Michael Boddicker

This article is about the film composer. For the Major League Baseball player, see Mike Boddicker.

Michael Lehmann Boddicker
Born	Michael J. Boddicker (1953-01-19) January 19, 1953 (age 71) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Education	Coe College, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa
Known for	Music composer, film composer, sessions musician
Style	Synthesizer, electronic musician
Spouses	Cassandra Lee Jensen ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1980)​ Edie Lehmann ​ (m. 1995)​

Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for "Imagination" from Flashdance in 1984.^[1] He is the president of The Lehmann Boddicker Group.^[2]

Michael Boddicker Modular System exhibited at Winter NAMM 2015^[3]

• Bode Vocoder 7702 (1979)
• Formula Sound Multiple Resonance Filter Array (1979)
• Moog System 55 modular (1976)
• Minimoog (1975)

Early life and education

Boddicker grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.^[4] His parents, Arlene Estelle (née Reyman) and Gerald "Jerry" Valentine Boddicker operated a music school and store in Cedar Rapids, which served students in all of Eastern Iowa.^[2][5][6] His mother was a nationally recognized accordionist.^[7][8]

While still attending Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids in 1971, Boddicker enrolled full-time at the local Coe College, studying electronic music.^[9][10] By 1972, he continued studies at Coe College, focused on music composition and he started taking jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin.^[9] By 1973, he enrolled in 20th-century composition at the University of Iowa.^[9] That same year in 1973, Michael purchased a powerful portable semi-modular synthesizer, the ARP 2600.^[9]

By 1974, Michael moved to Los Angeles and found Paul Beaver as a mentor.^[9]

Career

He was able to purchase a Minimoog and a Moog System 15 modular synthesizer by 1975.^[9] As a result of his purchase, he was asked by Bob Moog (the founder of Moog Music) to demonstrate their newest synthesizer, the Polymoog, at the 1975 summer NAMM Show.^[9]

He quickly found work as a session musician, and by 1977 appeared playing synthesizer, vocoder, accordion and keyboards on albums by many notables such as Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, The Manhattan Transfer and The Bee Gees.

One of Boddicker's earliest soundtrack collaborations of note was a score for a short experimental claymation film made by Gumby creator Art Clokey entitled "Mandala" (released in 1977). Soon after that he entered the mainstream with work on such films as Saturday Night Fever, Battlestar Galactica and The Wiz.

Boddicker is a Board Member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), of Beverly Hills, California.^[11] He owns an audio post production facility, Sol7 (aka Sol Seven), in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.^[11][12]

In 2019, he co-founded the Los Angeles synthesizer music festival, Synthplex.^[13][14]

Personal life

Boddicker was married to Cassandra Lee Jensen, from 1972 to 1980, ending in divorce.^[15][16] Boddicker officially changed his name to Michael Lehmann Boddicker when he married singer/conductor/actress Edie Lehmann on October 15, 1995 in Hollywood, California.^[17] He has four children, two of the children he had were with Edie Lehmann. They live in Southern California.

He sued Michael Jackson's estate in 2016, alleging that he was unpaid for work and services provided early in his professional relationship with Michael Jackson.^[1]

Awards

He was awarded a Grammy Award as a songwriter for "Imagination," from the movie Flashdance in 1984.^[1][18]

Boddicker was voted most valuable synthesizer player in 1981, 1982, 1984 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.^[18] In 1991, in recognition of his achievements, contributions and furtherance of electronic music in the recording industry, he was presented with an honorary doctorate of music from Coe College.^[19] In 2003, Boddicker was inducted to the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.^[7]

Film music

Among his film score credits as a composer are The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984),^[20][18] the score for The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986),^[21] and additional music for Bulletproof (1996),^[22] The Magic Egg: A Computer Odyssey (1984) an animated film,^[23] Get Crazy (1983),^[24] White Water Summer (1987),^[25] F/X2 (1991) with Lalo Schifrin,^[26] and Starfire (1992).^[27]

His contributions as a composer can also be heard in the film Battlestar Galactica (1978) which include the Battlestar Galactica theme song produced and arranged by Michael Boddicker.^[28] Freejack (1992), Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (music video), and "HIStory" (music video) video produced by and additional music underscore and "THE FLY" eleven cues to augment or replace the original score.

