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which led to opportunities to compose as well as perform. Late in 1972 he founded WASP, a group specifically set up to record library music. Included were
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on keyboards, a role he continued until Sky's final live concerts in 1995. From 1991, he worked closely with the North German Radio (NDR) Big Band in
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in 2014 which is a 2003 live recording of Gray's music written for the group. Gray was the conductor and musical director for this release.
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and Johnny Howard. In the early 1960s playing in such bands was a recognized training path for becoming a session musician.
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in 1971. At the request of director (and fellow musician) James Kenelm Clarke he composed the score for the
British film
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Series of library music recordings. In the 1980s and into the 1990s Gray was a member of the instrumental rock band
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restrictions on library music sessions at this period by waiving their session fees and relying on payment through
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287:. Among his compositions is the song "Great Ovation", the opening fanfare of which was used on many tapes from
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From 1998 he worked as guest professor of composition and arrangement in the jazz institute of Berlin's
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74:. He moved to London in 1962 and began performing as a pianist in various groups, initially with the
34:. He was an active session musician and arranger in the 1970s, and a performer and composer for the
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in 1999. In 2004 the same orchestra performed a concert version of the musical
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He was also a respected composer of concert works. These include two operas (
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composition "The
Peacocks", retitled "A Timeless Place" from her own lyrics.
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Gray also composed production music for other labels, including
Amphonic and
62:. He joined the Middlesbrough Municipal Jazz Orchestra, at first playing the
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444:"Steve Gray - His modesty hid his extensive contribution to modern music"
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Gray was also involved in sessions for library and production music for
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138:. He was also a freelance arranger. He handled the arrangement for
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235:(KPM 1121). One of Gray's pieces, "Snowdrops and Raindrops" from
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in collaboration with the composer, which were performed by the
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and scored for four violas, percussion, piano and synthesizer.
291:. "Great Ovation" was also featured in the Bruton Music album
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Initial albums by WASP for KPM, all issued in 1973, included
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in 1970, which was a minor hit in
Portugal. He arranged for
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Guitar
Concerto (first movement) with soloist John Williams
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Gray died in
September 2008, survived by his wife Heather.
58:. At the age of 10, he began teaching himself to play the
392:(1988), and a Piano Concerto for the French jazz pianist
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Quintet, and then with various bands led by Harry Bence,
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Consortium - "Melanie Cries Alone", Trend TNT 52 (1970)
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546:, Tiptoe TIP-888 840, release date 24 February 2001
276:in 1976. It was recorded at the KPM Studios at 21
22:(18 April 1944 – 20 September 2008) was a British
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338:also composing and orchestrating the albums
289:Walt Disney Home Video and its subsidiaries
94:Under his own name Gray released the album
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585:Recorded on Sony Classical SK 68337 (1996)
319:at the invitation of singer and composer
416:, which was released on record in 2014.
327:Gray arranged Winstone's version of the
638:, James Clarke, with Steve Gray (piano)
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396:. He also orchestrated compositions by
16:British pianist, composer and arranger
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865:20th-century British male musicians
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598:, orchestrated by Steve Gray and
362:album with the NDR Band in 2001.
336:Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler
204:(bass guitar). WASP circumvented
481:Steve Gray & His Orchestra.
196:(drums), Clive Hicks (guitar),
830:20th-century English musicians
572:Requiem for Choir and Big Band
172:, 1976). He also arranged for
1:
574:, Skip Records SKP9045 (2014)
369:posthumously released the CD
850:English television composers
840:English film score composers
825:Musicians from Middlesbrough
611:'CD Review: The Singer', in
532:"A Timeless Place", Bandcamp
354:. Gray was the arranger on
295:which was released in 1984.
485:, Fontana, LPS 16269 (1969)
402:Holland Metropole Orchestra
66:but later switching to the
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452:, Friday October 31, 2008.
367:WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln
212:performance royalties and
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390:London Symphony Orchestra
875:Easy listening musicians
253:(KPM 1168), both 1975.
870:British music arrangers
245:, some of it issued on
225:Look on the Bright Side
855:English male composers
507:"Various - Televisual"
184:Library music and WASP
352:Berlin Jazz Orchestra
323:. On her 1995 album
216:mechanical rights.
596:The Shutov Assembly
382:Listen to the Earth
311:in 1981, replacing
148:The Walker Brothers
140:Melanie Cries Alone
104:James Kenelm Clarke
768:Sky 4: Forthcoming
560:CMO Jazz/WDR, 2014
513:. 3 September 1984
472:(2018), pp. 328-47
164:Olivia Newton John
835:British composers
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636:Girl on the Beach
384:, 1992, both for
347:You're Everything
260:'s score for the
50:Gray was born in
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231:(KPM 1120), and
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162:(1976), and for
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517:10 September
515:. Retrieved
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449:The Guardian
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410:Georgie Fame
408:by Gray and
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360:Ekapa Lodumo
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303:Gray joined
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299:Later career
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227:(KPM 1119),
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223:(KPM 1118),
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174:Petula Clark
169:Come on Over
167:
157:
151:
120:Quincy Jones
95:
93:
80:Eric Delaney
49:
46:Early career
19:
18:
820:2008 deaths
815:1944 births
785:Live albums
693:Tristan Fry
380:, 1989 and
242:The Sweeney
156:(1975) and
84:Mike Cotton
76:Phil Seamen
809:Categories
722:Steve Gray
707:Kevin Peek
558:Europhonia
423:References
406:The Singer
378:Koppelberg
371:Europhonia
293:Televisual
247:The Hunter
153:No Regrets
144:Consortium
100:John Barry
20:Steve Gray
726:Paul Hart
398:Brian Eno
386:W11 Opera
178:Tom Jones
124:Peggy Lee
72:Back Door
68:saxophone
350:for the
229:Daybreak
36:KPM 1000
32:arranger
28:composer
775:Cadmium
511:Discogs
317:Hamburg
267:Villain
150:albums
64:bassoon
56:England
24:pianist
341:Update
285:Bruton
273:Exposé
233:Fusion
761:Sky 3
754:Sky 2
307:band
264:film
251:Drama
159:Lines
60:piano
519:2016
365:The
214:MCPS
176:and
166:(on
134:and
30:and
747:Sky
674:Sky
358:'s
309:Sky
210:PRS
190:KPM
40:Sky
811::
509:.
457:^
446:,
431:^
180:.
130:,
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118:,
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106:,
102:,
82:,
54:,
26:,
666:e
659:t
652:v
521:.
343:,
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