Michael Boddicker


Michael Lehmann Boddicker is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, he was awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for "Imagination" from Flashdance in 1984. He is the president of The Lehmann Boddicker Group.
Image:Michael Boddicker Modular System - Moog System 55 (1976), minimoog (1975), Moog Bode Vocoder (1979), Formula Sound Multiple Resonance Filter Array (1979), with Moog Percussion Controller model 1130 (portrait) - 2015 [NAMM Show.jpg|thumb|240px|
Michael Boddicker Modular System exhibited at Winter NAMM 2015|alt=]
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Early life and education

Boddicker grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His parents, Arlene Estelle and Gerald "Jerry" Valentine Boddicker operated a music school and store in Cedar Rapids, which served students in all of Eastern Iowa. His mother was a nationally recognized accordionist.
While still attending Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids in 1971, Boddicker enrolled full-time at the local Coe College, studying electronic music. By 1972, he continued studies at Coe College, focused on music composition and he started taking jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin. By 1973, he enrolled in 20th-century composition at the University of Iowa. That same year in 1973, Michael purchased a powerful portable semi-modular synthesizer, the ARP 2600.
By 1974, Michael moved to Los Angeles and found Paul Beaver as a mentor.

Career

He was able to purchase a Minimoog and a Moog System 15 modular synthesizer by 1975. As a result of his purchase, he was asked by Bob Moog to demonstrate their newest synthesizer, the Polymoog, at the 1975 summer NAMM Show.
He quickly found work as a session musician, and by 1977 appeared playing synthesizer, vocoder, accordion and keyboards on albums by many notables such as Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, The Manhattan Transfer and The Bee Gees.
One of Boddicker's earliest soundtrack collaborations of note was a score for a short experimental claymation film made by Gumby creator Art Clokey entitled "Mandala". Soon after that he entered the mainstream with work on such films as Saturday Night Fever, Battlestar Galactica and The Wiz.
Boddicker is a Board Member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists, of Beverly Hills, California. He owns an audio post production facility, Sol7, in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
In 2019, he co-founded the Los Angeles synthesizer music festival, Synthplex.

Personal life

Boddicker was married to Cassandra Lee Jensen, from 1972 to 1980, ending in divorce. Boddicker officially changed his name to Michael Lehmann Boddicker when he married singer/conductor/actress Edie Lehmann on October 15, 1995 in Hollywood, California. He has four children, two of the children he had were with Edie Lehmann. They live in Southern California.
He sued Michael Jackson's estate in 2016, alleging that he was unpaid for work and services provided early in his professional relationship with Michael Jackson.

Awards

He was awarded a Grammy Award as a songwriter for "Imagination," from the movie Flashdance in 1984.
Boddicker was voted most valuable synthesizer player in 1981, 1982, 1984 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1991, in recognition of his achievements, contributions and furtherance of electronic music in the recording industry, he was presented with an honorary doctorate of music from Coe College. In 2003, Boddicker was inducted to the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Film music

Among his film score credits as a composer are The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, the score for The Adventures of Milo and Otis, and additional music for Bulletproof, The Magic Egg: A Computer Odyssey an animated film, Get Crazy, White Water Summer, F/X2 with Lalo Schifrin, and Starfire.
His contributions as a composer can also be heard in the film Battlestar Galactica which include the Battlestar Galactica theme song produced and arranged by Michael Boddicker. Freejack, Michael Jackson's "Black or White", and "HIStory" video produced by and additional music underscore and "THE FLY" eleven cues to augment or replace the original score.
Artists that have recorded his songs and compositions include Lani Hall, Earth, Wind and Fire, Patti Austin, Michael Jackson, Isao Tomita's & YMO's Hideki Matsutake, Kitaro, Laura Branigan and David Hasselhoff.
He also performed on soundtrack of the Horizons attraction Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park.

