Angelo Badalamenti | Artist

Angelo Badalamenti was an American composer born 1937 in Brooklyn NYC. He was best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably Blue Velvet, the Twin Peaks saga, The Straight Story and Mulholland Drive. Badalamenti collaborated with many artists including Julee Cruise, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys and Marianne Faithfull. The artist's big break came when he was brought in to be Isabella Rossellini's singing coach for the song "Blue Velvet" in David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet. Badalamenti and Lynch collaborated to write "Mysteries of Love" using lyrics Lynch wrote and Badalamenti's music. Julee Cruise, who went on to work with Lynch and Badalamenti on other projects, performed the vocals for that track. Badalamenti composed the score for the film and served as music supervisor. Badalamenti also appears in Blue Velvet as the piano player in the club where Rossellini's character performs. This film was the first of what would become a career-long collaborative relationship spanning television and film. Badalamenti dubbed their partnership "my second best marriage." After scoring a variety of mainstream films, Badalamenti once again collaborated with Lynch, scoring his cult television show, Twin Peaks, again featuring the vocals of Julee Cruise on the leading song "Falling". Twin Peaks would become the score Badalamenti is perhaps best known for, one that helped define the overall style and mood of the show. In addition to Blue Velvet and the Twin Peaks series, other recommended albums include La cité des enfants perdus (1995) The Straight Story (1999) and Mulholland Dr. (2001). In 1990, Badalamenti received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his "Twin Peaks Theme," plus he composed the opening theme for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Artist Website: angelobadalamenti.com

Featured Albums: Angelo Badalamenti

Related Artists: David Lynch