Born 80 Years Ago Today, the Classically Trained Cellist Who Arranged All Your Favorite Pop and Rock Hits

What do David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, Taylor Swift’s “Back to December”, and Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” all have in common? All showcase the immense talents of cellist and composer Paul Buckmaster, born in London on this day (June 13) in 1946. Throughout his five-decade career, Buckmaster became the first-choice composer for dozens of A-list musicians, including Elton John,the Grateful Dead, Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood, and the Rolling Stones. Today we’re taking a trip through the life and career of Paul Buckmaster on what would have marked his 80th birthday. He died on November 7, 2017, at age 71 in Los Angeles.

How Paul Buckmaster Accidentally Helped Mold Modern Music

Born to an English actor father and an Italian concert pianist mother, Paul Buckmaster was never escaping the stage.

At age 4, he enrolled in a small private school in London, where he studied the cello until age 10.

From 1958 to 1962, Buckmaster divided his time between studying music in his mother’s home city of Naples and working for his GCEs in London. At 11, he earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, from which he graduated at 16. 

It was during his time at the Academy that Buckmaster accidentally stumbled into the world of pop music. His cello professor, Vivian Joseph, invited him to join a small orchestra that was backing assorted pop acts on tour.

Agreeing, Buckmaster found himself sharing a stage with Paul Jones (formerly of Manfred Mann), the Scaffold and the Hollies. In 1968, he led a small orchestral group on a two-month tour of Germany with the Bee Gees.

Taking His Skills to the Studio

Paul Buckmaster’s first foray into the world of popular music came in 1969, when renowned record producer Gus Dudgeon asked him to arrange David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.

Hearing Buckmaster’s string and cello arrangements on Bowie’s ethereal UK number-one hit, Elton John “thought it was probably the most incredible record I’d ever heard.”

“I said, ‘Whoever did that, I really want to work with them,’” said the EGOT winner.

Despite having no formal training as an orchestrator, Buckmaster learned on the fly. His arrangements were a defining feature on John’s sophomore album, Elton John, which included his first chart hit, “Your Song”.

[RELATED: 5 Hits Featuring Paul Buckmaster Orchestral Arrangements from Late in His Career]

Buckmaster’s expansive resume included the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile” and “Sway” (1971) “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon (1972), and Stevie Nicks’ “Beauty and the Beast” (1983).

In 2002, his work on Train’s hit “Drops of Jupiter” won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals.

Featured image by Brad Elterman/FilmMagic