Ron Goodwin

Early life Goodwin was born in Plymouth to James Goodwin (died 1952), a policeman with the Metropolitan Police Force and Bessie Violet Goodwin née Godsland (died 1966), a clothing machinist and daughter of a labourer. James was originally from London, but had moved to Devon after being assigned to the Metropolitan Police's No. 3 (Devonport Dockyard) Division, marrying Bessie in her birthplace of Devonport in 1920. Goodwin learned to play the piano by the age of five and returned to London four years later, where he attended Willesden County Grammar School. Whilst there, he learnt to play the trumpet and performed regularly in the school band. It was here that he formed his own band – Ron Goodwin and the Woodchoppers. and began to broadcast and make records with his Ron Goodwin Concert Orchestra. In 1953, Goodwin began arranging and conducting more than 300 recordings for over fifty performers, which resulted in more than 100 chart successes. He simultaneously made his own series of recordings and broadcasts as Ron Goodwin and his Concert Orchestra, and, in addition, began to compose scores for documentary films at Merton Park Studios. In 1958, Goodwin wrote his first feature film score for Whirlpool, with screenplay by Lawrence P. Bachmann. A 30-second variation of his 1969 composition for the film Monte Carlo or Bust is used as the intro for the BBC Radio Four panel game ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. Goodwin wrote several Disney film scores during the 1970s, including the one used for One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975). Later career By 1987, Goodwin had begun concentrating on live orchestrations which included his "Drake 400 Suite" in 1980 and "Armada Suite" in 1988. His "New Zealand Suite" in 1983 marked a long association with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Goodwin appeared as guest conductor with many symphony orchestras at home and abroad including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Australian Pops Orchestra, Danish Radio Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Goodwin was guest conductor at the Royal Academy of Music's Festival of British and American Film Music in June 1996. Awards In 1972, Goodwin recorded Somebody Named Ron Goodwin Plays Somebody Named Burt Bacharach and recorded internationally, winning gold and platinum discs awarded by EMI. He won a platinum disc from EMI New Zealand to mark two million sales of the album "Going Places". During his career he won three Ivor Novello Awards, including a lifetime achievement award, and was a Fellow of the City of Leeds College of Music and a Freeman of the City of London. Goodwin was nominated for the Golden Globe award for best original score for the movie Frenzy (1972). ==Personal life==

Goodwin was married twice and had a son, Chris, from his first marriage. Ron Shillingford, Goodwin's personal assistant for over twenty years, said of him: "Ron was a musical perfectionist who had a fine rapport with his fellow artists. He was a kind, caring man, with a wonderful sense of humour." Goodwin was enthusiastic about working with young people and was heavily involved with the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra, Worthing Youth Orchestra, City of Leeds College of Music and the City of Birmingham Schools' Concert Orchestra. The road in which Goodwin lived with his family in Plymouth has since been renamed Goodwin Crescent in his memory. Death In December 2002, Goodwin completed his 32nd consecutive year of Christmas concerts in packed venues across the South of England. However, he had suffered from asthma for many years and the condition had worsened with age. On 7 January 2003, having completed conducting a series of Christmas concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, he returned home and died in his sleep at Blacknest Cottage, Brimpton Common, Hampshire, on 8 January 2003, aged 77. ==Selected filmography==

• Man with a Gun (1958) • ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959) • Whirlpool (1959) • The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) • Village of the Damned (1960) • Murder She Said (1961) • Partners in Crime (1961) • Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) • Johnny Nobody (1961) • Invasion Quartet (1961) • Village of Daughters (1961) • I Thank a Fool (1962) • Kill or Cure (1962) • ''Postman's Knock'' (1962) • The Day of the Triffids (1962) • Lancelot and Guinevere (1963) • Follow the Boys (1963) • Murder at the Gallop (1963) • Ladies Who Do (1963) • Children of the Damned (1964) • Murder Most Foul (1964) • Murder Ahoy (1964) • Of Human Bondage (1964) • 633 Squadron (1964) • Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) • The Alphabet Murders (1965) • The Early Bird (1965) • Operation Crossbow (1965) • The Trap (1966) • That Riviera Touch (1966) • Mister Ten Per Cent (1968) • The Magnificent Two (1967) • Submarine X-1 (1968) • Where Eagles Dare (1968) • Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher (1968) • Monte Carlo or Bust (1969) • Battle of Britain (1969) • The Executioner (1970) • The Selfish Giant (1971) • Frenzy (1972) • Gawain and the Green Knight (1973) • The Happy Prince (1974) • Diamonds on Wheels (1974) • Deadly Strangers (1974) • One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975) • Spanish Fly (1975) • Escape from the Dark (1976) • Beauty and the Beast (1976) • Born to Run (1977) • Candleshoe (1977) • Force 10 from Navarone (1978) • The Spaceman and King Arthur (1979) • Clash of Loyalties (1983) • Valhalla (1986) ==Sources==