View source for Stu Phillips (composer)

{{short description|American songwriter}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name            = Stu Phillips
| image           = Stu Phillips 2007.jpg
| caption         = Phillips in 2007
| background      = non_performing_personnel
| birth_name      = Stuart Phillips
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1929|09|9}}
| birth_place     = 
| genre           = Classical
| occupation      = Composer, arranger, conductor
| years_active    = 1958–present
| label           = [[Colpix Records|Colpix]], [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
| associated_acts = 
| website         = {{URL|https://www.stuwho.com/}}
}}

'''Stuart Phillips''' (born September 9, 1929) is an American composer of [[film score]]s and television series [[theme music]], conductor and record producer. He is best known for composing the theme tunes to the television series ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'', ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', and ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]''.

==Biography==
===Career===
Phillips studied music at [[The High School of Music & Art]] in New York City, New York, and at the [[Eastman School of Music]] in [[Rochester, New York]]. While at Eastman, he began [[arrangement|arranging music]] for the [[Rochester Civic Orchestra]].<ref name=officialbio>[http://www.stuwho.com/bio.html Stu Phillips official biography] at stuwho.com</ref>

In 1958, Phillips began composing for [[Columbia Pictures]]' television and record subsidiaries. He founded [[Colpix Records]] and produced high-charting hits for [[James Darren]], [[Nina Simone]], [[The Skyliners]], [[Shelley Fabares]], and [[The Monkees]]. He also furnished music for Columbia's television series, including ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' with Fabares and ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]''. Phillips branched out into motion-picture work, and scored [[Columbia Studios|Columbia]]'s 1964 movie, ''[[Ride the Wild Surf]]''. 

In the mid-1960s, he worked for [[Capitol Records]] and created, produced and arranged for the easy listening studio orchestra the [[Hollyridge Strings]].<ref name=officialbio /> Excerpts from the Hollyridge Strings album ''The Beatles Song Book'' can be heard on the 1964 Capitol documentary album ''[[The Beatles' Story]]''.<ref>Gillian G. Gaar, « 100 Things Beatles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die », Triumph Books, 2013</ref>

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Phillips continued scoring films and television series including music for the films ''[[Beyond the Valley of the Dolls]]'' (1970), ''[[The Seven Minutes (film)|The Seven Minutes]]'' (1971) and the television series  ''[[Get Christie Love!]]''.

In 1974, he began working at [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] scoring television series; [[Glen A. Larson]] made extensive use of his compositions. During this time, he scored music for the television series ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'', ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'', and ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]''.<ref name=officialbio /> His ''Battlestar Galactica'' theme was featured prominently in the film ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' (1982). He also composed music for the television series ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (which was for Charles Fries/Dan Goodman/Danchuck Productions) during this time.

In the 1980s, Phillips left Universal and began working at [[20th Century Fox]], again being a favorite composer of Glen A. Larson, where he composed music for the television series ''[[The Fall Guy]]'', ''[[Automan]]'' and ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]''.<ref name=officialbio /> All programs were Larson productions.

===Later years===
Phillips went into semi-retirement in the 1990s at his home in [[Studio City, Los Angeles|Studio City]], California. Since that time, he has appeared at [[fan convention]]s for ''Battlestar Galactica'' and has attended [[cult film|cult-film]] screenings for ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.''<ref name=officialbio />

In 2002, Phillips published his autobiography ''Stu Who?: Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields of the Music Business.''

In 2006, he also participated in a documentary film featured on the special edition DVD re-release of ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.''<ref>The ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' special-edition DVD features ''Look on up at the Bottom: The Music of the Dolls.'' USA: 20th Century Fox.</ref>

Long a "serious" musician, Phillips has also orchestrated pieces by [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] and [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] for [[Symphony]] orchestra.<ref name=officialbio />

Phillips can be heard on FaLaLaLaLa.com discussing the history of The Hollyridge Strings's Christmas album, which it released in 2008.

