Michael Boddicker

Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for "Imagination" from Flashdance in 1984.[1] He is the president of The Lehmann Boddicker Group.[2]

Michael Boddicker Modular System exhibited at Winter NAMM 2015[3]
This article is about the film composer. For the Major League Baseball player, see Mike Boddicker.
Michael Lehmann Boddicker
Born
Michael J. Boddicker

(1953-01-19) January 19, 1953
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
EducationCoe College,
University of Wisconsin,
University of Iowa
Known forMusic composer, film composer, sessions musician
StyleSynthesizer, electronic musician
Spouse(s)Edie Lehmann

Early life and education

Boddicker grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[4] His parents, Jerry and Arlene Boddicker operated a music school and store in Cedar Rapids, which served students in all of Eastern Iowa.[2][5] His mother was a nationally recognized accordionist.[6]

While still attending high school in Cedar Rapids in 1971, Boddicker enrolled full-time at the local Coe College, studying electronic music.[7] By 1972, he continued studies at Coe College, focused on music composition and he started taking jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin.[7] By 1973, he enrolled in 20th-century composition at the University of Iowa.[7] That same year in 1973, Michael purchased a powerful portable semi-modular synthesizer, the ARP 2600.[7]

By 1974, Michael moved to Los Angeles, and finds Paul Beaver as a mentor.[7]

Career

He was able to purchase a Minimoog and a Moog System 15 modular synthesizer by 1975.[7] As a result of his purchase, he was asked by Bob Moog (the founder of Moog Music) to demonstrate their newest synthesizer, the Polymoog, at the 1975 summer National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention.[7]

He quickly found work as a session musician, and by 1977 appeared playing synthesizer, vocoder, accordion and keyboards on albums by many notables such as Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, The Manhattan Transfer and The Bee Gees.

One of Boddicker's earliest soundtrack collaborations of note was a score for a short experimental claymation film made by Gumby creator Art Clokey entitled "Mandala" (released in 1977). Soon after that he entered the mainstream with work on such films as Saturday Night Fever, Battlestar Galactica and The Wiz.

Boddicker is a Board Member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), of Beverly Hills, California.[8] He owns an audio post production facility, Sol7 (aka Sol Seven), in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.[8][9]

In 2019, he co-founded the Los Angeles synthesizer music festival, Synthplex.[10][11]

Personal life

Boddicker officially changed his name to Michael Lehmann Boddicker when he married singer/conductor/actress Edie Lehmann in 1995. He has four children, two of the children he had with Edie Lehmann. They live in Los Angeles, California.

He sued Michael Jackson's estate in 2016, alleging that he was unpaid for work and services provided early in his professional relationship with Michael Jackson.[1]

Awards

He was awarded a Grammy Award as a songwriter for "Imagination" from the movie Flashdance in 1984.[1]

In 1991, in recognition of his achievements, contributions and furtherance of electronic music in the recording industry, he was presented with an honorary doctorate of music from Coe College.[12]

In 2003, Boddicker was inducted to the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.[6]

Film music

Among his film score credits as a composer are the cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984),[13] the score for The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986),[14] and additional music for Bulletproof (1996),[15] "The Magic Egg: A Computer Odyssey" (1984) an Omni Max computer animated film,[16] "Get Crazy" (1983),[17] "White Water Summer" (1987),[18] "F/X2 " (1991) with Lalo Schifrin,[19] and "Starfire" (1992).[20]

His contributions as a composer can also be heard in the film "Battlestar Galactica" (1978) which including the BattleStar Galactica theme song produced and arranged by Michael Boddicker.[21] "Freejack" (1992), Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (music video), and "HIStory" (music video) video produced by and additional music underscore and "THE FLY" eleven cues to augment or replace the original score.

Artists that have recorded his songs and compositions include Lani Hall ("Go For The Heart"), Earth, Wind and Fire ("Opening Raise Tour"), Patti Austin ("Oh, No Margarita"), Michael Jackson ("Captain EO & HIStory Unveiling"), Isao Tomita's & YMO's Hideki Matsutake ("Automatic Collect", "Automatic Correct & Plan"), Kitaro ("The Silk Road"), Laura Branigan (Imagination) and David Hasselhoff.

