Born in 1951, James Newton Howard's youth was rooted in the study of classical music. With a
grandmother who performed the violin with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Howard began lessons on the
piano that would eventually culminate in a classical education at Santa Barbara's Music Academy
of the West (with Reginald Stewart and Leon Fleischer) and at the USC School of Music. Though
always fond of orchestral strings, Howard was drawn into the world of pop rock during the 1960's
and 1970's. After performing keyboards with the Southern California band "Mama Lion" in the early
70's, Howard produced a few solo albums featuring the advancing technologies of Yamaha keyboards.
It was during that time that Howard made a living as a session keyboard artist, often programming
synthesizers for the likes of Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, and others.
Seeking a lucrative career with his talents, Howard expanded his name for publicity purposes to
include the full James Newton Howard, partly because it sounded more distinguished and partly
because there was already a James Howard in the industry (which causes problems when registering
with a professional guild). In the mid-1970's, Howard was contacted by Elton John, and he soon
became John's regular keyboardist. The collaboration included album performances through 1981,
and eventually included a tour with John in 1986. While on tour, Howard began experimenting with
other career avenues. He produced recordings for Cher and Valerie Carter, which led to similar
deals with everyone from Barbara Streisand to Randy Newman. Howard had the opportunity to
orchestrate and conduct Elton John's live performance in Australia. He became acquinted with the
popular rock band Toto, fresh off of their cult score for
Dune, and Howard's music is
performed by Toto members to this day. His knack for superior string arrangements led to recordings
for which he orchestrated and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.
It was then, in the mid-1980's, that Howard stumbled upon film scoring. His first score was for
Head Office in 1986, and while the films he composed for over the next five years were
extremely forgettable, Howard's name was beginning to filter to very well known Hollywood
directors. His career skyrocketed in 1991, when he was nominated for an Academy Award for
The
Prince of Tides and also successfully scored
Man in the Moon and
Grand Canyon.
He expanded his work to television, scoring many popular themes. His Emmy nominated theme for
E.R. in 1994 has since given him a comfortable financial situation, earning him royalties
for each episode. He has won and been nominated for other Emmys and Grammys, and has received
Academy Award nominations for
The Fugitive,
My Best Friend's Wedding, and
The
Village as well as several songs. Howard's ongoing collaborations feature well-chronicled
admiration from directors Ivan Reitman, Kevin Costner, and Lawrence Kasdan. He remains one of the
versatile composers in Hollywood today, collaborating with Hans Zimmer in the 2000's to popular
results. Residing in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two sons, Howard is a proud dog owner.
James Newton Howard in the late 1990's
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