It was announced on Tuesday November 7th that noted British arranger, Paul Buckmaster, has died of an undisclosed illness. He was 71.
Buckmaster, a classically-trained cellist from London, rose to fame scoring the orchestral parts for David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ in 1969 and also worked with Elton John on some of the singer/songwriter’s early albums, including ‘Elton John’ and ‘Madman Across The Water.’ His brooding string arrangements graced the recordings of many major rock and pop artists – ranging from the Rolling Stones, Mott The Hoople, and The Grateful Dead to Leonard Cohen, Carly Simon (‘You’re So Vain’), Stevie Nicks, and Harry Nilsson.
A versatile arranger, Buckmaster also famously collaborated with jazz magus, Miles Davis, on the trumpeter’s controversial 1972 album, ‘On The Corner.’ The arranger also worked with a raft of soul and jazz acts, including The Real Thing, The Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, Rodney Franklin, Lionel Richie, Des’ree, Michael Buble, Jamie Cullum, and Tony Braxton.
PAUL BUCKMASTER 1946-2017
