Paul Buckmaster

He began learning the cello at the age of four and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music at age 21.

Buckmaster displayed professional mastery as a cellist. However, he soon started his career as an orchestral arranger on various hit songs, including David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (1969), and contributed orchestral collaborations on a number of early albums by Elton John (1969-72) and on The Rolling Stones' album Sticky Fingers (1971).

Buckmaster also helped Miles Davis with the preparation of On the Corner (1972). He wrote the arrangements for the studio sessions, in which he also participated, at Davis' request, by humming bass lines and rhythms to lead the musicians. The arrangements he wrote were often used as a starting point to be transformed until what was being played bore no resemblance to what he had written. This was in keeping with the Stockhausian approach that Buckmaster had been discussing with Davis in the weeks leading up to the session.

Buckmaster also played with Bowie and his band on the recordings for the original soundtrack to the science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which David Bowie starred as Thomas Jerome Newton. Buckmaster himself told in the book 60 Years of Bowie that he had played cello on the original soundtrack recordings. Also Carlos Alomar, J. Peter Robinson and others were involved. Buckmaster: "There were a couple of medium tempo rock instrumental pieces, with simple motifs and rifly kind of grooves, with a line-up of David's rhythm section (Carlos Alomar et al.) plus J Peter Robinson on Fender Rhodes and me on cello and some synth overdubs, using ARP Odyssey and Solina. There was also a piece I wrote and performed using some beautifully made mbiras (African thumb pianos) I had purchased earlier that year, plus cello, all done by multiple overdubbing." Later film-director Nicolas Roeg decided not to use the recordings but existing songs as soundtrack for the movie.

Buckmaster also wrote some instrumental tracks for the 1974 Harry Nilsson film Son of Dracula, and composed the original score for Terry Gilliam's science fiction hit 12 Monkeys (Universal, 1995), which starred Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt.

Buckmaster won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for Drops of Jupiter.

Selected discography

Year Artist Song Album Notes

2016 Max&Friends "Dove c'è amore"

"Arrivi Tu"

"Acqua"

"Sabato Sera"

"Una parte del tutto"

"Felice"

"Terra mia"

Max&Friends Co-composer

Arranger

2016 Idina Menzel "Extraordinary"

"Show Me"

"Everybody Knows"

"Small World"

"I Do"

"I See You"

"Like Lightning"

"Last Time" idina. Arranger

2016 Heart "I Jump"

"City's Burning"

"Sweet Darlin"

"Language of Love" Beautiful Broken Arranger

2015 The Tenors "I Remember You" Under One Sky Arranger

2014 Hunter Hayes "...interlude" Storyline Arranger/Conductor

2014 Ferras feat. Katy Perry "Legends Never Die" Ferras Arranger/Conductor

2013 Goo Goo Dolls "When The World Breaks Your Heart" Magnetic Arranger/Conductor

2012 Ben Folds Five "On Being Frank"

"Away When You Were Here" The Sound of the Life of the Mind Arranger/Conductor

2010 Taylor Swift "Back to December"

"Haunted" Speak Now Arranger/Conductor

2009 Mika "I See You" The Boy Who Knew Too Much Arranger/Conductor

2008 Guns N' Roses "Street of Dreams"

"There Was A Time"

"Madagascar"

"Prostitute" Chinese Democracy Arranger/Conductor

2007 The Bravery "The Ocean" The Sun and the Moon Arranger/Conductor

2007 Mika "Happy Ending" Life in Cartoon Motion Arranger/Conductor

2007 Katharine McPhee "Ordinary World" Katharine McPhee Arranger/Conductor

2007 Michael Bublé "Lost" Call Me Irresponsible Arranger/Conductor

2007 Mig Ayesa "Baby I Love Your Way"

"Kiss From a Rose"

"Who Wants to Live Forever"

"Can't Find My Home"

"Life on Mars"

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" Mig Arranger/Conductor

2006 Ben Folds "Still" Over the Hedge (Soundtrack) Arranger/Conductor

2006 New Found Glory "When I Die"

"Boulders" Coming Home Arranger/Conductor

2006 Kenny Rogers "Water & Bridges"

"One Life" Water & Bridges Arranger/Conductor

2006 Jesse McCartney "Invincible" Right Where You Want Me Arranger/Conductor

2006 Bianca Ryan "Awake" Bianca Ryan Arranger/Conductor

2005 Bon Jovi "Wildflower" Have a Nice Day Arranger/Conductor

2005 Carrie Underwood "Lessons Learned"

"Starts With Goodbye" Some Hearts Arranger/Conductor

2005 Faith Hill "Paris" Fireflies Arranger/Conductor

2005 Ben Folds "Landed" Songs for Silverman Arranger/Conductor

2005 The Wallflowers "Beautiful Side of Somewhere" Rebel, Sweetheart Arranger/Conductor

2005 The Darkness "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time"

"Girlfriend"

"Blind Man" One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back Arranger/Conductor

