Happy 80th Birthday David Whitaker

David Sinclair Whitaker was born on January 6, 1931 in Kingston, Surrey, England. He was most active in the 1960s and ‘70s when he collaborated with some of the most prestigious names in British and French music such as Marianne Faithfull, Claude Francois, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Hallyday, The Rolling Stones and Simply Red. He’s probably best remembered as the conductor, composer of the scores for “Death Wish” I and II. Although Jimmy Page is credited with the score for “Death Wish I” it was Whitaker who re-worked Page’s work for the more traditional tracks recorded with a full orchestra. David had worked previously with “Death Wish's” Michael Winner on his only Euro-western score “Lawman” although he was also the conductor on 1969's “Desperado”. Whitaker has written scores for over 20 films besides countless arrangements and conducting assignments. Today we celebrate David Whitaker’s 80th birthday.