The incomparable Shirley Walker

Shirley Walker began her career composing advertising jingles and music for industrial films in the 1960s. In 1979, she got her first big break in film music when she was hired to play synthesizers on Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now." She also composed several pieces for "The Black Stallion," along with lead composer Carmine Coppola. In the 1980s, she found work as a composer on such television series as Falcon Crest and China Beach, and lent her talents to such B-movie classics as 1985's The Dungeonmaster and Ghoulies. In 1992, Mrs. Walker was hired to compose for "Memoirs of an Invisible Man," which appears to have been the first time a woman was retained by a major Hollywood studio as a theatrical film's sole composer. Then sometime in the 1990s she carved her niche with strong action scores in the superhero genre, lending her talent to Warner Brother's Batman animated series and films as well as a bevy of other superhero films on the big screen, the television screen, and in animation.Shirley had a long relationship with Danny Elfman serving as his conductor for films such as Scrooged, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and Article 99. She also worked extensively with Hans Zimmer as both an orchestrator and conductor on a host of his films including Black Rain, Bird on a wire, Pacific Heights, Backdraft, Toys, and Johnny Mneumonic for Brad Fiedel. Shirley was also a mentor to young composers, and was hired occasionally as an uncredited "score doctor" who made last-minute fixes on scores that needed assistance. Some 'horror' related score credits include films such as Willard (2003) and Black Christmas (2006). Here is what Shirley had to say about being uncredited for work, in her own words: "There are some uncredited things that I have done that I'm never going to talk about," Mrs. Walker said in an interview with the online journal cinemusic.net. "If you're a person that can come in and write at the last minute and get something to work, and still protect a score and the composer whose name is on it, the studios need that and I was very good at it."

Shirley doin' her thang.

Though sadly, she passed away in 2006, Shirley's influence should not be forgotten when names like Elfman, Zimmer, Howard, Carpenter, Trevor Jones, Graeme Revell, and Lolita Ritmanis (to name just a few) are mentioned. A special Pretty-Scary thank you to the eternal icon, musical pioneer, composer and conductor—Shirley Walker.

Here is a list of credits for Shirley Walker, in case you are interested in reading it. A forewarning, it is VERY long and be prepared to be impressed!

CREDITS:

Film Conductor

* Children of a Lesser God, Paramount, 1986
* The Accused, Paramount, 1988
* Scrooged, Paramount, 1988
* Batman, Warner Bros., 1989
* Black Rain, Paramount, 1989
* Immediate Family, Columbia, 1989
* Kill Me Again, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1989
* Nightbreed (also known as Clive Barker's Nightbreed), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
* Darkman, 1990
* Bird on a Wire, Universal, 1990
* Days of Thunder, Paramount, 1990
* Arachnophobia, Buena Vista, 1990
* Edward Scissorhands, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
* Pacific Heights, 1990
* (Uncredited) Defending Your Life, Warner Bros., 1991
* Backdraft, MCA/Universal, 1991
* True Identity, Buena Vista, 1991
* The Butcher's Wife, Paramount, 1991
* Article 99, Orion, 1992
* A League of Their Own, Columbia, 1992
* Toys, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1992
* Radio Flyer, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1992
* Gladiator, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1992
* Striking Distance, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1993
* The Real McCoy, Universal, 1993
* True Lies, 1994
* (Uncredited) Johnny Mnemonic, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
* Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Warner Bros., 1995
* Fear (also known as No Fear and Obsession mortelle),Universal, 1996
* Escape from L.A. (also known as John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.), Paramount, 1996
* Turbulence, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1997
* Final Destination, New Line Cinema, 2000

Film Orchestrator

* Malone, Orion, 1987
* The Accused, Paramount, 1988
* Batman, Warner Bros., 1989
* Black Rain, Paramount, 1989
* (Uncredited) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, New Line Cinema, 1990
* Bird on a Wire, Universal, 1990
* Days of Thunder, Paramount, 1990
* Arachnophobia, Buena Vista, 1990
* Nightbreed (also known as Clive Barker's Nightbreed), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
* Defending Your Life, Warner Bros., 1991
* Backdraft, MCA/Universal, 1991
* The Butcher's Wife, Paramount, 1991
* White Fang, Buena Vista, 1991
* Toys, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1992
* Radio Flyer, Sony Pictures Releasing, 1992
* True Lies, 1994
* Johnny Mnemonic, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
* Bad Company, Buena Vista, 1995
* Fear (also known as No Fear and Obsession mortelle),Universal, 1996

