Artie Kane

Artie Kane (born Aaron Cohen; April 14, 1929 – June 21, 2022) was an American pianist, film score composer, and conductor with a career spanning over six decades.

As a pianist in Hollywood studios, Kane worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, John Williams, and Quincy Jones.

He composed the music for over 250 television shows. Some of his works for television include Wonder Woman, Vegas, Hotel, Dynasty, Matlock, A Question of Guilt, and Man Against the Mob. Kane also composed the film scores for five motion pictures including The Bat People, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Eyes of Laura Mars, Night of the Juggler, and Wrong Is Right.

During his career, he conducted on over 60 motion pictures at MGM, Disney, Universal, Fox, Warner Brothers, Sony, Columbia Pictures, and Paramount.

In 1976, Kane was nominated for a Grammy Award along with Ralph Grierson for a two-piano George Gershwin Album, S Wonderful on Angel Records. He was inducted into the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame in 1998 and is a co-author of the book, Music to My Years: Love and Life Between the Notes.

Biography

Early life

Kane was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1929. His family was Jewish. His mother, Sarah Berman, emigrated from Belarus in 1914. His father, Nathan Cohen, whose family members were Russian musicians, immigrated to the United States from Russia. Nathan served two years in the U.S. Army in France during WWI. Kane's parents married in 1924 in Columbus. Kane's father died a week before his third birthday. He was raised by his mother and uncle, Joe Berman, whom Kane credited for inspiring him to become a musician.

Kane took to the piano at the age of three and was considered a child prodigy. At four, he won first prize in a statewide contest, competing with children of seven and eight. At 10, he studied under Agnes Wright and went to New York once a year to play for Prof. Alexander Siloti, Rachmaninoff's teacher who advised Kane as to his next season's study.

In 1938, Kane won a scholarship to The Columbus Boychoir School where he first sang alto, and within a year became an accompanist and featured performer until 1947. He later studied piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. In 1943, after a performance at Town Hall in New York City, he received a scholarship to study classical piano with Djane Lavoie-Herz in Manhattan.

In 1944, Kane returned to Columbus and attended South High School, played in Snook Neal's band and was hired by radio station WBNS where he played daily radio segments of classical piano, plus his own arrangements of popular music.

In 1947 at eighteen years old, he was hired as a pianist in the band at Club Gloria in Columbus, Ohio with comedian Harry Jarkey. From the radio work and write-ups in local newspapers, the conductor Izler Solomon invited Kane to play Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for a Pops concert with the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra.

On October 19, 1948, Kane changed his name from Aaron Cohen to Artie Kane on the advice of Matt Gilbert, a cartoonist for The Cleveland Plain Dealer who suggested it as a more distinctive stage name. His mother Sarah Cohen also changed her name from Sarah B. Cohen to Sally B. Kane.

Holiday on Ice In 1949, Artie Kane went to Toledo, Ohio, to audition as pianist for Holiday On Ice and was hired based on his reputation. He spent eight years on the road as rehearsal pianist and pianist/conductor for the company.

From 1953 to 1956, Kane was the rehearsal and show pianist for Norwegian figure skater and Olympic medalist Sonja Henie during the European Holiday On Ice Tour. He also appeared in NBC's first color television spectacular, Sonja Henie’s Holiday on Ice on December 22, 1956.

New York

In 1956, Kane left the ice show and went to New York City working as a Broadway rehearsal and audition pianist and playing nightclubs. He was hired as pianist and assistant conductor at the Roxy Theatre, for the Roxy Orchestra under conductor Robert Boucher, playing and conducting four shows a day, seven days a week for two years. His work is included on the Bob Boucher's orchestra LP record Sightseeing in Sound with a solo opening of ragtime piano.

Prior to the Roxy's closing, Kane was offered a job as Jaye P. Morgan's on-the-road conductor and pianist. Kane conducted for her in night clubs, at personal appearances, and recording sessions and they lived together on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

Hollywood

Kane and Morgan married on July 31, 1960, and they settled in Los Angeles. In Hollywood, he renewed an acquaintance with Dominic Frontiere, a composer in LA whom he had met in New York. Frontiere also hired Kane throughout the sixties as he composed music for producer Leslie Stevens’ weekly television shows, including Outer Limits and Quinn Martin Productions’ The Fugitive.

