Shuki Levy
Shuki Levy | |
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שוקי לוי | |
Born | |
Nationality | Israeli, American |
Shuki Levy (Hebrew: שוקי לוי; born June 3, 1947) is an Israeli-American music composer and television producer. Levy's best known work is soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s, such as The Real Ghostbusters, Inspector Gadget, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, M.A.S.K., Dinosaucers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. In the 1990s, he became known chiefly for his work on the Power Rangers franchise, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Masked Rider, VR Troopers, and Big Bad Beetleborgs. He has also written and directed numerous episodes for some these television shows, and directed a few films, such as Perfect Victims (1988) and Blind Vision (1991). He was also part of a musical duo known as Shuky & Aviva (alternatively Shuki & Aviva) with his partner Aviva Paz.
Life and career
Beginnings
Levy was born in British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) in 1947. His father was an Ashkenazi Jew originally from Russia, and his mother of Sephardic Jewish origin.[1]
His career began as a singer and music performer, playing in various clubs around Tel Aviv. He also appeared in the musical "Hair."
Shuky & Aviva
During the 1970s, Levy performed in France and Germany as a duo known as "Shuki & Aviva" or "Shuky and Aviva" as written on a lot of the duos song releases. Together with his partner Aviva Paz he scored a hit single throughout Europe called "Signorina - Concertina" which sold two million copies.[citation needed] Levy composed "Halayla", the Israeli entry to the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.[citation needed]
Saban Entertainment
While living in Paris, he met businessman and musician Haim Saban, with the two becoming close friends and frequent collaborators. In an interview, Levy recalled "Haim said, 'We'll be co-composer. You do the composing, I'll do the deals.' I figured, 'Great. Brothers.' That was the last business conversation we had for many years. We were partners. We never had a written agreement. It was all verbal."[2] They eventually moved to Los Angeles and founded Saban Entertainment, a production company responsible for numerous animated shows and Japanese adaptions, such as Digimon, X-Men, Spider-Man and Power Rangers. The company was sold to The Walt Disney Company by the end of 2001.[citation needed]
During the 1980s and 1990s, he was noted for composing a large volume of television music; according to BMI's music publishing database, he has written a combined total of 3,928 themes, background scores and songs.[3] In a 1998 investigation by The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed that many of these compositions were ghostwritten by other composers, in order for Levy and Haim Saban to gain control of all publishing rights and music royalty revenue.[4]
On October 3, 2013, Shuki Levy started working on a TV show he created called Tribe Of The Wild which was originally set for a 2014 release, but got delayed to 2015 instead. Levy also signed a first-look production deal with Relativity Media to oversee worldwide distribution, finance and production for Levy's content in the children's and family space, Tribe Of The Wild was the first show under the deal.[5]
Personal life
In 1977, Levy was married to Miss USA 1970 and actress Deborah Shelton (Dallas), with whom he has a daughter, Tamara (born 1981).[6][7] He was also in a relationship with television actress Sarah Brown (General Hospital), with whom he has a second daughter, Jordan (born 1998).[8][9]
Musical compositions
- Shuki Levy is credited[10] as a composer on the following works:
Musicals
- 2007. Imagine This
TV series
- 1975. Time Bokan
- 1975. Steel Jeeg
- 1980. Heathcliff
- 1981. Ulysses 31
- 1981. Spider-Woman (French and Italian dub)
- 1982. The Mysterious Cities of Gold
- 1982. X-Bomber (French dub)
- 1982. Urusei Yatsura (Italian dub)[11]
- 1983. Saturday Supercade
- 1983. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
- 1983. The Littles
- 1983. Inspector Gadget
- 1983. Mister T
- 1984. Photon
- 1984. The Get Along Gang
- 1984. Kidd Video
- 1984. Pole Position
- 1984. Going Bananas
- 1985. It's Punky Brewster
- 1985. Kissyfur
- 1985. Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
- 1985. Rainbow Brite
- 1985. She-Ra: Princess of Power
- 1985. M.A.S.K.
- 1986. Popples
- 1986. Rambo: The Force of Freedom
- 1986. The Real Ghostbusters
- 1986. Zoobilee Zoo
- 1986. Dennis the Menace
- 1987. Starcom: The U.S. Space Force
- 1987. Lady Lovely Locks
- 1987. Diplodo
- 1987. Maple Town
- 1987. Dinosaucers
- 1987. The New Archies
- 1987. Maxie's World
- 1987. Sylvanian Families
- 1987. Beverly Hills Teens
- 1987. ALF: The Animated Series
- 1987. Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
- 1988. Hey Vern, It's Ernest!