Performer

As a session musician he played synthesizer on, among others, Michael Jackson's This Is It, HIStory, Thriller, Bad, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", Off the Wall', Dangerous, Black or White, and We Are the World; Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove; Lionel Richie's Hello, You Are, Running with the Night; Dazz Band's Let It Whip; Randy Newman's The Natural and Short People; Kenny Loggins' Footloose; Barbra Streisand's Somewhere; Cheap Trick's Surrender; The Jacksons' Shake Your Body; Pointer Sisters' He's So Shy; and Diana Ross's Missing You.[22]

Select list, as performer
Year Song Album Artist(s) Performed Notes
1976 I Heard That!! Quincy Jones [23]
1976 I'll Be Good to You The Brothers Johnson
1977 Roots (1977 miniseries) soundtrack Various Synthesizer With Quincy Jones, performed on keyboard.
1977 Little Criminals Randy Newman named as "Mike Boddicker"[24]
1977 Superman Barbra Streisand named as "Mike Boddicker"[25]
1978 Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! Quincy Jones Synthesizer [26]
1978 Please Don't Keep Me Waiting Totally Hot Olivia Newton-John Synthesizer
Dancin' 'Round and 'Round Synthesizer
1979 Off The Wall Michael Jackson
1979 No One Home Lalo Schifrin
1981 Landslide Physical (album) Olivia Newton-John Synthesizer
Stranger's Touch Synthesizer
Falling Synthesizer
Love Make Me Strong Synthesizer, piano, vocoder
Silvery Rain Synthesizer
Carried Away PPG Wave 2
The Promise (The Dolphin Song)
1982 Let It Whip Dazz Band
1982 You Are Lionel Richie Lionel Richie
1982 Muscles Diana Ross Synthesizer
1982 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' Thriller[27] Michael Jackson Synthesizer, background vocals
Baby Be Mine Synthesizer, background vocals
Billie Jean Emulator
Human Nature Emulator
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) Emulator, vocoder
The Lady in My Life Emulator
This Is It Michael Jackson
1984 Chicago 17 Chicago
1984 Missing You (Diana Ross song) Diana Ross
1984 Penny Lover Can't Slow Down Lionel Richie
Running with the Night Synthesizer, vocoder
Stuck on You
1985 We Are The World USA For Africa Synthesizer, programming (Grammy Award Winner).
1985 Greatest Love Of All Whitney Houston Whitney Houston [27]
1985 Somewhere The Broadway Album Barbra Streisand (Grammy Award Winner)[27]
1986 Chicago 18 Chicago
1986 They Don't Make Them Like They Used To Tough Guys (movie soundtrack) Kenny Rogers
1986 Dancing On The Ceiling Lionel Richie (Grammy Award Winner)
1987 Bad Michael Jackson [27]
1989 Back on the Block Back on the Block Quincy Jones drum machine
Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) M1 pads, synth pads
I'll Be Good to You Synthesizer, programming
The Places You Find Love Synthesizer, programming
Birdland Synthesizer, programming
1991 Black Or White Dangerous[27][28] Michael Jackson
Jam
Heal the World
Will You Be There
Keep The Faith
Gone Too Soon
1995 Earth Song
1995 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
1996 They Don't Care About Us

Julio Iglesias - "Everytime I Fall" "Love Is On Our Side Again" "Hold On To You" "To All The Girls I Loved Before"

Pia Zadora - "On This Day" "What Do You Do" "Sometimes Miracles"

Angela Bofill - "Delicious" (Double Record)

Randy Newman - "Short People" "Land Of Dreams" "Four Eyes" LP "I Love L.A."/"Trouble In Paradise" LP "The Natural"

Roberta Flack- "OOH OOH OH OH (Here We Come)"

Englebert Humperdinck- "Radio Dancing" "Lady Lolita" "One & One Makes Three" "Alone In The Night" "How Do I Stop Loving You"