Session Keyboardist

In 1960, Frontiere introduced Kane to a contractor at MGM, who was looking for a pianist to work at that studio. As a pianist he worked with composers such as Alex North on the film, The Outrage (1964), Jerry Goldsmith on Planet of the Apes (1967) and The Illustrated Man (1969), Fred Karlin on Westworld (1973), Jerry Fielding on The Outfit (1973), and Elmer Bernstein on McQ (1974).

In 1966, Nelson Riddle, the arranger and conductor for Frank Sinatra's future Billboard #1 and Grammy Award-winning album Strangers in the Night, asked Kane to play the Hammond organ on the album. Nine months earlier as a studio pianist, Kane played a pop-rock organ on Nelson's score for a car-race film called Red Line 7000 and Nelson was looking for a similar sound for the Sinatra album. Eight months later in December, Kane appeared on the subsequent television special, A Man and His Music – Part II.

Between 1968 and 1969, French composer Michel Legrand hired Kane as a pianist for the films Ice Station Zebra, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Happy Ending, directed by Richard Brooks.

In 1972, Kane was brought to RCA's attention by composer, conductor, and pianist Henry Mancini who was impressed by Kane's work with Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums for Henry's film score, Me, Natalie. Later that year, Mancini personally produced and arranged the music for the trio called, Artie Kane Plays Organ!

In 1975, towards the end of his career as a session musician, Artie distinguished himself by joining with another respected session pianist, Ralph Grierson, to release a two-piano Gershwin album called '''S Wonderful. The album included rare, out-of-print and never-before-recorded songs published in the 1930s and '40s, as well as An American in Paris, Three Preludes, and six 'classic' Gershwin show tunes. The album was nominated for a Grammy in 1976.

In 1977, when composer Dave Grusin was unavailable for Richard Brooks' film, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Alan Bergman, the lyricist, suggested Kane compose the score for the Academy Award nominated film starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere.

When producer Douglas S. Cramer became head of production at Spelling Productions, he took Kane with him. Kane rotated with other composers scoring Love Boat and Vegas for the Spelling lineup. While working on his first Love Boat assignment, Kane heard from a producer at Lorimar about scoring a movie-for-television directed by Robert Butler and starring Tuesday Weld titled A Question of Guilt in 1978.

In 1980, when Kane finished scoring an action thriller film called, Night of the Juggler for Columbia Pictures, Richard Brooks, the director Kane worked for on Looking for Mr. Goodbar, asked him to score his new film, the comedy thriller Wrong is Right starring Katharine Ross and Sean Connery.

In 1987, after scoring a few episodes of crime drama Jake and the Fatman, Kane became one of a rotating group of composers on a popular spinoff show called Matlock, starring Andy Griffith.

Kane's third marriage was to skater Jeanne Cheadle, a member of the cast of Holiday on Ice, in 1955. This was one of Kane's shortest marriages and lasted less than a year. The couple divorced on December 12, 1955.

Kane's fourth marriage was to another skater and cast member of Holiday on Ice, Sherry Wells in 1956. Kane had his first son, David born in 1957. The couple divorced on January 29, 1959. Wells remarried and changed David's last name to Russell. David Russell is a retired executive and basketball coach. Kane has two grandsons from David, Bryson Russell and Coleman Russell.

His fifth marriage was to singer and actress Jaye P. Morgan. Kane was Morgan's pianist and conductor during their marriage. They adopted Kane's second son, Paul Steven Kane in 1963. The couple divorced in 1966.

In 1967, he married his sixth wife, Sara Jane Tallman Grusin, a studio singer in Los Angeles. Kane and Grusin had a son, Adam Kane, born in 1968. Adam is a film director in the Hollywood film studios. Kane and Grusin divorced on September 15, 1970, after three years of marriage.

Kane met his seventh wife, Carol Faith, through his friend, Charles Fox, while scoring at Warner Brothers. Faith was Fox's agent. They married in 1976 and divorced on June 4, 1979.

In 1981, Kane married JoAnn Johnson, a music copyist. They had been married more than thirty-six years and resided on Whidbey Island in Washington state.