- 1988. RoboCop
- 1988. COPS
- 1988. Noozles
- 1988. ALF Tales
- 1989. Dragon Warrior
- 1989. Captain N: The Game Master
- 1989. Ring Raiders
- 1989. The Karate Kid
- 1989. Camp Candy
- 1989. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
- 1989. Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics
- 1989. The Legend of Zelda
- 1989. The New Adventures of He-Man
- 1990. Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid
- 1990. Lucky Luke
- 1990. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
- 1991. Space Cats
- 1991. Maya the Bee
- 1991. Little Shop
- 1991. Samurai Pizza Cats
- 1991. Rock 'n Cop (German and Swedish dub of Future Police Urashiman — no English version was released)
- 1992. X-Men: The Animated Series
- 1992. King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
- 1992. Jin Jin and the Panda Patrol
- 1992. Pinocchio: The Series
- 1993. Journey to the Heart of the World
- 1993. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
- 1993. Mad Scientist Toon Club
- 1993. Walter Melon
- 1994. BattleTech: The Animated Series
- 1994. The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee
- 1994. Teknoman (dubbed version of Tekkaman Blade)
- 1994. Creepy Crawlers
- 1994. Sweet Valley High
- 1994. Spider-Man
- 1994. VR Troopers
- 1995. Space Strikers
- 1995. Masked Rider
- 1995. Iznogoud
- 1995. Super Pig
- 1995. Space Strikers
- 1995. Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic
- 1996. Dragon Ball Z
- 1996. Eagle Riders (dubbed version of Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter)
- 1996. Power Rangers Zeo
- 1996. The Mouse and the Monster
- 1996. Bureau of Alien Detectors
- 1996. The Incredible Hulk
- 1996. Little Mouse on the Prairie
- 1996. Big Bad Beetleborgs
- 1997. Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation
- 1997. Breaker High
- 1997. Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist
- 1997. Power Rangers Turbo
- 1997. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- 1997. Huckleberry no Bōken
- 1998. Silver Surfer
- 1998. Power Rangers in Space
- 1998. The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs
- 1999. Spider-Man Unlimited
- 1999. Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
- 1999. Digimon Adventure
- 1999. The Avengers: United They Stand
- 2000. Action Man
- 2000. Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
- 2000. The Vision of Escaflowne
- 2000. Digimon Adventure 02
- 2000. NASCAR Racers
- 2000. Shinzo
- 2001. Mon Colle Knights
- 2001. Power Rangers Time Force
- 2001. Digimon Tamers
- 2002. Digimon Frontier [first half]
- 2015. Tribe of the Wild
TV
- 1985. He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special
- 1987. Bay Coven
- 1992. Revenge on the Highway
- 1993. Under Investigation
- 1994. Guns of Honor
- 1994. Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders
- 1994. Blindfold: Acts of Obsession
- 1997. Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
- 2000. Final Ascent
Videos
- 1980. Goldwing
- 1985. Punky Brewster: More For Your Punky
- 1986. My Favorite Fairy Tales
- 1989. Little Golden Book Land
- 1991. Sugar & Spice: Snow White
- 1991. Sugar & Spice: Heidi
- 1991. Sugar & Spice: Cinderella
- 1991. Sugar & Spice: Alice in Wonderland
- 1991. Sugar & Spice: The Wizard of Oz
- 2003. Itty Bitty Heartbeats
Films
- 1981. Dawn of the Mummy
- 1982. Blood Tide
- 1983. Les Dalton En Cavale
- 1984. The Secret of the Selenites
- 1984. Fatal Games
- 1985. Here Come the Littles
- 1985. The Secret of the Sword
- 1985. Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
- 1986. Heathcliff: The Movie
- 1987. Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth
- 1987. Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World
- 1988. Perfect Victims
- 1989. Trapper Country War
- 1992. Prey of the Chameleon
- 1992. Blind Vision
- 1992. Round Trip to Heaven
- 1995. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
- 1996. Susie Q
- 1998. Rusty: A Dog's Tale
- 2000. Digimon: The Movie
Screenwriting credits
Television
- Wolf Rock TV (1984)
- Kidd Video (1985)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1996)
- Masked Rider (1995)
- Big Bad Beetleborgs (1996)
- Power Rangers Zeo (1996)
