Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The Theme to “Hill Street Blues” Was a Hit For Composer Mike Post


The theme to the eighties cop program continued the streak of hit TV songs for this composer/musician.
by Rich Watson 


Hill Street Blues was a popular cop show from the eighties. It lasted seven seasons and won 26 Emmys.

Its theme song was composed by someone who has enjoyed a prosperous career in music: Mike Post.

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

“A Taste of Honey” Was For the American Version of a British Play Before Herb Alpert’s Cover


A groundbreaking British play came to America and spawned a film adaptation and a hit song, covered by a jazz trumpeter when his career launched.
by Rich Watson 


This post is for the Broadway Bound Blogathon, a blog event looking at films and stars with Broadway ties. At the end I’ll tell you where you can find more posts like this.

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded “A Taste of Honey” for their 1965 album Whipped Cream and Other Delights. You’re probably familiar with the cover. The song won four Grammys, including Record of the Year.

American audiences first heard it in 1960, for a Broadway adaptation of a British play by a teenage writer.

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Grady Was a Popular Neighbor on “Sanford and Son,” With a Theme Song by Quincy Jones


TV’s Sanford and Son spawned not only a theme song by a future music legend, but a beloved supporting character who headlined a spinoff show.
by Rich Watson 


This post is for the Neighbors Blogathon, a blog event spotlighting neighbor characters on TV and in film. At the end I’ll tell you where you can find more posts like this.

Sanford and Son was an American remake of the sixties British sitcom Steptoe and Son. It had an instrumental theme song composed by musician and record producer Quincy Jones.

Redd Foxx, a former nightclub comedian made famous through his raunchy comedy records, starred. His supporting cast included a character who starred in a spinoff series of his own.