Richard Warren Shores

Richard Warren Shores (b. Rockville, Indiana, May 9, 1917 – d. Encino, California, April 12, 2001) – Composer and conductor. Born and raised in Rockville, Indiana, Richard Shores became a very successful composer of television music during the 1960s and 1970s. After studying composition and piano at the undergraduate level at Indiana University, Shores earned a M.M. in composition at Eastman under celebrated-composer Howard Hanson. During WW II, Shores was the staff arranger for the Jefferson (Missouri) Air Force Base band of 150 members. Following the war, he made a living composing and arranging for TV, film, and radio in Chicago. His big break came when he released an album of orchestral “mood music,” which he composed and conducted. Recorded on Mercury Records in 1957, Emotions (the aforementioned album) enabled him to move to Los Angeles and land jobs composing for television. He first worked for Four Star and then received projects on a more regular basis with Revue Productions. Eventually, he wrote music for episodes of the most popular shows on television, among them Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Mannix, Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, Wild Wild West, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Perry Mason, and the Paper Chase.