British film music composer Roy Budd was born in London on March 14, 1947; a child prodigy, he taught himself to play piano by ear, later mastering the Wurlitzer organ as well. Making his ~London Coliseum debut at the age of six, by 12 Budd was regularly appearing on television, also performing for the royal family at ~the London Palladium; as a teen he formed a jazz trio with bassist Pete Morgan and drummer Chris Karan, quitting school at 16 to play professionally. While in residence at the London club ~the Bull's Head, Budd was befriended by composer Jack Fishman, who helped him land a record contract with Pye Records; his debut single, 1965's "Birth of the Budd," was followed two years later by the full-length Pick Yourself Up!! This Is Roy Budd. In the wake of 1968's Roy Budd at Newport, he made his first foray into film composition with his soundtrack to 1970's #Soldier Blue; later that same year, Budd completed arguably his most celebrated score, for Mike Hodges' cult favorite #Get Carter. He remained one of the busiest composers in British film throughout the decade, scoring well over two dozen pictures including 1971's #Kidnapped, 1973's #The Stone Killer and 1978's #The Wild Geese; Budd also continued making solo recordings, in 1976 issuing Everything's Coming Up Roses: The Musical World of Stephen Sondheim. The hectic pace clearly took its toll, however, and shortly after completing a new symphonic score for the 1925 silent adaptation of #The Phantom of the Opera, Budd died suddenly on August 7, 1993 at the age of just 46.

~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi