Press, “”I stopped for a minute, looked up at the pine trees and the wind down there was just different in some regards. Spiritually it was different. That course was just a piece of art. I looked over at some dogwoods and, man, I just started writing the song in my head which is what I do when I get inspired. I had the first verse before I even got off the course.”

In 2021, he discussed his career in an “All Things Vocal” podcast interview with Judy Rodman, who called him “a reclusive genius.” He told Rodman he was influenced by the finger-picking style of artists like Donovan. “One day I walked into Capitol Records (on Music Row in Nashville) and said, ‘Does anybody here listen to songs?'” He found a willing listener and Jerry Crutchfield signed him to a publishing agreement at age 22. The folk label Vanguard released his debut album before he moved on to Epic.

Loggins is survived by three sons, Quinn Loggins, Kyle Loggins, and Dylan Loggins, as well as his grandson, Braxton Loggins.

By Loggins’ request, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alive Hospice in Nashville.

Russell Watson

Russell Watson ( born 24 November 1966 ; age 57) is an English vocalist and tenor who sang the opening theme song from Star Trek: Enterprise entitled " Where My Heart Will Take Me ", which was originally recorded as "Faith of the Heart" by Rod Stewart for the film Patch Adams . The song was remixed with a faster beat for Enterprise 's third season .

Hailing from Salford, Greater Manchester, England, Watson initially was not seeking a career as a professional singer. Working as a bolt-cutter in Manchester, Watson began accepting singing engagements to earn extra money. His reputation and popularity increased through these engagements, ultimately leading to his being chosen to sing at the Rugby Challenge Cup final in Wembley Stadium in 1999. His performance there was so successful that he was later invited to sing at the UEFA Champions League soccer final in Barcelona. Following this, his career took off, and his first album – entitled The Voice – followed in 2001. Both that album and his next, 2002's Encore , won Album of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

Watson recently took part in the BBC reality series Just the Two of Us , in which British celebrities were paired up with professional singers (including Watson) for a duet-singer showdown. Watson was paired with actress Sian Reeves and was actually a late arrival, having replaced singer Rick Astley after the latter abandoned the show.

In 2006 Watson was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, and underwent an emergency operation to remove it on 24 September 2006. [1] On 24 October 2007 a regrowth of the tumor was discovered, and he had a second round of emergency surgery. [2] On 4 February 2008 Watson announced that he was soon to complete a five-week course of radiotherapy, writing on his official blog that he had suffered draining side-effects but was "hanging in there." He also added that feared damage to his voice had not occurred. [3]

Following his recovery, in the summer of 2008 Watson served as a panel judge on the BBC reality TV singing contest Last Choir Standing in the UK. [4]

External links [ ]

• Russell-Watson.com – official site
• Russell Watson at Wikipedia
• Russell Watson at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 James B. Sikking
• 3 Star Trek: Prodigy

Dave Loggins, ‘Please Come to Boston’ singer, dies at 76

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Dave Loggins, the singer-songwriter behind the 1974 smash “Please Come to Boston” and the theme for the Masters golf tournament, has died. He was 76.

According to an obituary notice placed in the Tennessean newspaper, Loggins died Wednesday at Alive Hospice in Nashville. No cause of death was given.

Loggins, a Tennessee native, was a second cousin of rocker Kenny Loggins. But his songwriting career took him in a more traditional country direction, writing songs for Johnny Cash, Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Reba McEntire, Tanya Tucker, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson. He also wrote for soul artists like Smokey Robinson and Ray Charles.

Two of his songs, Rogers’ “Morning Desire” and Juice Newton’s “You Make Me Want to Make You Mine,” topped Bilboard’s country charts.

“Please Come to Boston,” Loggins’ best-known single under this own name, was a tearjerker about a long-distance couple unable to conquer the distance between them. The song hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped what’s now the adult contemporary chart.

In the ‘80s, Loggins dueted with Anne Murray on “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” a song popularized on the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns.” The single topped Billboard’s country chart, and the two shared a CMA Award for vocal duo of the year in 1985. (Whitney Houston later recorded a version of “Nobody” as well.) Loggins went on to earn four Grammy nominations in his career.

Yet his best-known song among sports fans is likely “Augusta,” the theme song for the Augusta Masters Golf Tournament, which has soundtracked the event since 1982.

Loggins wrote the song after golfing at the site in 1981, and told the AP in 2019 that ”I stopped for a minute, looked up at the pine trees and the wind down there was just different in some regards. Spiritually it was different. That course was just a piece of art. I looked over at some dogwoods and, man, I just started writing the song in my head, which is what I do when I get inspired. I had the first verse before I even got off the course.”

According to his obituary notice, Loggins is survived by his three sons, Quinn, Kyle and Dylan Loggins, and a grandson, Braxton Loggins.

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‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Composer Daniel Pemberton: ‘I Was Trying to Capture Nostalgia for a Time That Feels Very Distant Now in America’

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• ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Composer Daniel Pemberton: ‘I Was Trying to Capture Nostalgia for a Time That Feels Very Distant Now in America’ 3 days ago
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A cool 1960s vibe, an old-fashioned love theme, dramatic music befitting a lunar landing: Daniel Pemberton ‘s score for “ Fly Me to the Moon ” needed to accomplish all these and more.

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“This story is set at such a powerful moment in history, a time when everyone was on the same side, trying to pull together to achieve something for the good of humanity.”

Pemberton’s score combines traditional orchestral sounds with vintage synthesizers and a jazz combo for a particular ’60s sound that features Fender Rhodes and Hammond B3 keyboards plus bongos, electric guitars and bass.

“The synths often represent the technology of the NASA control center; then there is an epic element that has to do with NASA and the launch. I really wanted to capture the spirit of the time; it’s a love letter to the ’60s in some ways,” the composer says.

One of the most fun elements in Pemberton’s score is his sneaky theme for Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson), the mysterious White House emissary who comes up with the plan to shoot a fake moon-landing sequence just in case the real one fails. “He’s a very tricky character,” Pemberton explains. “You don’t really know whose side he’s on. I wanted to write this light jazz that captured his playfulness.”

Another unusual aspect is Pemberton’s use of soprano saxophone (notably heard in the “For All Mankind” track on the soundtrack album). “It represented the freedom of space travel, the release, flying freely above you. It has a very emotional tone, but also something quite spiritual,” he says.

Augmenting Pemberton’s score are several 1960s songs courtesy of music supervisor Season Kent, including Aretha Franklin’s offbeat version of Henry Mancini’s “Moon River.”

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