Matthew Strachan


Matthew Strachan was an English composer and singer-songwriter.
His best known work is the music for British television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? written with his father Keith, which would become a global franchise, and the BBC Radio 4 World War I drama series Home Front. He also wrote music to film and television productions such as Extract, The Detectives, Question Time, Winning Lines, jingles for several television commercials, and scores for stage musicals.
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Biography

Strachan began writing songs as a teenager. His first professional job was to write five songs for the BBCTV drama Boogie Outlaws.
After training at Dartington College of Arts and Goldsmiths College, University of London, he worked as a soundtrack composer throughout the 1990s creating music for television, radio and theatre productions until concentrating on songwriting in Nashville, Tennessee where he collaborated with songwriters Don Henry, Tom Kimmel, J. Fred Knobloch, and Thom Schuyler.
Following two years in America he created score and lyrics for the stage musicals About Bill and Next Door's Baby. In 2012 he announced the creation of a comedy oratorio based on the life of the Coronation Street character Ken Barlow for inclusion in his live shows.
Strachan won twelve awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and in 2012 received the ASCAP Hall of Fame Award in recognition of ten consecutive wins for the soundtrack of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
As a singer-songwriter Strachan was regarded as having a bittersweet style, often employing satire and characterisation to make political points about unusual subjects such as social networking and the media. As a composer of stage musicals he was noted for writing songs with a complete narrative arc.
A new studio album by Matthew Strachan titled Serious Men was released by Lonely Goat Records in August 2016.
He was also the creator of the comic fictional 1970s composer Klaus Harmony. In March 2017 Simon & Schuster announced that it would be publishing a series of crime fiction books co-written by Strachan and his wife, Bernadette Strachan.
In October 2020, he appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates Court in London, charged with one count of arson.
On 22 September 2021, the BBC reported that Strachan had died at his home in Twickenham, London, at the age of 50.

Discography

;Albums
  • A Quiet Place I've Waited, Nono Records Serious Men, Lonely Goat Records Perfect World Now Possible, Nono Records Live at the St James Theatre, Nono Records 25 Year Songbook Part II, Nono Records 25 Year Songbook, Nono Records 37203, Nono Records Even Warren Beatty, Nono Records Save The King's Head, Nono Records Fallen Angels, Nono Records The Rock Serious Electric Roadshow, Nono Records
;CompilationsSpeed Limit Monkey, Nono Records Flot Some, Jet Some, Nono Records
;Covered by other artistsI Never Left You at All – J. Fred Knobloch, Hear Here, J. Fred Knobloch Music, Journeyman – Catherine Porter, single, Nono Records, Any More of You – Catherine Porter, 37203, Nono Records, Love is Enough – J. Fred Knobloch, 37203, Nono Records, The Note – Don Henry, 37203, Nono Records, Mama 'n' Them – J. Fred Knobloch, single, Nono Records, Just Because I Want To – Tommy Blaize, Even Warren Beatty, Nono Records,
;Soundtracks and MusicalsAs Is & Passing By, Nessus Records About Bill, Nessus Records Music for Theatre, Nessus Records Silk, Nessus Records Next Door's Baby, Nessus Records Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – Soundtrack, Celador Records Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – Interactive Game, Sony PlayStation, Disney Interactive Toy Story Sing Along, Disney
;A.k.a Klaus HarmonyOeuvre Cinq, HarmonSink Oeuvre 4, HarmonSink Oeuvre Derde, HarmonSink Oeuvre Zwei, HarmonSink Oeuvre I, HarmonSink

Music for motion pictures

Mostly Dead, UkFilm.coLove Is a Four Letter Word Worth Seven Points, Boxfly Media, In Limbo, Nine Ladies Films,

Music featured in motion pictures

Extract, Composer – Wundercrotchen, Miramax Films, Slumdog Millionaire, Composer – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Fox Searchlight, Millions, Composer – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Fox Searchlight, Celador Films Theme, Celador FilmsAbout a Boy, Composer – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Universal Pictures, A Kind of Hush, Composer/lyricist – Confusions, First Film Company/Metrodome,

Music for stage

Twitstorm, Park Theatre (London)The Roundabout, Park Theatre (London)/59E59 Theaters, New YorkAcorn, Courtyard Theatre, LondonThe Man Called Monkhouse, Edinburgh Fringe/National TourAs Is, Trafalgar StudiosPassing By, Tristan Bates TheatreAs Is, Finborough TheatreYours for the Asking, Orange Tree TheatreAbout Bill, Landor TheatreHungry Ghosts, Orange Tree TheatreThe Promise, Orange Tree TheatreThe Making of Moo, Orange Tree TheatreSilk, Workshopped at the Orange Tree TheatreLast Train to Nibroc, Orange Tree TheatreNext Door's Baby, Orange Tree TheatreHappy Birthday Dear Alice, Orange Tree TheatreThe Lodger, Theatre Royal, WindsorThe Fly, Old Fire Station TheatreMad Dog Killer Leper Fiend, Man in the Moon TheatreSimpleton of the Unexpected Isles, Orange Tree TheatreThe Good Woman of Setzuan, Orange Tree Theatre

Music for television and radio

Home Front, composer, BBC Radio 4Money, Composer Finding Schuyler & Can You See me From Over There? BBC2Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 10th Anniversary American Broadcasting CompanySuper Millionaire American Broadcasting CompanySketch Show Story BBC1Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Celador Productions, ITV, American Broadcasting CompanyWinning Lines, Celador Productions, CBS, BBCBen-Hur Focus on the FamilyBritain's Brainiest, Celador Productions, InternationalQuestion Time, Mentorn Films, BBCCar Wars, Mentorn Films, BBCThe Gemini Apes, BBC Radio 4Mind the Gap ITVNobblers, BBC Radio 2The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna, Celador Productions, ITVDiggin' the Dancing Queens BBCThe Detectives, Celador Productions, BBCCanned Carrott, Celador Productions, BBCThe Jasper Carrott Trial, Celador Productions, BBCChildren's Ward, Granada Television, ITVWorld Sport Esprit, TWI, InternationalLegends of Wimbledon, TWI, InternationalScratchy and Co, Mentorn Films, ITVBoogie Outlaws BBC

Awards

  • ASCAP Awards, Hall of Fame Award, 2012, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2011, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2010, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2009, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2008, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2007, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2006, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2005, London
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2004, London
  • ASCAP 17th Annual Film & TV Awards, Top TV Theme, 2002, Los Angeles
  • ASCAP 16th Annual Film & TV Awards, Top TV Theme, 2001, Los Angeles
  • ASCAP Awards, US TV Theme, 2000, London