14 Facts About Paul Buckmaster

Paul John Buckmaster was a British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades.

Paul Buckmaster is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Shawn Phillips, Elton John, Harry Nilsson, The Rolling Stones, Carly Simon, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, and the Grateful Dead in the 1970s, followed by his contributions to the recordings of many other artists, including Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Rogers, Guns N' Roses, Lloyd Cole, Taylor Swift, Something Corporate, Train, and Heart.

Paul Buckmaster was born in London on 13 June 1946.

Paul Buckmaster's father, John Caravoglia Buckmaster, was an English actor and his mother, Ermenegilda Maltese, was an Italian concert pianist and graduate of the Naples Conservatory of Music.

At age four, Buckmaster started attending a small private school in London called the London Violoncello School, and continued studying cello under several private teachers until he was ten.

Paul Buckmaster contributed string and horn arrangements to Leonard Cohen's 1971 album, Songs of Love and Hate.

Paul Buckmaster assisted Miles Davis with the preparation of On the Corner and wrote the arrangements for the studio sessions, in which he participated, at Davis' request, by humming bass lines and rhythms to lead the musicians.

Paul Buckmaster wrote some instrumental tracks for Harry Nilsson's film Son of Dracula.

Paul Buckmaster played with Bowie and his band in the recordings for the original soundtrack to the science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which Bowie starred as Thomas Jerome Newton.

In 1995 Paul Buckmaster composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced the original score to Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys.

Paul Buckmaster composed the score for the 1997 film Most Wanted.

Paul Buckmaster married Diana Lewis in 1970; they divorced three years later.

Paul Buckmaster died on 7 November 2017, aged 71, in Los Angeles from undisclosed causes.

Paul Buckmaster won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist for his work on American rock band Train's 2001 single "Drops of Jupiter".