2005 Nerina Pallot "Geek Love"

"Idaho" Fires Arranger/Conductor

2004 Keith Urban "Tonight I Wanna Cry"

"She's Gotta Be" Be Here Arranger/Conductor

2004 Tears for Fears "Secret World" Everybody Loves a Happy Ending Arranger/Conductor

2004 Third Day "Wire"

"It's a Shame" Wire Arranger/Conductor

2003 Train "Lincoln Avenue"

"Your Every Color" My Private Nation Arranger/Conductor

2003 The Thorns "No Blue Sky" The Thorns Arranger/Conductor

2003 Something Corporate "The Runaway"

"Me and the Moon" North Arranger/Conductor/Performer

2003 Beth Hart "I'll Stay With You" Leave the Light On Arranger/Conductor

2003 Luis Miguel "Nos Hizo Falta Tiempo" 33 Arranger/Conductor

2003 Live "Run Away" Birds of Pray Arranger/Conductor

2003 Wilshire "In Your Arms"

"Tonight" New Universe Arranger/Conductor

2002 Faith Hill "You're Still Here"

"Safest Place to Hide" Cry Arranger/Conductor

2002 Tim McGraw "She's My Kind of Rain" Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors Arranger/Conductor

2002 Something Corporate "Punk Rock Princess"

"The Astronaut"

"Cavanaugh Park"

"Not What It Seems"

"Globes And Maps" Leaving Through the Window Arranger/Conductor

2001 Train "Drops of Jupiter" Drops of Jupiter Arranger/Conductor

2002 Grammy Winner

Arrangement of the Year

2001 Elton John "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore"

"Original Sin"

"Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes"

"Mansfield"

"Emperor's New Clothes" Songs from the West Coast Arranger/Conductor

2000 No Doubt "Too Late (Reprise)" (Hidden instrumental track) Return of Saturn Arranger/Conductor

1999 Julio Iglesias Jr Under My Eyes Arranger/Conductor

1999 Tal Bachman "Beside You"

"You're My Everything" Tal Bachman Arranger/Conductor

1999 Lara Fabian "Sola Otra Vez" Lara Fabian Arranger

1998 Des'ree "Time" Supernatural Arranger/Conductor

1997 Collective Soul "She Said" Scream 2 Soundtrack Arranger/Conductor/Co-composer

1996 Counting Crows "Daylight Fading"

"I'm Not Sleeping"

"Another Horsedreamer's Blues" Recovering the Satellites Arranger/Conductor

1996 Celine Dion "Falling into You" Falling into You Arranger/Conductor

1995 Elton John "Believe"

"Belfast"

"House"

"Cold" Made in England Composer/Arranger/Conductor

1993 Dwight Yoakam "Ain't That Lonely Yet"

"Try Not to Look So Pretty" This Time Arranger/Conductor

1994 Grammy Winner

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

1992 Lionel Richie "My Destiny"

"Love, Oh Love" Back to Front Arranger/Conductor

1991 Kenny Loggins "Cody's Song"

"Too Early for the Sun" Leap of Faith Arranger/Conductor

1991 Lloyd Cole Don't Get Weird on Me Babe Arranger/Conductor

1985 Mick Jagger "Hard Woman" She's the Boss Arranger/Conductor

1983 Nick Heyward North of a Miracle Arranger

1983 Stevie Nicks "Beauty and the Beast" The Wild Heart Arranger/Conductor

1978 Elton John A Single Man Arranger/Conductor

1977 Grateful Dead Terrapin Station Arranger/Conductor entire Side Two of Album

1976 Elton John Blue Moves Arranger/Conductor

1975 Thijs van Leer O My Love Arranger/Conductor

1974 Miles Davis "Ife" Big Fun Arranger/Conductor

1974 Carly Simon "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" Hotcakes Arranger/Conductor

1973 Elton John "Have Mercy on the Criminal"

"Blues for My Baby and Me" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Arranger/Conductor

1973 Shawn Phillips "Lady of the Blue Rose" Bright White Arranger/Conductor

1973 Blood, Sweat & Tears No Sweat Arranger/Conductor

1972 Miles Davis On the Corner Arranger/Conductor

1972 Carly Simon "You're So Vain" No Secrets Arranger/Conductor

1971 Elton John "Tiny Dancer"

"Levon" Madman Across the Water Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album)

1971 Rolling Stones "Moonlight Mile"

"Sway" Sticky Fingers Arranger/Conductor

1971 Leonard Cohen Songs of Love and Hate Arranger/Conductor

1971 Harry Nilsson "Without You" Nilsson Schmilsson Arranger/Conductor

1971 Elton John

"Variations on "Friends" Theme"

"Variations on Michelle's Song"

"I Mean To Do My Work Today"

"Four Moods"

Friends Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album)

1970 Elton John Tumbleweed Connection Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album)

1970 Elton John "Your Song"

"Border Song"

"The Greatest Discovery" (cello Intro) Elton John Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album)

1970 Shawn Phillips "F Sharp Splendor" (instrumental) Second Contribution Arranger/Musical Director/Keyboards (Full Album)

1970 Mick Farren "Mona, The Whole Trip" Mona – The Carnivorous Circus Solo cello

1969 David Bowie "Space Oddity"

"Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" Space Oddity Arranger/Cellist/Conductor

1969 The Bee Gees - Odessa - cello