Rick Rhodes (July 28, 1951 – November 2, 2005) was an American musician and television composer. His music for TV shows including Santa Barbara, Another World and Guiding Light won a total of five Emmy Award. In 2005, he died of brain cancer at the age of 54.

Life

Born in Los Angeles on July 28, 1951, Rhodes learned to play the trombone and the piano during his teen years. As an adult, he toured the U.S. with his band, Wonder, but eventually settled with a television career in composing. He married screenwriter, novelist and lyricist Vivian Rhodes in 1982; they had two children, a son and a daughter. Rick and Vivian, together, produced two songs, "Let's Be Lovers Again" and "Fasten Your Seat Belts", which both received Emmy Award nominations. They also co-wrote the musical Ug; which was performed in California and off-Broadway in 2004. Rhodes' songs have been recorded by many musicians, including Patti Austin, Diane Schuur, Tom Scott, Bill Champlin, and Joey Scarbury. Rhodes was partners with actor Lane Davies, with whom he produced many productions for The Santa Susanna Repertory Company. Rhodes is perhaps best remembered for co-founding, with Davies, The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival in Thousand Oaks, California. He was also the founder of The Performing Arts Department at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, California. During his career, Rhodes won six Emmy awards for his work on Santa Barbara, Guiding Light, and Another World. Rhodes was most famous for his work on the 1996 children's CD-ROM game, Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside, notably his piece in the dancing furniture scene with a disco-esque song that goes "Dyuewwwww" in four-bar increments. This musical enigma has perplexed many music theorists over the course of 14 years and it would appear that Rhodes took the answer to the grave with him. Rhodes had planned to release another in the summer of 2004, but was unable to because of a malignant brain tumor he had removed on September 5, 2003. Rhodes died on November 2, 2005, of brain tumor, at age 54. He was survived by his wife and children, his mother, and his sister. His memorial service was held on Nov. 19th, at The Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

Filmography

Composing

Soundtrack

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Award: