Disney composer Baker dies at 84
LOS ANGELES -ml- Norman Baker, who composed scores for about 200 Disney films, television shows and amusement park attractions, has died. He was 84.
Baker died Friday of natural causes at his home in the San Fernando Valley. Among Baker's contributions were the songs for the frontier television series "Davy Crockett," "The Mickey Mouse Club" and the original animated "Winnie the Pooh" films.
He also wrote scores for Disney's amusement parks, including international themes of Epcot at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and music from "The Haunted Mansion" at Disneyland.
He was born and raised in Illinois where he learned to read music before words and formed his own band as a teenager. He earned a doctorate in music at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and moved to Los Angeles in 1938.
Baker started at Disney when a former student of his at Los Angeles City College asked if he was interested in working at Walt Disney Studio. What followed was a career that spanned more than nearly 30 years and provided the entertainment giant with some of its more recognizable songs.
Baker was nominated for an Academy Award for his score on the 1972 Disney film "Napoleon and Samantha," starring Jodie Foster and Michael Douglas. He also was nominated for Grammys for his work on an album of songs from television's "The Electric Company" in 1973 and for "America Sings" featuring Burl Ives in 1974.
In 1999, Baker earned the ASCAP Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on nearly 50 movies and 140 television programs. The composer also earned four Southern California Motion Picture Council awards and the National Film Advisory Board award.
Baker left Disney in 1983 but continued to collaborate with his former employer. He was born and raised in Illinois where he learned to read music before words and formed his own band as a teenager. He earned a doctorate in music at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and moved to Los Angeles in 1938.
Baker is survived by his wife of 26 years, Charlotte; a daughter, Catherine Baker of Lake Tahoe, Nev.; a sister, Noreene Doss of Springfield, Ill.; a stepson, Scott Keene; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.