Film Work
Other
* Musician: synthesizer, Apocalypse Now (also known as ApocalypseNow Redux), 1979
* Music director, The End of August (also known as The Awakeningof Eve and The Awakening), 1982
* Music director, Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, Universal, 1983
* Music director, The Dungeonmaster, Empire Pictures, 1983
* Additional orchestrator, Children of a Lesser God, 1986
* Music recordist, Mother, Mother, 1989
* Additional orchestrator, Dick Tracy, Buena Vista, 1990
* Additional music orchestrator, Darkman, 1990
* Synthesist, Final Destination 2, New Line Cinema, 2003

Television Work
Series
* Music director, Superman, 1988
* Music supervisor, Batman: The Animated Series (animated; also known as The Adventures of Batman and Robin), Fox, 1992
* Music director, Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 1999-2001

Movies

* Conductor, Rasputin, HBO, 1996
* Supervising producer, Batman Beyond: The Movie (animated), 1999

Film Scores

* The Black Stallion, 1979
* (And song "Si tu savais") The End of August (also known as TheAwakening of Eve and The Awakening), 1982
* Touched, International Film Marketing, 1983
* The Dungeonmaster, Empire Pictures, 1983
* Violated (also known as Victimized), Vestron Video, 1984
* Ghoulies, Empire Pictures, 1985
* The Dungeonmaster (also known as Ragewar), Empire Pictures,1985
* Strike It Rich (also known as Loser Takes All and MoneyTalks), Miramax, 1990
* Chicago Joe and the Showgirl, New Line Cinema, 1990
* Born to Ride, Warner Bros., 1991
* Memoirs of an Invisible Man (also known as Les aventures d'un homme invisible), Warner Bros., 1992
* Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (also known as Batman: Mask of thePhantasm: The Animated Movie, Batman: The Animated Movie, and Mask of the Phantasm; animated), Warner Bros., 1993
* Escape from L.A. (also known as John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.), Paramount, 1996
* Turbulence, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1997
* Final Destination, New Line Cinema, 2000
* The Perfect Souffle: Testing the Final Destination, New Line HomeVideo, 2000
* Pam Coronado: Intuitive Investigator, New Line Home Video, 2000
* Ritual (also known as Tales from the Crypt Presents: Revelation and Tales from the Crypt Presents: Voodoo), Miramax, 2001
* Final Destination 2, New Line Cinema, 2003
* Willard, New Line Cinema, 2003
* Film Additional Music
* White Fang, Buena Vista, 1991
* Mystery Man, MCA/Universal, 1999

Other Film Music Work

* Special music arranger and additional music improvisation, The Black Stallion, 1979
* Song writer ("Charge of the Berserkers"), Nightbreed (also known as Clive Barker's Nightbreed), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
* Traditional arranger, "Carol O' the Bells," Turbulence, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1997

Television Scores
Series
* Tucker's Witch, 1982
* Berrenger's, 1985
* The Flash, CBS, 1990
* Batman: The Animated Series (animated; also known as The Adventures of Batman and Robin), Fox, 1992
* Space: Above and Beyond, Fox, 1995
* Superman (animated; also known as Superman: The Animated Series), The WB, 1996
* Spawn (animated; also known as Todd McFarlane's Spawn), HBO, 1997
* The New Batman/Superman Adventures (animated), The WB, 1997
* Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 1999-2001
* The Others, NBC, 2000
* Also scored the first season of Viper.

Television Additional Music
Series
* China Beach, ABC, 1988

Television Supervising Composer
Series
* Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 1999-2001
* The Zeta Project (animated), The WB, 2001

Television Themes
Series

* Superman, 1988
* The New Batman/Superman Adventures (animated), The WB, 1997

Television Main Title Music
Series

* Spawn (also known as Todd McFarlane's Spawn; animated), HBO, 1997

Television Scores
Movies
* The Flash, CBS, 1990
* Majority Rule, Lifetime, 1992
* Sexual Advances, ABC, 1992
* The Haunting of Seacliff Inn, USA Network, 1994
* The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, Starz!, 1995
* It Come from Outer Space II, Sci-Fi Channel, 1996
* The Crying Child, USA Network, 1996
* The Love Bug, ABC, 1997
* Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear, USA Network, 1998
* The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (also known as The Philadelphia Phenomenon), ABC, 1998
* Disappearance, TBS, 2002

Shirley Walker's IMDb listing: Shirley Walker