Artists that have recorded his songs and compositions include Lani Hall ("Go For The Heart"), Earth, Wind and Fire ("Opening Raise Tour"), Patti Austin ("Oh, No Margarita"), Michael Jackson ("Captain EO & HIStory Unveiling"), Isao Tomita's & YMO's Hideki Matsutake ("Automatic Collect", "Automatic Correct & Plan"), Kitaro ("The Silk Road"), Laura Branigan (Imagination) and David Hasselhoff.^{[citation needed]}

He also performed on soundtrack of the Horizons attraction Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park.^[29]

Performer

As a session musician he played synthesizer on, among others, Michael Jackson's This Is It, HIStory, Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall', Dangerous, Black or White, and We Are the World; Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove; Lionel Richie's Hello, You Are, Running with the Night; Dazz Band's Let It Whip; Randy Newman's The Natural and Short People; Kenny Loggins' Footloose; Cyndi Lauper's The Goonies 'R' Good Enough; Barbra Streisand's Somewhere; Cheap Trick's Surrender; The Jacksons' Shake Your Body; Pointer Sisters' He's So Shy; and Diana Ross's Missing You.^[30]

Select list, as performer

Year	Song	Album	Artist(s)	Performed	Notes
1976		I Heard That!!	Quincy Jones		[31]
1976	I'll Be Good to You		The Brothers Johnson
1977		Roots (1977 miniseries) soundtrack	Various	Synthesizer	With Quincy Jones, performed on keyboard.
1977		Little Criminals	Randy Newman		named as "Mike Boddicker"[32]
1977		Superman	Barbra Streisand		named as "Mike Boddicker"[33]
1978		Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!	Quincy Jones	Synthesizer	[34]
1978	Please Don't Keep Me Waiting	Totally Hot	Olivia Newton-John	Synthesizer
	Dancin' 'Round and 'Round
1979	Rock With You	Off the Wall[35]	Michael Jackson	Synthesizer	Synthesizers with Greg Phillinganes.
	Off The Wall
	I Can't Help It
1979		No One Home	Lalo Schifrin
1979	One Voice	One Voice[36]	Barry Manilow	Synthesizer
	(Why Don't We Try) A Slow Dance
	Rain
	Ships
	You Could Show Me
	I Don't Want To Walk Without You
	Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed
	Where Are They Now
	Bobbie Lee (What's The Difference, I Gotta Live)
	When I Wanted You
	Sunday Father
1979	It's Money That I Love	Born Again[37]	Randy Newman	Synthesizer
	The Story Of A Rock And Roll Band
	Pretty Boy
	Mr. Sheep
	Spies
	Half A Man
	William Brown
	Pants
1980		He Who Rides the Tiger	Bernie Taupin	Synthesizer, keyboards, programming	[38]
1981	Landslide	Physical	Olivia Newton-John	Synthesizer
	Stranger's Touch
	Falling
	Love Make Me Strong			Synthesizer, piano, vocoder
	Silvery Rain			Synthesizer
	Carried Away			PPG Wave 2
	The Promise (The Dolphin Song)
1982	Let It Whip		Dazz Band
1982	You Are	Lionel Richie	Lionel Richie
1982	Muscles		Diana Ross	Synthesizer
1982	Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'	Thriller[39]	Michael Jackson	Synthesizer, background vocals
	Baby Be Mine
	Billie Jean			Emulator
	Human Nature
	P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)			Emulator, vocoder
	The Lady in My Life			Emulator
	This Is It		Michael Jackson
1984		Chicago 17[18]	Chicago		[18]
1984	Missing You (Diana Ross song)		Diana Ross
1984	Penny Lover	Can't Slow Down[18]	Lionel Richie		[18]
	Running with the Night			Synthesizer, vocoder	[18]
	Stuck on You				[18]
1984		1100 Bel Air Place	Julio Iglesias	Keyboards	[40]
1985	We Are The World		USA For Africa, various	Synthesizer, programming	(Grammy Award Winner).[18]
1985	The Goonies 'R' Good Enough	Cyndi Lauper	Cyndi Lauper	Synthesizer
1985	Greatest Love Of All	Whitney Houston	Whitney Houston		[39]
1985	Somewhere	The Broadway Album	Barbra Streisand		(Grammy Award Winner)[39]
1986		Chicago 18	Chicago
1986	They Don't Make Them Like They Used To	Tough Guys (movie soundtrack)	Kenny Rogers
1986		Dancing on the Ceiling	Lionel Richie		(Grammy Award Winner)
1987		Bad	Michael Jackson		[39]
1989	Back on the Block	Back on the Block[35]	Quincy Jones	drum machine
	Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)			M1 pads, synth pads
	I'll Be Good to You			Synthesizer, programming
	The Places You Find Love
	Birdland
1991	Black Or White	Dangerous[41][39]	Michael Jackson
	Jam
	Heal the World
	Will You Be There
	Keep The Faith
	Gone Too Soon
1995	Earth Song (single)
1995		HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
1996	They Don't Care About Us

