James Compton (musician)

James Compton (born 1 December 1959 in North Tawton, Devon, England) is a British musician, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and actor.

Biography

Compton moved to London in 1980 and joined his first professional band, Darts, on his 21st birthday. Three years later the entire band was cast in Yakety Yak, a musical featuring the songs of Leiber and Stoller. The band split in 1986. Later that year he joined Microdisney, an Irish indie band, going on to contribute to three singles and five albums.

Throughout his career, Compton has produced six albums and co-produced ten singles.

In 1990 he returned to the stage and went on to become musical supervisor of sixteen more musicals, eight of which had successful West End runs. Compton was responsible for all the music and soundscapes in Morecambe (a tribute to the British comedian Eric Morecambe) which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for its run at the Duchess Theatre in 2009. More recently he participated in an off-Broadway run of The City Club, a blues and boogie-woogie musical that he composed with Tony De Meur and Tim Brown. Compton also worked as composer on six motion pictures (including Dark Streets which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song), numerous television productions and various electronic media. Michael Caine is to be seen line dancing to Compton's guitar and piano work in the 2013 motion picture Mr. Morgan's Last Love.[1]

In 2005 he started studying for a master's degree in Electronic Arts at Middlesex University, specialising in interactive audio in computer games.

He is now working as a consultant for multimedia applications, websites and games, working to enhance narrative with sound and music.

Discography
Straight Eight1981AlbumStraight to the Heart
Darts1981SingleJump, Children, Jumpco-producer
Darts1981SingleShow us your Shoeco-producer
Darts1981AlbumDoo Wop Darts
Darts1981AlbumDarts – Across America
Darts1983SingleThe Mystery of Ragoulaco-producer
Darts1983EPYakety Yakco-producer
Darts1983SingleLorraineco-producer
Darts1983SingleCan't Teach a Foolco-producer
Darts1984SingleGroovin'co-producer
Darts1984SingleBlow Away (co-written)co-producer
Alison Moyet1984B-sideHitch Hikeco-producer
Microdisney1987SingleTown to Town[2]
Microdisney1987SingleSinger's Hampstead Home
Microdisney1988SingleGale Force Wind[3]
Microdisney1987AlbumCrooked Mile
Microdisney1988Album39 Minutes
Microdisney1995AlbumBig Sleeping House
Microdisney1999AlbumThe Peel Sessions Album
Microdisney2007AlbumDaunt Square to Elsewhere
The Railway Children1988AlbumRecurrence
Microgroove1989AlbumThe Human Groove[4]producer
Cast Album1992AlbumGood Rockin' Tonite!
Cast Album1998AlbumSaucy Jack & the Space Vixensco-producer
Hank Wangford1999AlbumWake Up Dead
Various2000AlbumMother and Baby Relaxproducer
Peggy Seeger2001AlbumLove Will Linger On
Darrel Higham2004AlbumThe Cochran Collection Vol.2
J Evans Band2005AlbumIn the Wild Yearsproducer
Soundtrack2006AlbumO Jerusalemsongwriter
Soundtrack2008AlbumDark Streetssongwriter
Paul Ansell's Number 92011AlbumMoney and Lies
Paul Ansell's Number 92013AlbumA Date with Paul Ansell's No. 9
Cast Album2013AlbumSaucy Jack & the Space Vixens 2producer

Theatre
1983Yakety Yak[5]musical director, actor, multi instrumentalistWest End, Astoria Theatre and international tour
1990Beehive; The Sixties Musicalmusical supervisor, instrumentalistNewcastle, Northern Stage
1991Good Rockin' Tonite!musical director, actor, multi instrumentalistWest End, Prince of Wales
1992Leader of the Packmusical supervisor and arrangerWest End, Duke of Yorks
1993Forever Plaidmusical director, instrumentalistWest End, Apollo Theatre
1994The Queen and I[6]musical supervisorRoyal Court & Vaudeville Theatre
1995The Man of Modemusical supervisor, composerTour
1995Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoatmusical supervisor and arrangerLyric Theatre, Belfast
1996Elvis: The Musicalmusical director, actor, multi instrumentalistWest End, Prince of Wales
1997Saucy Jack & the Space Vixens[7]musical director, composer, instrumentalistWest End, Queens Theatre and tour
1998Four Steps to Heavenmusical director, multi instrumentalistWest End, Piccadilly Theatre and tour
2001Puppetry of the Penismusical supervisor, composerWest End, Whitehall Theatre
2001–2004Saucy Jack & the Space Vixens[7]musical supervisor, composerSaucy Jack's Bar, London
2006The City Club[8][9]musical supervisor, actor, instrumentalistEdinburgh Festival
2009Morecambe[10]musical supervisor, composer and sound designerWest End, Duchess Theatre and tour
2011Stop Dreamin'musical supervisor, instrumentalistTheatre Royal Windsor and tour
2012The City Clubmusical supervisor, composerMinetta Lane Theatre, Manhattan

TV and multimedia
1983Camel cinema advertco-producer
1984Rubik's Cube videocomposer and producer
1989Comic Asidesarranger and actorBBC 2
1997The Jack Docherty Showperformer and composerChannel 5
1998Back to the Futurecomposer and producer of title musicITV
2000Trigger Happy TVmusician on soundtrackChannel 4
2001The Tweenies Gamecomposer for multimedia gameSonica
2002The Magic Drumcomposer for multimedia gameSonica
2003Maestromediaservicescreator of audio content for sound library
2002Guildband.comaudio content creatorwebsite
2004Gunfightaudio content creator for animationShagrat.net[11]
2004Flight to Cancunaudio content creator for animationStudent Universehttp://www.shagrat.net/[12]
2005Electronic Artsstart master's degree in interactive audioMiddlesex University
2007–2009Top Rockerscreate backing tracks and sound design for animatronic rock and roll puppet showsThorpe Park
2010Plunderlandsound designer and composer for game appJohnnyTwoShoes[13]

Film
2004Film as Subversive Art[14]music editor and arrangerSticking Place Films
2006O Jerusalem[15]songwriterSamuel Goldwyn Films
2008Dark Streetslead composer for film-noire musicalSamuel Goldwyn Films
2009The TournamentsongwriterAV Pictures
2009The MinisterssongwriterAllumbra Pictures
2010Lullaby for PiarrangerRezo Films
2013Mr Morgan's Last Lovemusician on soundtrackImage Entertainment

References
  1. "Ausschnitt aus Mr Morgans Last Love: Tanzschule | TrailerSeite FILM.TV". Trailerseite.de. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  2. "Microdisney - Town To Town". YouTube. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  3. "Microdisney Gale Force Wind". YouTube. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  4. "Microgroove - The Human Groove (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  5. monyc8. "Darts & The McGanns - Yakety Yak Live Show 1983 - Neighbourhood". YouTube. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  6. "Production of The Queen & I". Theatricalia.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  7. "SJSV - Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens - The Official Site". Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  8. The City Club - Off-Broadway. "Broadway Buzz | The City Club - Off-Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  9. "Theater Online". Theater Online. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  10. Culture Critics (15 December 2009). "Morecambe at the Duchess Theatre, review". Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  11. "Creative warrior". Shagrat.net. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  12. "Creative warrior". Shagrat.net. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  13. "JohnnyTwoShoes — Plunderland iPhone". Johnnytwoshoes.com. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  14. "Film as Subversive Art". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  15. "O Jerusalem". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
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