==Filmography==
===Film music===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
* ''[[Mad Dog Coll (1961 film)|Mad Dog Coll]]'' (1961)
* ''[[The Man from the Diner's Club]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Ride the Wild Surf]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Hells Angels on Wheels]]'' (1967)
*''[[The Name of the Game Is Kill!]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Angels from Hell]]'' (1968)
* ''[[2000 Years Later]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Run, Angel, Run!]]'' (1969)
* ''Follow Me'' (1969)
* ''[[The Gay Deceivers]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Venus in Furs (1969 Franco film)|Venus in Furs]]'' (also known as  ''Paroxismus'') (Uncredited, 1969)
* ''[[Beyond the Valley of the Dolls]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Nam's Angels]]'' (1970)
{{Col-break}}
* ''The Curious Female'' (1970)
*''[[Savage Intruder]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Soul Soldier|The Red, White, and Black]]'' (1970)
* ''Revenge Is My Destiny'' (1971)
* ''[[Simon, King of the Witches]]'' (1971)
* ''[[The Seven Minutes (film)|The Seven Minutes]]'' (1971)
* ''Jud'' (1971)
* ''[[Pickup on 101]]'' (1972)
* ''Throw Out the Anchor!'' (1974)
* ''[[How to Seduce a Woman]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Macon County Line]]'' (1974)
* ''The Meal'' (1975)
* ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (film)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider]]'' (1979)
* ''Hollywood Goes to the Bowl 2004'' (2004)
{{col-end}}

===Television music===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
'''GL''' denotes a [[Glen A. Larson|Glen Larson]] production, where known. Phillips was one of Larson's favorite composers.
* ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1958)
* ''Rockabye the Infantry'' (1963)
* ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' (54 episodes, 1966–1968)
* ''The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War'' (1973) '''GL'''
* ''[[Get Christie Love!]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1974) '''GL'''
* ''[[Switch (American TV series)|Switch]]'' (2 episodes, 1975) '''GL'''
* ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' (8 episodes, 1974–1976) '''GL'''
* ''Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover'' (1977)
* ''[[The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries]]'' (14 episodes, 1977) '''GL'''
* ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'' (17 episodes, 1976–1977) '''GL'''
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1978)
* ''[[Evening in Byzantium]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Saga of a Star World|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (Pilot/TV movie, 1978) '''GL'''
* ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' (1979) '''GL'''
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (21 episodes, 1978–1979) '''GL'''
* ''[[The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1980–1981) '''GL'''
* ''Conquest of the Earth'' (1980) '''GL'''
* ''[[Galactica 1980]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1980) '''GL'''
{{Col-break}}
* ''[[B. J. and the Bear]]'' (1 episode, 1980) '''GL'''
* ''Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die'' (1980) '''GL'''
* ''Waikiki'' (1980)
* ''Midnight Lace'' (1981)
* ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' (5 episodes, 1979–1981) '''GL'''
* ''[[The Fall Guy]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1981) '''GL'''
* ''[[Chicago Story]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1982)
* ''Terror at Alcatraz'' (1982)
* ''[[Rooster (TV film)|Rooster]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Automan]]'' (4 episodes, 1983) '''GL'''
* ''[[Masquerade (TV series)|Masquerade]]'' (1 episode, 1983) '''GL'''
* ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]'' (14 episodes, 1982–1984) '''GL'''
* ''[[Half Nelson (TV series)|Half Nelson]]'' (Unknown episodes, 1985) '''GL'''
* ''In Like Flynn'' (1985)
* ''[[The Highwayman (TV series)|The Highwayman]]'' (Pilot/TV Movie, 1987) '''GL'''
* ''[[The Highwayman (TV series)|The Highwayman]]'' (1 episode, 1988) '''GL'''
* ''The Road Raiders'' (1989)
{{col-end}}

==Awards and nominations==
'''[[Grammy Award]]'''

*Nominated: 1964 [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance|Best Instrumental Performance - Non Jazz]], ''The Beatles Song Book (Hollyridge Strings)''
*Nominated: 1979 [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media|Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special]], ''Battlestar Galactica''

'''[[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] Film & TV Awards'''

*Won: 2005 Best [[Ringtone]], ''Knight Rider''

==Further reading==
* Phillips, Stu. 2002. ''Stu Who?: Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields of the Music Business''. Studio City, California: Cisum Press. {{ISBN|978-0-9720363-3-7}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Stu Phillips}}
* {{Official website|https://www.stuwho.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|0006225}}
* {{Discogs artist|Stu Phillips}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Stu}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American film score composers]]
[[Category:American male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:American male film score composers]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American music arrangers]]
[[Category:American television composers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male television composers]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Record producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:The High School of Music & Art alumni]]