Music department for television

Select list, as music department for television

Year(s)	Television series	Performed	Notes
1982–1983	St. Elsewhere	Synthesizer	22 episodes
1982–1985	Knight Rider	Synthesizer	43 episodes
1984	Night Court	Synthesizer	13 episodes
1985–1986	Family Ties	Synthesizer	24 episodes
2001	Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (television special)	Keyboards	1 episode
2002–2003	Will & Grace	Synthesizer	24 episodes
2003	Boomtown	Synthesizer	6 episodes
2004–2005	The Simpsons	Synthesizer	21 episodes
2014–2015	Scandal	Synthesizer	22 episodes

References

1. "Grammy Award-Winning Composer Suing Michael Jackson's Estate". CBS News. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
2. "NAMM Oral History, Michael Boddicker". National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
3. "Bob Moog Foundation Modular Legacy at NAMM: in 2015, the Michael Boddicker modular synthesizer". Bob Moog Foundation. January 20, 2015.  (See also: Exhibition panel, Winter NAMM 2015 in photos, From Bob Moog to Michael Boddicker)
4. Michael Boddicker profile @iowarocknroll.com Retrieved 5-19-2011.
5. "Former music teacher Arlene Boddicker dies at 81". The Gazette. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
6. "Gerald Valentine Boddicker". The Cedar Rapid Gazette. Aug 6, 1998. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Michael Lehmann Boddicker". iowarocknroll. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
8. "A Legacy of Music For Retired Teacher". Newspapers.com. The Cedar Rapid Gazette. 21 October 2010. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
9. "Bob Moog Foundation Modular Legacy at NAMM: in 2015, the Michael Boddicker modular synthesizer". The Bob Moog Foundation. 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
10. "Around the town". Newspapers.com. The Cedar Rapid Gazette. 31 August 1980. p. 72. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
11. "The Sounds Of Analog Synthesizers with Michael Lehmann Boddicker". The Society of Composers and Lyricists. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
12. "Artist Profile: Michael Boddicker". Intel Corporation. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
13. Hernandez, Marilyn (27 February 2019). "Synthplex, L.A.'s First Synthesizer Festival, to Debut in March". EDM.com - Electronic Dance Music News. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
14. Halperin, Shirley (2019-04-19). "Synthplex Conference Draws 2,500 Electronic Music Enthusiasts to Burbank". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
15. "Miss Jensen to Wed M. J. Boddicker". Newspapers.com. The Gazette. 18 June 1972. p. 47. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
16. "Michael J Boddicker in the California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984". Ancestry.com. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, State of California.
17. "Lehmann–Boddicker". Newspapers.com. The Cedar Rapid Gazette. 22 October 1995. p. 103. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
18. Rexroat, Dee Ann (27 February 1985). "C.R. Native Doesn't Win A Grammy This Year But Has Role In Two Others". Newspapers.com. The Cedar Rapid Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
19. Winter Courier 2004 Archived 2008-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, p. 22, PDF. Coe College. Retrieved on 9 March 2008.
20. "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
21. Holden, Stephen (1989-08-25). "Review/Film; Cat and Dog Are Friends In a Tale of Real Animals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
22. "Bulletproof". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
23. "The Magic Egg: A Computer Odyssey". Encyclotronic. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
24. Maslin, Janet (1983-10-14). "'Get Crazy,' Rock". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
25. "White Water Summer". www.nndb.com. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
26. "F/X2". Variety. 1991-01-01. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
27. "Starfire". collection.tiff.net. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
28. "Theme From "Battlestar Galactica" (Long Disco Version)". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
29. ""EPCOT Center: A Profile". Walt Disney Company. 1982. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
30. A complete discography is available at Discogs - Michael Boddicker.
31. "Quincy Jones - I Heard That!!". Discogs. 1976. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
32. "Randy Newman - Little Criminals". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
33. "Barbra Streisand - Streisand Superman". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
34. "Sounds...And Stuff Like That!! - Quincy Jones | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
35. Mayes, Alison (January 11, 1990). "Keyboard Wiz Aims For The Top". Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada) – via Newspapers.com.
36. "Barry Manilow – One Voice". Discogs. 1979.
37. "Randy Newman, Born Again, (1979, Vinyl)". Discog. 1979.
38. "Records, Pop/Rock". Logansport Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, Indiana). February 8, 1994. Retrieved 2021-03-25 – via Newspapers.com.
39. "Artisans - Michael Boddicker". Spectrasonics. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
40. "1984 Julio Iglesias - 1100 Bel Air Place". sessiondays.com. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
41. Shaw, Ted (November 23, 1991). "Pop: Dangerous by Michael Jackson". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada).

External links

• Michael Boddicker at IMDb
• Michael Boddicker discography at Discogs
• Intel Artist Profile
• Michael Boddicker Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2013)