Fred Werner

Frederick Henry Werner Jr. (June 11, 1934 – June 11, 2024) was an American musician and composer who wrote and arranged music for television, cinema, and Broadway musicals. He started his career in New York in the early 1960s working with Frank Loesser, Noël Coward, and Bob Fosse. Later, he moved to California to work in television and movies, eventually returning to Broadway. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1964 for Best Conductor and Musical Director for the musical High Spirits. He is also known for his work on Les Crane's 1971 album Desiderata.

Theater works Werner's first credited work was as the dance music arranger for The Conquering Hero in 1961, which ran on Broadway for eight performances. Later that same year, he worked as the vocal music arranger on Sail Away. He additionally served as the dance music arranger for Little Me in 1962 and 1964, and Sweet Charity on Broadway in 1966 and on the West End in 1967. Fred was the musical director for High Spirits in 1964 and Sweet Charity both during its 1966 debut, He is credited as the orchestrator on Skyscraper in 1965 and Sweet Charity in 1986, He arranged the music for Liza Minnelli's 1974 Broadway special Liza (see Live at the Winter Garden).

Film and television work Fred began his work in television and movies in 1967 as the music coordinator for the pilot episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Continuing his work with Liza Minnelli and Bob Fosse in 1972, he was the choreographic music associate in the movie Cabaret, and the musical arranger and supervisor on the concert film Liza with a Z. In 1974, he worked as the music supervisor for the Lucille Ball musical film Mame and Huckleberry Finn. He is also credited as the composer and conductor for the Huckleberry Finn score. His final on-screen credit as the music supervisor was for the 1975 TV movie It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!, for which he was also the conductor.

Fred composed theme and additional music for various projects, including the pilot of One Day at a Time (originally titled "Three to Get Ready"), The Dukes of Hazzard and The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, and Flo. He was also the musical director for The Jim Nabors Hour for the entire run in 1978.

Desiderata Fred produced, composed, and performed music on the 1971 Les Crane album Desiderata. Fred arranged the track to repeat "You are a child of the universe, No less than the trees and the stars: You have a right to be here." The album won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1972. He died on June 11, 2024, his 90th birthday. He was subsequently honored at the 77th Tony Awards.

Composition work

Title Year Director Notes Hucklebery Finn 1974 J. Lee Thompson Musical film Beverly and Friends 1978 Mark Warren TV movie Legends of the Superheroes 1979 Bill Carruthers, Chris Darley Television specials America vs. the World: Circus Challenge 1979 Bill Carruthers TV movie Sweepstakes 1979 Various TV series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove 1979 Jerry Thorpe, Harry Harris TV series Whodunnit? 1979 Bill Carruthers TV game show The Death of Ocean View Park 1979 E.W. Swackhamer TV movie Women Who Rate a 10 1981 Mark Warren TV special Flo 1980–1981 Various TV series A Small Killing 1981 Steven Hilliard Stern TV movie Dynasty 1981 Gabrielle Beaumont, Jerome Courtland TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1982 Various TV series Dukes of Hazzard 1979–1983 Various TV series Desiderata 1971 Les Crane Producer, arranger, audio production, conductor, composer You Light Up My Life 1977 Debby Boone Arranger, producer At Carnegie Hall 1987 Liza Minnelli Arranger, orchestration Highlights From the Carnegie Hall Concert 1987 Liza Minnelli Orchestration, arranger, orchestra Star-Spangled Rhythm 1997 Various Arranger The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection 2010 Various Composer, primary artist