Awards and honors

In 1976, Kane was nominated for a Grammy Award along with Ralph Grierson for a two-piano Gershwin Album, S Wonderful'' on Angel Records. He was given a BMI Sterling Circle Award for 25 years affiliation in 1993. In 1998, he was inducted into the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio. Year Award Series

Filmography

Television

Year Title Format Network Notes 1969 The Ghost & Mrs. Muir TV series NBC 1 episode, segment (20.11.69) scored by Artie Kane 1971 Nanny and the Professor TV series 20th Century-Fox Television 1 episode, segment (13.09.71) scored by Artie Kane 1974 The Rockford Files TV series NBC 2 episodes, Artie Kane with Dick De Benedictis (composer) 1974 Barnaby Jones TV series CBS 1 episode, Artie Kane with Duane Tatro (composers) 1976 Wonder Woman TV series ABC, CBS 31 episodes, Artie Kane with Charles Fox, Robert Prince (composers) 1978 The Love Boat TV series ABC 56 episodes, Artie Kane composer 1978 The New Love Boat TV series ABC Charles Fox, (additional) Artie Kane (composer) 1978 Lou Grant TV series CBS 1 episode, Patrick Williams, Artie Kane, Miles Goodman, Med Flory, Michael Melvoin, Shirley Walker (composers) 1978 A Question of Guilt TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1979 Vega$ TV series ABC 10 episodes, Artie Kane, J. J. Johnson, John Davis, John Beal (composers) 1979 Young Love, First Love TV movie The First Time is This Time by Carol Connors, Artie Kane, performed by Valerie Bertinelli (songs) 1980 Murder Can Hurt You TV movie ABC Artie Kane (composer) 1982 Matt Houston TV series ABC 7 episodes, Dominic Frontiere, John Davis, Ken Harrison, Nelson Riddle, Artie Kane (composers) 1982 Million Dollar Infield TV movie CBS Artie Kane (composer) 1983 Dynasty TV series ABC 18 episodes, Artie Kane (composer) 1983 Hotel TV series ABC 39 episodes, Artie Kane (composer) 1984 Finder of Lost Loves TV series ABC Artie Kane (composer) 1984 Concrete Beat TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1986 Long Time Gone TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1987 Matlock TV series ABC 65 episodes, Artie Kane Dick DeBenedictis, John Cacavas, Bruce Babcock (composers) 1987 Jake and the Fatman TV series CBS 3 episodes, Artie Kane, Morton Steven, Bruce Babcock, Steve Bramson (composers) 1988 Divided We Stand TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1988 The Red Spider TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1988 Man Against the Mob TV movie NBC Artie Kane (composer) 1989 Wolf TV series CBS 11 episodes, Artie Kane (composer) 1989 Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders TV movie NBC Artie Kane (composer) 1989 Fire and Rain TV movie USA Network Artie Kane (composer) 1989 Terror on Highway 91 TV movie Artie Kane (composer) 1992 Gunsmoke: To the Last Man TV movie CBS Artie Kane (composer) 1993 Gunsmoke: The Long Ride TV movie CBS Artie Kane (composer) 1994 Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice TV movie CBS Artie Kane (composer)

Film

As Composer + List of credits as composer Year Title Director Studio 1974 The Bat People Jerry Jameson American International Pictures 1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Richard Brooks Paramount Pictures 1978 Eyes of Laura Mars Irvin Kershner Columbia Pictures 1980 Night of the Juggler Robert Butler 1982 Wrong Is Right Richard Brooks