- Power Rangers Turbo (1997)
Film
- Perfect Victims (1988)
- Blind Vision (1992)
- Round Trip to Heaven (1992)
- Someone to Die For (1995)
- Susie Q (1996)
- Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
- Exception to the Rule (1997)
- Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998)
- Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure (2009)
Director
Television
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
- VR Troopers (1994)
- Masked Rider (1995)
- Big Bad Beetleborgs (1996)
- Power Rangers Turbo (1997)
Film
- Perfect Victims (1988)
- Blind Vision (1992)
- Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997)
- Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998)
- Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure (2009)
Discography
(As part of duo Shuky & Aviva)
Albums
- Love Is Like (1974)
- Shuky & Aviva (1976)
- Shuky & Aviva Album N°2 (1977)
- Compilation albums
- The Very Best Of Shuki & Aviva (1974)
- The Hits Collection (1990)
- Best of Shuky & Aviva (2002)
- Shuky & Aviva (4xCD) (2013)
Singles
- "L' amour c' est la musique de la vie" (1972)
- "Signorina Concertina" / "I'll Never Let You Go" (1972)
- "Here Comes Summertime" (1972)
- "When I'm Dreaming" (1973)
- "Sixteen Brothers" / "On My Own" (1973)
- "Listen to the Children" / "Ecoutez les enfants" (1973)
- "Ca ne suffit pas" / "C'est trop tard" (1973)
- "Did I ever say goodbye" / "Roller Coaster" (1974)
- "Did I Hear You Say Good-Bye" (1974)
- "Bye, Bye, a bientôt" / Des dimanches d'amour" (1975)
- "Bye Bye Ciao My Love" (1975)
- "Je t'aime un peu trop" (1975)
- "Prends ma chemise" (1976)
- "Viens que je t'embrasse" / "La separation" (1976)
- "Fête d'amour" / Ils ne mont parlé que de toi" (1976)
- "Comme Si" (The Air That I Breath) (1976)
- "Hotel California" / "S'aimer comme on s'aime" (1977)
- "Mais bien sur je t'aime" / "J'aime quelqu'un d'hereux" (1977)
- "Je ne fais que passer" / "C'est beaucoup mieux comme ça" (1977)
- "Fallait fallait pas" (1978)
- in German
- "Lern' Mit Den Augen Der Kinder Zu Sehen" (1973)
- "Ein Platz Für Die Liebe" (1974)
- "Wir Glauben An Das Leben" (1974)
- "Du Und Ich Und Zwei Träume" (1975)
- "Zum Glück Gibt Es Musik" (1975)
- "Ich Liebe Dich Ja Viel Zu Sehr" (1976)
References
- ^ Linn, Sarah (March 28, 2010). "Kosher cooking for the masses". The Tribune. San Luis Obispo, California. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Bruck, Connie (May 10, 2010). "The Influencer". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ "BMI - Repertoire Search".
- ^ Composers say they're paupers in royalty game - The Hollywood Reporter - via groups.google.com
- ^ "Tribe of the Wild". The Power Scoop. June 19, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ Stark, John (November 5, 1984). "From Miss U.S.A. to Dallas to Body Double, Deborah Shelton Is a Sex Object Who Objects". PEOPLE.com. Vol. 22. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ "Tamara Levy". IMDb. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Sarah Brown Puts Education First". Crushable. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ^ "Jordan Levy". IMDb. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Shuki Levy IMDB profile
- ^ "La sigla di Lamù: Un altro tassello aggiunge dettagli definitivi al puzzle del mistero svelato". January 3, 2022.
External links
- 1947 births
- 20th-century American composers
- 21st-century American composers
- American film producers
- American film score composers
- American male film score composers
- American male television writers
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- American television composers
- American television producers
- American television writers
- Animated film score composers
- Animation composers
- Anime composers
- Israeli emigrants to the United States
- Israeli film score composers
- Israeli Ashkenazi Jews
- Israeli Sephardi Jews
- Israeli people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Israeli television producers
- Jewish American film score composers
- Jewish American television composers
- Living people
- Male television composers
- Saban Entertainment
- 20th-century American Sephardic Jews
- 21st-century American Sephardic Jews