June Pointer - "Put Your Dream (Where Your Heart Is)"

Neil Diamond - "Baby Can I Hold You" "This Time" "Courtin' Disaster" "If I Could See You Again" "Baby It's Gonna Be" "Heart Light"

Patti LaBelle - "A Matter Of Trust" "Need A Little Faith"

Jeffrey Osborne/Dionne Warwick - "Take Good Care"

Janet Jackson - "Rhythm Nation" Long Form Video

Celine Dion - "I'm Loving Every Moment" "Love By Any Other Name" "I Feel Too Much"

Rickie Lee Jones - "Rickie Lee Jones" LP "Pirates" LP "Girl At Her Volcano" LP "The Magazine" LP "Flying Cowboys" LP

Michael Rogers - "I Got Love" "Rock Me Baby" "Soul Survivors" "Stop Stealing My Heart" "Let's Have A Good Time" "Same Old Song"

David Hasselhoff - "Looking For Freedom" "Je T'Aime" "Lonely Is The Night" "Sheltered Heart"

Music department for television
Select list, as music department for television
Year(s) Television series Performed Notes
1982–1983 St. Elsewhere Synthesizer 22 episodes
1982–1985 Knight Rider Synthesizer 43 episodes
1984 Night Court Synthesizer 13 episodes
1985–1986 Family Ties Synthesizer 24 episodes
2001 Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (television special) Keyboards 1 episode
2002–2003 Will & Grace Synthesizer 24 episodes
2003 Boomtown Synthesizer 6 episodes
2004–2005 The Simpsons Synthesizer 21 episodes
2014–2015 Scandal Synthesizer 22 episodes

References
  1. "Grammy Award-Winning Composer Suing Michael Jackson's Estate". CBS News. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  2. "NAMM Oral History, Michael Boddicker". National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. "Bob Moog Foundation Modular Legacy at NAMM: in 2015, the Michael Boddicker modular synthesizer". Bob Moog Foundation. January 20, 2015.  (See also: Exhibition panel, Winter NAMM 2015 in photos, From Bob Moog to Michael Boddicker)
  4. Michael Boddicker profile @iowarocknroll.com Retrieved 5-19-2011.
  5. "Former music teacher Arlene Boddicker dies at 81". The Gazette. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  6. "Michael Lehmann Boddicker". iowarocknroll. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  7. "Bob Moog Foundation Modular Legacy at NAMM: in 2015, the Michael Boddicker modular synthesizer". The Bob Moog Foundation. 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  8. "The Sounds Of Analog Synthesizers with Michael Lehmann Boddicker". The Society of Composers and Lyricists. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  9. "Artist Profile: Michael Boddicker". Intel Corporation. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  10. Hernandez, Marilyn. "Synthplex, L.A.'s First Synthesizer Festival, to Debut in March". EDM.com - Electronic Dance Music News. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  11. Halperin, Shirley (2019-04-19). "Synthplex Conference Draws 2,500 Electronic Music Enthusiasts to Burbank". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  12. Winter Courier 2004 Archived 2008-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, p. 22, PDF. Coe College. Retrieved on 9 March 2008.
  13. "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  14. Holden, Stephen (1989-08-25). "Review/Film; Cat and Dog Are Friends In a Tale of Real Animals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  15. "Bulletproof". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  16. "The Magic Egg: A Computer Odyssey". Encyclotronic. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  17. Maslin, Janet (1983-10-14). "'Get Crazy,' Rock". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  18. "White Water Summer". www.nndb.com. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  19. "F/X2". Variety. 1991-01-01. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  20. "Starfire". collection.tiff.net. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  21. "Theme From "Battlestar Galactica" (Long Disco Version)". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  22. A complete discography is available at Discogs - Michael Boddicker.
  23. "Quincy Jones - I Heard That!!". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  24. "Randy Newman - Little Criminals". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  25. "Barbra Streisand - Streisand Superman". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  26. "Sounds...And Stuff Like That!! - Quincy Jones | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  27. "Artisans - Michael Boddicker". Spectrasonics. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  28. "Michael Jackson - Dangerous". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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