Ian Freeburn-Smith, the Grammy-winning composer who arranged “Evergreen” from A Star Is Born, died on October 7 in Folsom, California. He was 93 years old.
A composer, vocalist, and arranger, he was widely known for his work that shaped many of Hollywood’s most famous film and television soundtracks.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he composed music for television shows such as “Airwolf,” “Fame,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Magnum, P.I.” and “Seven Brides,” collaborating with songwriter Jimmy Webb on the latter’s theme song.
The Seattle native moved to Los Angeles in 1934 and began his career as a group singer with The Singers, Incorporated, with fellow vocalists Perry Botkin Jr., Sue Allen, Jimmy Bryant, and George Tipton.
In 1977, he won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for his vocal accompaniment to Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen.”
His credits also include scores for several television films, including “The Curious Case Of The Campus Corpse” (1977), “Deadly Lessons” (1983), and “Three on a Match.” Freeburn-Smith’s voice can be heard on numerous film and television soundtracks, including the theme songs for the Batman, Flipper, and Gilligan’s Island television series.
He also wrote the bass sections for the film scores for Peter Pan (2003), The Matrix Revolutions, and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).
The arranger provided the voice for the main title song of Robert Altman’s film M*A*S*H, starring Ron Hicklin’s singers, Johnny Mandel’s Suicide is Painless, and several records by the Impulse Records singing group California Dreamers.
He also provided the singing voice for Ray Walston in the Billy Wilder comedy Kiss Me Stupid, starring Dean Martin.
Freeburn-Smith also enjoyed a long radio career, broadcasting primarily classical music on Los Angeles radio stations KFAC, KKGO, KGIL, and KCSN. He was a daytime personality on KCSN until 2009.
Freeburn-Smith’s work has also collaborated on dozens of commercial jingles for Chevron, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, Dubonnet Wines, Pacific Bell, and more. His “California Sound” is credited with contributing to a significant increase in commercial production in Los Angeles.
Additionally, the composer’s arrangements include charts for Andy Williams, Streisand, Stephen Bishop, Jeff Beck, Lou Rawls, Van Dyke Parks, John Kremer, Anthony Newley, Randy Crawford, folk artists Emmitt Rose and Phil Ochs, rock band The Ventures, and Lee Hazlewood.
Freeburn-Smith is survived by her brother Rod and four daughters, Leslie, Alison, Jennifer and Vanessa, three of whom are musicians, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
