Perry Botkin Jr (1933-2021) Find a Grave

Perry Botkin Jr
Birth 16 Apr 1933
New York, USA
Death 18 Jan 2021 (aged 87)
Burial Details Unknown
Composer and Arranger

He was a Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated television and film composer whose career spanned four decades. Botkin worked on albums by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Glen Campbell, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Jones, Paul Williams, The Cascades and many more.

Where Was Perry Botkin Jr born?

Botkin and a business partner discovered young singer-songwriter, Harry Nilsson, who was working at a bank at the time, and signed him to his first publishing contract, resulting in several collaborations between Botkin and Nilsson including his ‘Pandemonium Shadow Show’ album and a musical.

Botkin moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1936. He began his career in music as a trombone player in a high school jazz quartet that included film composer John Williams on piano. He played in the Black Band at West Point and attended Indiana University and the film scoring program at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. In 1955, he joined a vocal group called The Cheers who scored a major hit with their song ‘Black Denim Trousers.’

Where is Perry Botkin Jr buried?

He also had success as one-half of the duo The Fraternity Brothers with one of his early co-writers. Botkin came from a musically-inclined family, as his father, Perry Botkin, Sr., composed the underscore for ’60s sitcom ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ and played guitar and banjo in Bing Crosby’s band, later appearing in several movies with him. In 1956, Perry Sr. and his son guest-starred on an episode of ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’ in which Botkin, Jr. had a speaking role as a high school friend and bandmate of Ricky Nelson.

In 1971, Botkin and his composing partner, Barry De Vorzon, wrote the score for the Stanley Kramer film ‘Bless the Beasts and the Children,’ earning them a best-song Oscar nomination for the title tune, which was sung by The Carpenters. In 1977, Botkin and De Vorzon won a Grammy for best instrumental arrangement for ‘Nadia’s Theme’ after ABC used the song in a montage featuring Russian Olympic medalist Nadia Comaneci. In the 1970s and ’80s, he composed themes for ‘The Young and the Restless,’ ‘Mork & Mindy,’ ‘The ABC Sunday Night Movie,’ ‘Adam’s Rib,’ ‘Quark’ and ‘The Tortellis.

‘ His film credits include ‘R.P.M.,’ ‘Skyjacked,’ ‘They Only Kill Their Masters,’ ‘Lady Ice’ and ‘Goin’ South.’ Botkin also composed dozens of commercial jingles for advertisers such as American Airlines, Baskin-Robbins, Busch Light, Chevron and Mattel, among others.