As Conductor

+ List of credits as conductor Year Title Director Composer Studio 1991 The Doctor Randa Haines Michael Convertino Buena Vista Pictures 1992 A Few Good Men Rob Reiner Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1992 Mr. Saturday Night Billy Crystal Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1992 Sister Act Emile Ardolino Marc Shaiman Buena Vista Pictures 1992 Freejack Geoff Murphy Trevor Jones Warner Bros. 1993 Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Randa Haines Michael Convertino Warner Bros. 1993 Addams Family Values Barry Sonnenfeld Marc Shaiman Paramount Pictures 1993 A Home of Our Own Tony Bill Michael Convertino Gramercy Pictures 1993 Heart and Souls Ron Underwood Marc Shaiman Universal Pictures 1993 Jurassic Park Steven Spielberg John Williams Universal Pictures 1994 Speechless Ron Underwood Marc Shaiman Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1994 Junior Ivan Reitman James Newton Howard Universal Pictures 1994 The Santa Clause John Pasquin Michael Convertino Buena Vista Pictures 1994 Milk Money Richard Benjamin Michael Convertino Paramount Pictures 1994 North Rob Reiner Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1994 City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Paul Weiland Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1995 The American President Rob Reiner Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1995 Waterworld Kevin Reynolds James Newton Howard Universal Pictures 1995 Forget Paris Billy Crystal Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1995 French Kiss Lawrence Kasdan James Newton Howard 20th Century Fox 1995 Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead Gary Fleder Michael Convertino Miramax 1995 Stuart Saves His Family Harold Ramis Marc Shaiman Paramount Pictures 1995 Outbreak Wolfgang Petersen James Newton Howard Warner Bros. 1995 Just Cause Arne Glimcher James Newton Howard Warner Bros. 1995 Eye for an Eye John Schlesinger James Newton Howard Paramount Pictures 1996 Restoration Michael Hoffman James Newton Howard Miramax 1996 Ghosts of Mississippi Rob Reiner Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1996 One Fine Day Michael Hoffman James Newton Howard 20th Century Fox 1996 Mars Attacks! Tim Burton Danny Elfman Warner Bros. 1996 Space Jam Joe Pytka James Newton Howard Warner. Bros. 1996 Extreme Measures Michael Apted Danny Elfman Columbia Pictures 1996 The First Wives Club Hugh Wilson Marc Shaiman Paramount Pictures 1996 The Rich Man's Wife Amy Holden Jones James Newton Howard Buena Vista Pictures 1996 Mother Albert Brooks Marc Shaiman Paramount Pictures 1996 Bogus Norman Jewison Marc Shaiman Warner Bros. 1996 The Trigger Effect David Koepp James Newton Howard Gramercy Pictures 1996 Mother Night Keith Gordon Michael Convertino Fine Line Features 1996 Mission: Impossible Brian De Palma Danny Elfman Paramount Pictures 1996 Primal Fear Gregory Hoblit James Newton Howard Paramount Pictures 1996 The Juror Brian Gibson James Newton Howard Columbia Pictures 1996 Bed of Roses Michael Goldenberg Michael Convertino New Line Cinema 1996 The Last of the High Kings David Keating Michael Convertino Miramax 1996 The Frighteners Peter Jackson Danny Elfman Universal Pictures 1997 The Postman Kevin Costner James Newton Howard Warner Bros. 1997 Good Will Hunting Gus Van Sant Danny Elfman Miramax Films 1997 Flubber Les Mayfield Danny Elfman Buena Vista Pictures 1997 Alien: Resurrection Jean-Pierre Jeunet John Frizzell 20th Century Fox 1997 The Devil's Advocate Taylor Hackford James Newton Howard 20th Century Fox 1997 In & Out Frank Oz Marc Shaiman Paramount Films 1997 George of the Jungle Sam Weisman Marc Shaiman Buena Vista Pictures 1997 Men in Black Barry Sonnenfeld Danny Elfman Columbia Pictures 1997 My Best Friend's Wedding P. J. Hogan James Newton Howard TriStar Pictures 1997 Father's Day Ivan Reitman James Newton Howard Warner Bros. 1997 Dante's Peak Roger Donaldson James Newton Howard Universal Pictures 1997 Metro Thomas Carter Steve Porcaro Buena Vista Pictures 1997 Jungle 2 Jungle John Pasquin Michael Convertino Buena Vista Pictures 1998 A Civil Action Steven Zaillian Danny Elfman Buena Vista Pictures 1998 A Simple Plan Sam Raimi Danny Elfman Paramount Pictures 1998 Simon Birch Mark Steven Johnson Marc Shaiman Buena Vista Pictures 1998 Dance with Me Randa Haines Michael Convertino Columbia Pictures 1998 Mafia! Jim Abrahams John Frizzell Buena Vista Pictures 1998 A Perfect Murder Andrew Davis James Newton Howard Warner Bros. 1998 My Giant Michael Lehmann Marc Shaiman Columbia Pictures 1999 Snow Falling on Cedars Scott Hicks James Newton Howard Universal Pictures

