Eric Rogers (composer)
| Eric Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eric Gaukroger |
| Also known as | Eric Gauk-Roger |
| Born | 25 September 1921 |
| Origin | England |
| Died | 8 April 1981 (aged 59) |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, arranger |
Eric Rogers (25 September 1921 – 8 April 1981) was an English composer, conductor and arranger, best known for composing the scores for twenty-two Carry On films.
Born Eric Gaukroger, Rogers moved with his parents from Halifax, England to Morriston, Wales when he was three. Rogers was interested in music from an early age, and during his attendance at church as a child, he was taught to play the church organ. His musical apprenticeship was generally untutored and he found himself playing the piano during the Second World War for free beer.
After the Second World War, he set up his own orchestra, playing in the Orchid Room at London's Trocadero. He orchestrated the original stage production of Oliver!, first performed at the New Theatre, London on 30 June 1960.
As his reputation grew, he was offered many conducting jobs for films. Most notably, he composed the music for 22 Carry On. He also conducted the music for the first James Bond film Dr. No under the name Eric Rodgers. He would later go on to compose many film scores himself, most notably Carry On Cabby in 1963, Carry On Matron in 1972 and a hoard of other Carry On films. His final Carry On score was for Carry On Emmanuelle in 1978.
Rogers emigrated to America in 1975, after working intermittently in England and America from 1970, and became in demand for composing various film and TV series. By this point he had struck up an alliance with DePatie and Freleng productions, who were at the time making a number of animated series for children, such as Return to the Planet of the Apes and What's New Mr. Magoo?. He worked for the company for four years, conducting scores for What's New Mr. Magoo? and Pink Panther in a Pink Christmas, and providing scores for Return to the Planet of the Apes and Spider-Woman (TV series), for which he composed and conducted the theme and all the incidental music. He also conducted Dean Elliott's score for The New Fantastic Four animated series in 1978. In 1981, he conducted the music for Dennis the Menace in Mayday for Mother.
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