Buddy Baker (composer) facts for kids

Norman Dale "Buddy" Baker (born January 4, 1918 – died July 26, 2002) was an American composer. He is famous for creating music for many Disney films. Some of these include The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Fox and the Hound. He also wrote music for popular Disney theme park rides. These include The Haunted Mansion and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

About Buddy Baker

Buddy Baker was born in Springfield, Missouri. He studied music at Southwest Baptist College. In the 1930s, he moved to the West Coast. There, he started arranging music for radio shows. He even became the music director for Bob Hope's radio show.

His Early Music Career

One of Baker's first popular songs was "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine." He arranged it for the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Later, in the 1950s, he became a professor. He taught at L.A. City College. Some of his students became famous musicians. These included film composer Jerry Goldsmith and jazz drummer Louis Bellson.

Working with Disney

Buddy Baker's friend, George Bruns, asked him to write music. This was for a Disney TV show called Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. After that, Baker stayed at the Disney studio. He became their main music director. He also became the chief composer for Disneyland and other Disney theme parks.

Baker was nominated for an Academy Award. This was for his music in the 1972 film Napoleon and Samantha. His music is also in many Disney cartoons. One example is Donald in Mathmagic Land. This cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award in 1959. In 1978, he composed music for the first Walt Disney Home Video logo. This was known as the "Neon Mickey" logo.

Baker arranged and conducted most of the music for the Winnie-the-Pooh films. He also conducted music for Winnie the Pooh theme park rides. He did this in 1999, when he was 81 years old.

Music for Disney Parks

The spooky music you hear in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland was created by Baker. He also wrote the catchy theme for If You Had Wings at Walt Disney World. He arranged French classical music for the film Impressions de France at EPCOT Center. This film features music by famous composers like Camille Saint-Saëns and Claude Debussy. Baker also wrote music for the Tokyo DisneySea ride, Journey to the Center of the Earth. This ride opened in 2001.

Awards and Honors

In 1989, Buddy Baker was named a "Disney Legend." This is a special honor from Disney. He also has an honorary Main Street window at Disneyland Park. It is located above the Car Barn. The window reads: "Plaza School of Music - Sheet Music – B. Baker." He also has a similar window at Walt Disney World.

Later Life and Legacy

Buddy Baker was the last staff composer to work under contract at any studio. He retired from Disney. Even after retiring, he sometimes worked on projects. These included music for theme parks, films, and TV. He spent most of his later years teaching. He taught film scoring at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. He continued teaching until he passed away in 2002. He was 84 years old. His wife, Charlotte, later donated his papers to the Fales Library at New York University.