Composer Robert Drasnin died on Wednesday; he was 87. Drasnin's name may be unfamiliar, BUT, if you watched any prime-time TV during the '60s/'70s/'80s, you've heard his music. In the early '40s, he began playing in big bands, first with the Canteen Kids, a kids big band featured on Hoagy Carmichaelâs radio show, then graduated to playing with the big bands of Les Brown, Freddie Slack, and Tommy Dorsey. In the mid '50s, while studying music composition at UCLA, Drasnin began scoring films and TV soundtracks. He soundtracked some of my favorite shows, such as: Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hawaii Five-0, and even some episodes of CHiPs! He was also the music supervisor for Gunsmoke and The Twilight Zone, scored a ton of "made for TV" movies, and, in 1977, became the head of music for CBS television. Now, for as prolific as he was on TV, Drasnin only made TWO albums, and, in some circles, it's his FIRST record, Voodoo, which holds the most sway. It's a top-class album, easily as engaging as the strongest Martin Denny and Esquivel records. Voodoo, by the way, was only recorded as an attempt to cash in on the then-current exotica craze! He followed up Voodoo in 2007 with Voodoo 2.
Unfortunately, there was also another notable passing this weekâthe last living Lion of Beale StreetâB.B. King; for more details and whatnots, enjoy Sean Nelson's B.B. King obit.
