Galt MacDermot (1928-2018)

Vijf jaar geleden is de Canadese componist Galt MacDermot overleden. Hij zou een dag later negentig jaar geworden zijn, maar hij heeft het dus net niet gehaald. Hij is eigenlijk maar bekend van één compositie, maar wat voor één: de rockmusical “Hair”!

MacDermot was born in Montreal and was educated at Upper Canada College and Bishop’s University (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada). He received a Bachelor of Music from Cape Town University, South Africa and made a study of African music his specialty. He also studied the piano privately with Neil Chotem.
MacDermot won his first Grammy Award for the Cannonball Adderley recording of his song “African Waltz” (the title track of the album of the same name) in 1960.
MacDermot moved to New York City in 1964 where, three years later, he wrote the music for the hit musical “Hair”. The title song, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” and “Good Morning Starshine”, all three of which were number one hits in 1969.
His next musicals were “Isabel’s a Jezebel” (1970) and “Who the Murderer Was” (1970), which featured British progressive rock band Curved Air [with drummer Stewart Copeland, later a member of The Police]
MacDermot had more success with Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona” (1971), which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. His later musicals, however, including “Dude” and “Via Galactica” (both 1973) and “The Human Comedy” (1984), were not successful on Broadway.
MacDermot’s film soundtracks include “Cotton Comes to Harlem”, a 1970 blaxploitation film, based on Chester Himes’ novel of the same name; “Rhinoceros” (1974) starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, and directed by original Broadway Hair director Tom O’Horgan; and “Mistress” (1992).
In 1979, MacDermot formed the New Pulse Band, which performed and recorded his original music. MacDermot’s oeuvre also includes ballet scores, chamber music, the Anglican liturgy, orchestral music, poetry, incidental music for plays, band repertory and opera. [Wikipedia]