Percussionist Emil Richards, famed 'Timekeeper of Tinseltown' and soundtrack specialist, dies at 87
Tributes have been pouring in after the news emerged yesterday that the legendary percussionist, vibraphone specialist and sessions musician Emil Richards passed away at the age of 87.
Known as the 'Timekeeper of Tinseltown,' the beloved soundtrack specialist had worked on over 2,000 movie and TV show soundtracks, including 'The Addams Family', 'The Flintstones', 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Mission: Impossible'.
His daughter, Camille Radocchia Hecks, confirmed yesterday on Facebook that her father had passed away on Friday. "On behalf of our entire family we would like to thank you for your beautiful tributes and outpouring of love. My Dad had a saying, 'As in music, as in life.' He lived and loved as he played: fully, deeply, with endless creativity, humor, discipline and spirituality. He never missed a beat. As Emil would say 'Good Vibes!'"
Over the course of his career, Emil Richards worked with renowned names such as Frank Sinatra, Shorty Rogers, Judy Garland, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald, Dick Dale, Sam Cooke, The Carpenters, Marvin Gaye, The Monkees, Harry Nilsson, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Burt Bacharach, Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell and Luciano Pavarotti. He credited Lionel Hampton as being a huge influence, and also did sessions for the fabled Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles.
"My ideal situation for a session would be playing the hardest mallet parts conceivable," he revealed in an interview. "I like to go home exhausted from playing good, hard music. By hard I mean difficult, because it's a challenge. I love a challenge."
The creative genius was responsible for the finger-snapping on 'The Addams Family' tune, the bongos on the 'Mission: Impossible' theme, as well as the xylophone on the opening track of 'The Simpsons' for Danny Elfman, who once called Richards "an irreplaceable original." Richards entered the Hollywood scene by working for Alfred Newman on 'The Diary of Anne Frank' in 1959, and would go on to team up with many more composers in the Newman family. Other famous composers he worked with included Lalo Schifrin, Max Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, John Williams, Elmer Bernstein and James Newton Howard.
Richards appeared onscreen as a percussionist in 'The Nutty Professor' (1963) and went on to work on classic films such as the 'Planet of the Apes' movies, 'The Cincinnati Kid' (1965), 'Grand Prix' (1966), 'Ice Station Zebra' (1968), 'The French Connection' (1971), 'Dirty Harry' (1971), 'Chinatown' (1974), 'Jaws' (1975), 'Taxi Driver' (1976), 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979), 'The Stunt Man' (1980), 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure' (1985), 'Toy Story' (1995), 'Spider-Man 2' (2004) and 'Ratatouille' (2007).
Emil Richards' incredible life spanned from September 2, 1932 to December 13, 2019 and he leaves behind a rich and unparalleled legacy in the movie and TV soundtrack industry. We tender our commiserations to his family and will continue to honor and treasure the glorious legacy of sound that he has left behind for generations to come.