Roger Webb (1934-2002) may be best known for composing music for screen and stage, including film scores for Bedtime with Rosie and Intimate Games, as well as theme tunes for television shows such as Love Thy Neighbour and Paradise Postponed, but his talents extented to conducting, arranging, writing and pianism.
His work took him around the world and won him several awards, including the Unicef Danny Kaye Award at the International Song Contest for his song Make Your Own Rainbow, with lyrics by Norman Newell, and first prize in the Paris International Film Festival for the musical score on the 1980 film The Godsend. A year later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for the television production Death of a Centrefold.
Roger Webb was born and educated in Bristol. A self-taught pianist, he was undecided whether his future lay in journalism or music by the time he completed his national service in the Royal Air Force — during which he served in Egypt and gained his first taste of playing jazz on the radio. He considered university, until the offer of work as a pianist in clubs around Liverpool saw him change course. His talents were soon spotted by an agent, Billy Baker, who found him work in Felixstowe, playing with a 16-piece band.
After several years working as a pianist, he started arranging and composing music. He also served as musical director for individual artists’ live performances and recordings, such as Shirley Bassey, Rex Harrison and Johnny Mathis, and on shows including The Golden Shot and International Cabaret, where he met his wife, Margot, who appeared in the chorus line; they married in 1968.
He released many recordings, beginning with John, Paul and All That Jazz, a collection of cover versions of Beatles hits. Other albums contained popular standards with his own group, the Roger Webb Trio, or larger orchestras. He enjoyed most success, however, with the music he wrote during three decades for film and television. He also worked extensively for the stage and radio, and had partially written a musical, Beloved Emma, when he was taken ill.
