Tew got his start in the 1950s as the pianist and arranger for the Len Turner Band. During his career, Tew released a number of orchestral albums, including
This Is My Scene (1967), recorded in
Phase 4 Stereo, and
The Magnificent Westerns (1969), on
CBS Records. Tew also led his own orchestra, the Alan Tew Orchestra, in the 1970s. These include
Doctor in the House (titled "Bond Street Parade") and
...And Mother Makes Three. Some of his library music was used as the score for the 1970s series
The Hanged Man and was released as the LPs
Drama Suite Part I and
Drama Suite Part II. "The Big One" would also be used in the "Gold Plated Delinquents" episode of the British detective show
Van der Valk (1977), as well as the erotic films
Barbara Broadcast (1977),
The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue (1980), and
Malibu High (1979). Some of Tew's funk-influenced work was included in the score for the 2009 film
Black Dynamite and was subsequently sampled by various
hip-hop artists, including
Jay-Z,
Snoop Dogg and
Ice Cube. ==References==