Sam Spence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Spence
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| Birth name | Samuel Lloyd Spence |
| Born | March 29, 1927 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 2016 (aged 88) Lewisville, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Years active | 1966–1990 |
Samuel Lloyd Spence (born March 29, 1927 – died February 6, 2016) was an American composer. He was famous for creating music for NFL Films, which makes movies about American football. You might have heard his music in the Madden NFL video games by EA Sports and in many football commercials.
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About Sam Spence
Sam Spence was born in San Francisco, California. He went to the University of Southern California. In 1966, he was teaching music in Munich, Germany. That's when he got a job to write music for short movies about the National Football League. These movies showed exciting moments and famous players to football fans on TV.
His music, along with the voices of famous announcers like John Facenda and Harry Kalas, helped create the special style of NFL Films.
At first, another composer named Mahlon Merrick was asked to write music for NFL Films. Mahlon asked Sam to help him record some music. Sam said he added some of his own orchestral music, which sounded more like Hollywood movie music. The head of NFL Films, Ed Sabol, really liked Sam's music. He offered Sam a three-year contract to write, conduct, and produce music for NFL Films.
Sam retired in 1990 and went back to Munich. In 1998, he became famous again when a CD called The Power and the Glory: The Original Music & Voices Of NFL Films was released. Sam Spence passed away on February 6, 2016, in Lewisville, Texas, when he was 88 years old.
Sam Spence's Music Albums
Here is a list of some of the music albums and singles Sam Spence released:
- 1970: "Wie ein Blitz" – This was the main song for a German TV show.
- 1971: The Art of the Synthesizer – Interesting, Unusual and Melodic Moog Sounds
- 1972: Fantastic Sounds: TV Themes and Pop Covers
- 1998: The Power And The Glory: The Original Music & Voices of NFL Films
- 2007: Sam Spence: Our Man in Munich
- 2009: Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films Music
Music Remakes
In 2005, a hip hop group called Da Riffs made new versions of Sam Spence's music. You can hear these remakes on several NFL Network TV shows. They were also included in the soundtrack for the video game Madden NFL 06. The original songs by Sam Spence were also still in the game. Da Riffs also remixed his music for Madden NFL 07, Madden NFL 08, and Madden NFL 09.
Live Performances
Sam Spence's music has been played live many times. He even conducted orchestras himself!
- On June 14, 2008, he conducted a mix of his NFL Films songs with the Golden State Pops Orchestra in San Pedro, California.
- In November 2010, a concert focused almost entirely on his football music was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nearly 1,000 people came to the Meyer Theater to hear three local music groups play many of Sam's football songs. They played different styles, from classical to jazz and pop.
Famous NFL Songs
Over his 30-year career, Sam Spence wrote hundreds of short music pieces for NFL Films. Here are some of his most well-known songs:
- "A Golden Boy Again" (also known as "Up As She Rises")
- "March to the Trenches"
- "Big Game America"
- "Rainbows To The End Zone"
- "The Over the Hill Gang"
- "West Side Rumble"
- "The Pony Soldiers"
- "Round Up"
- "Classic Battle"
- "Forearm Shiver" (also known as "The Lineman")
- "The Magnificent Eleven"
- "Ramblin' Man from Gramblin'"
- "Whirlwinds To The End Zone"
- "Path To The Title" (also known as "Cossacks' Charge")
- "Game Plan For Sudden Death"
- "Aggression" (also known as "Life on the Wild Side")
- "Street Warfare"
- "Sunday With Soul" (also known as "Pell Mell")
- "A Chilling Championship"
- "Sunday Afternoon Fever"
- "The Equalizer"
- "Lombardi Trophy Theme"
- "Final Quest"
- "Industrial Giant"
- "Macho Theme"
- "Torpedo"
- "Police Car"