As Pianist

+ List of credits as pianist Year Album Artist Credit Label 1961 Blues Cross Country Peggy Lee Organ Capitol Studios 1964 Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley Piano RCA Victor 1965 The Sandpiper Johnny Mandel Piano Mercury Records 1968 Charly (Original Soundtrack Recording) Ravi Shankar Piano - Harpsichord World Pacific 1969 Bud Shank Plays The Music And Arrangements Of Michel LeGrand – Windmills Of Your Mind Bud Shank Organ Pacific Jazz Records 1970 Nilsson by Tipton George Tipton Piano Warner Bros. Records 1971 Dollar$ (soundtrack) Quincy Jones Keyboards Reprise Records 1972 Honky Tonk Train Artie Kane Primary Artist RCA Victor 1972 Henry Mancini Presents: Artie Kane Playing The Swinging Screen Scene Artie Kane Primary Artist - Organ RCA Victor 1972 Henry Mancini Presents: Artie Kane at the Organ: The Best of the Big Hits Artie Kane Primary Artist - Organ RCA Victor 1975 Great Waldo Pepper [Original Soundtrack] Henry Mancini Piano MCA Records 1975 Mirrors Peggy Lee Keyboards A&M Studios 1976 Can't Hide Love Carmen McRae Piano A&M Studios 1978 Acting Up Marlena Shaw Composer Columbia Records 1978 Songbird Barbra Streisand Conductor CBS 1979 Apple Dimple Toots Thielemans Composer Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. 1991 For the Boys Bette Midler Conductor - Musician Capitol Studios 1991 Mobsters Michael Small Conductor Twentieth Century Fox 1992 A Few Good Men Marc Shaiman Conductor Columbia Records 1992 Sister Act Marc Shaiman Conductor Hollywood Records 1993 Bodies, Rest & Motion Michael Convertino Conductor Sony Music 1993 Heart and Souls Marc Shaiman Conductor - Performer MCA Records 1993 Demolition Man (The Original Orchestral Score) Elliot Goldenthal Conductor Varese Sarabande 1994 Addams Family Values Marc Shaiman Conductor - Primary Artist Varèse Sarabande 1994 City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Marc Shaiman Conductor Sony Music 1994 North Marc Shaiman Conductor Epic Records 1994 Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Michael Convertino Conductor Mercury Records 1995 Forget Paris Marc Shaiman Conductor Elektra Records 1995 Golden Classics Marlena Shaw Composer Collectables 1995 The American President Marc Shaiman Conductor MCA Soundtracks 1995 The Best of Carmen McRae Carmen McRae Piano Blue Note Records 1995 Waterworld James Newton Howard Conductor MCA Soundtracks 1996 Bed of Roses Michael Convertino Conductor Milan Records 1996 Danny Elfman: Music for a Darkened Theatre Danny Elfman Conductor Geffen 1996 Mission: Impossible Danny Elfman Conductor Point Music 1996 Mission: Impossible [Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture] Danny Elfman Conductor Island 1996 Mother Night Michael Convertino Conductor Varese Sarabande 1996 Mother Marc Shaiman Conductor Hollywood Records 1996 One Fine Day James Newton Howard Conductor Sony Music 1996 Primal Fear James Newton Howard Conductor Milan 1996 Restoration James Newton Howard Conductor Milan 1996 The First Wives Club Marc Shaiman Conductor Varese Sarabande 1996 The Frighteners Danny Elfman Conductor Universal Pictures 1997 Alien Resurrection] John Frizzell Conductor RCA Victor 1997 Dante's Peak John Frizzell Conductor Varese Sarabande 1997 Flubber [Original Score] Danny Elfman Conductor Walt Disney Records 1997 Ghosts of Mississippi Marc Shaiman Conductor Sony Music 1997 In & Out Various Artists Conductor Motown 1997 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Various Artists Composer Columbia Records 1997 Mars Attacks! Danny Elfman Conductor Atlantic Records 1997 Men in Black Danny Elfman Conductor Sony Music 1997 Move Over Darling Doris Day Piano Bear Family 1997 My Best Friend's Wedding [Original Soundtrack] James Newton Howard Conductor Columbia Records 1997 Space Jam [Original Score] James Newton Howard Conductor Atlantic 1997 The Devil's Advocate [Original Score] James Newton Howard Conductor TVT Soundtrax 1997 The Postman [Original Score/Soundtrack] James Newton Howard Conductor Miramax Records 1998 A Civil Action Danny Elfman Conductor Hollywood Records 1998 A Perfect Murder James Newton Howard Conductor Varèse Sarabande 1998 George of the Jungle Marc Shaiman Conductor Walt Disney Records 1998 Simon Birch Marc Shaiman Conductor Epic 1999 A Simple Plan [Original Score] Danny Elfman Conductor Chapter III Records 1999 Blue Bossa, Vol. 2 Various Artists Piano Blue Note 1999 Snow Falling on Cedars James Newton Howard Conductor Decca U.S. 2000 Brain in a Box: The Science Fiction Collection Various Artists Primary Artist Rhino 2000 Films of the Century Various Artists Conductor Milan Records 2001 Memories Marlena Shaw Composer Collectables 2002 Live in Tokyo Marlena Shaw Composer 441 Records 2002 Paramount Pictures 90th Anniversary: Memorable Scores Various Artists Conductor - Primary Artist Sony Masterworks 2002 The Blue Box Blue Note's Best Various Artists Piano EMI 2004 Chiller Cabinet Various Artists Conductor - Composer Obsessive