Performer

As a session musician he played synthesizer on, among others, Michael Jackson's This Is It, HIStory, Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall, Dangerous, Black or White, and We Are the World; Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove; Lionel Richie's Hello, You Are, Running with the Night; Dazz Band's Let It Whip; Randy Newman's The Natural and Short People; Kenny Loggins' Footloose; Cyndi Lauper's The Goonies 'R' Good Enough; Barbra Streisand's Somewhere; Cheap Trick's Surrender; The Jacksons' Shake Your Body; Pointer Sisters' He's So Shy; and Diana Ross's Missing You.
YearSongAlbumArtistPerformedNotes
1976I Heard That!!Quincy Jones
1976I'll Be Good to YouThe Brothers Johnson
1977Roots (1977 miniseries) soundtrackVariousSynthesizerWith Quincy Jones, performed on keyboard.
1977Little CriminalsRandy NewmanSynthesizernamed as "Mike Boddicker"
1977SupermanBarbra Streisandnamed as "Mike Boddicker"
1978Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!Quincy JonesSynthesizer
1978Please Don't Keep Me WaitingTotally HotOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1978Dancin' 'Round and 'RoundTotally HotOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1979Rock With YouOff the WallMichael JacksonSynthesizerSynthesizers with Greg Phillinganes.
1979Off The WallOff the WallMichael JacksonSynthesizer
1979I Can't Help ItOff the WallMichael JacksonSynthesizer
1979No One HomeLalo Schifrin
1979One VoiceOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979 A Slow DanceOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979RainOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979ShipsOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979You Could Show MeOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979I Don't Want To Walk Without YouOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979Who's Been Sleeping In My BedOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979Where Are They NowOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979Bobbie Lee One VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979When I Wanted YouOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979Sunday FatherOne VoiceBarry ManilowSynthesizer
1979It's Money That I LoveBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979The Story Of A Rock And Roll BandBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979Pretty BoyBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979Mr. SheepBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979SpiesBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979Half A ManBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979William BrownBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1979PantsBorn AgainRandy NewmanSynthesizer
1980He Who Rides the TigerBernie TaupinSynthesizer, keyboards, programming
1981LandslidePhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1981Stranger's TouchPhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1981FallingPhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1981Love Make Me StrongPhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer, piano, vocoder
1981Silvery RainPhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnSynthesizer
1981Carried AwayPhysicalOlivia Newton-JohnPPG Wave 2
1981The Promise PhysicalOlivia Newton-John
1982Let It WhipDazz Band
1982You AreLionel RichieLionel Richie
1982MusclesDiana RossSynthesizer
1982Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'Thriller'Michael JacksonSynthesizer, background vocals
1982Baby Be MineThriller'Michael JacksonSynthesizer, background vocals
1982Billie JeanThriller'Michael JacksonEmulator
1982Human NatureThriller'Michael JacksonEmulator
1982P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)Thriller'Michael JacksonEmulator, vocoder
1982The Lady in My LifeThriller''Michael JacksonEmulator
This Is ItMichael Jackson
1983I Love L.A.Trouble In ParadiseRandy NewmanSynthesizers
1984Chicago 17Chicago
1984Missing YouDiana Ross
1984Penny LoverCan't Slow DownLionel Richie
1984Running with the NightCan't Slow DownLionel RichieSynthesizer, vocoder
1984Stuck on YouCan't Slow DownLionel Richie
19841100 Bel Air PlaceJulio IglesiasKeyboards
1985We Are The WorldUSA For Africa, variousSynthesizer, programming.
1985The Goonies 'R' Good EnoughCyndi LauperCyndi LauperSynthesizer
1985Greatest Love Of AllWhitney HoustonWhitney Houston
1985SomewhereThe Broadway AlbumBarbra Streisand
1986Chicago 18Chicago
1986They Don't Make Them Like They Used ToTough Guys Kenny Rogers
1986Dancing on the CeilingLionel Richie
1987BadMichael Jackson
1989Back on the BlockBack on the BlockQuincy Jonesdrum machine
1989Setembro Back on the BlockQuincy JonesM1 pads, synth pads
1989I'll Be Good to YouBack on the BlockQuincy JonesSynthesizer, programming
1989The Places You Find LoveBack on the BlockQuincy JonesSynthesizer, programming
1989BirdlandBack on the BlockQuincy JonesSynthesizer, programming
1991Black Or WhiteDangerousMichael Jackson
1991JamDangerousMichael Jackson
1991Heal the WorldDangerousMichael Jackson
1991Will You Be ThereDangerousMichael Jackson
1991Keep The FaithDangerousMichael Jackson
1991Gone Too SoonDangerousMichael Jackson
1995Earth Song Michael Jackson
1995HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book IMichael Jackson
1996They Don't Care About UsMichael Jackson