Ian Freebairn-Smith obit

Ian Freebairn-Smith Dies: Grammy Winning ‘A Star Is Born’ Arranger, Prolific TV & Film Composer Was 93

 

He was not on the list.

Earlier in his career, Freebairn-Smith was a session vocalist with such mostly-anonymous vocal groups as Singers Incorporated and The Ron Hicklin Singers. Among the classic TV series he contributed vocals to were Flipper, Batman and Gilligan’s Island. With the Hicklin group, he recorded the vocals for “Suicide Is Painless,” the theme song for the 1970 Robert Altman film MASH. The Johnny Mandel-Mike Altman composition was later used without vocals for the 1972-83 TV series.

He continued singing throughout his career, contributing uncredited bass vocals for The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).

He also worked as an arranger for such vocalists as Stephen Bishop — including the 1976 hit “On and On” — Liza Minnelli, Frankie Avalon, Phil Ochs, Andy Williams, Jeff Beck and many others. In a Facebook post today, Bishop wrote: “We are losing too many legends. A wonderful person and an incredible talent. He was always a pleasure to work with.”

Freebairn-Smith also hosted radio shows for various Los Angeles radio stations, including KCSN. He collaborated on dozens of commercial jingles for Chevron, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, Pacific Bell, among others.

He is survived by his brother, Rod Freebairn-Smith; daughters Leslie, Alison, Jenifer and Vanessa; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His second wife, violinist Shari Zippert, died in 2024. His first marriage was to high school sweetheart Billie Jean Mercer.

Freebairn-Smith began as a group singer with the California Dreamers and The Singers Incorporated, followed by choral arranging, orchestra arranging, and composing for motion pictures. He was instrumental in composing scores for The Muppet Movie and A Star is Born. He also wrote the score for a film called The End, starring Burt Reynolds.

In 1977, he won a Grammy Award for best arrangement accompanying a vocalist, for "Evergreen" sung by Barbra Streisand. He arranged and conducted for The Hi-Lo's, The Four Freshmen, Liza Minnelli, Frederica von Stade, Andy Williams, Anthony Newley, Stephen Bishop, Harry Nilsson, Phil Ochs, Paul Williams, Jeff Beck, and others.

Composer

 

    Alberto Giacometti - Sculptor of the Gaze (2015)

    Alberto Giacometti - Sculptor of the Gaze

    TV Special

        Composer

        2015

 

Los Angeles History Project (1988)

Los Angeles History Project

TV Series

 

    Composer

 

    1989

 

Ransom (1988)

Ransom

4.9

 

    Composer

 

    1988

 

Patrick Cassidy, David Hemmings, and Bruce A. Young in Three on a Match (1987)

Three on a Match

6.2

TV Movie

 

    Composer

 

    1987

 

Cagney & Lacey (1981)

Cagney & Lacey

6.9

TV Series

 

    Composer

 

    1984

 

Ernest Borgnine, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Alex Cord in Airwolf (1984)

Airwolf

6.7

TV Series

 

    Composer

 

    1984

 

Lee Curreri, Lori Singer, Erica Gimpel, and Gene Anthony Ray in Fame (1982)

Fame

7.1

TV Series

 

    score

 

    1984

 

Gary Grubbs in For Love and Honor (1983)

For Love and Honor

6.5

TV Movie

 

    Composer

 

    1983

 

River Phoenix, Richard Dean Anderson, Peter Horton, Drake Hogestyn, Terri Treas, and Roger Wilson in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

6.6

TV Series

 

    Composer

 

    1983

 

Deadly Lessons (1983)

Deadly Lessons

5.2

TV Movie

 

    music by

 

    1983

 

Gabe and Walker

TV Movie

 

    Composer

 

    1981

 

Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

Magnum, P.I.

7.5

TV Series

 

    Composer

 

    1980

 

What's Up Doc

7.2

TV Series

 

    Composer (1978)

 

    1978

 

The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse (1977)

The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse

5.5

 

    Composer

 

    1977

 

Dreams of Glass (1970)

Dreams of Glass

5.7

 

    Composer

 

    1970

 

Bruce Davison and Kim Darby in The Strawberry Statement (1970)

The Strawberry Statement

6.6

 

    Composer

 

    1970

 

Muriel Smith in Voice of the Hurricane (1964)

Voice of the Hurricane

 

    Composer

 

    1964

 

Music Department

 

    The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

    The Day the Earth Stood Still

 

5.5

 

    bass vocals (uncredited)

 

    2008

 

Jason Isaacs, Don Battee, Brian Carbee, Septimus Caton, Alan Cinis, Frank Gallacher, Phil Meacham, Darren Andrew Mitchell, Ludivine Sagnier, Bruce Spence, Jeremy Sumpter, Jacob Tomuri, Frank Whitten, Dan Wyllie, Harry Eden, Mick Roughan, George MacKay, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Harry Newell, Freddie Popplewell, Rupert Simonian, Theodore Chester, Lachlan Gooch, Patrick Gooch, and Venant Wong in Peter Pan (2003)

Peter Pan

6.8

 

    singer (uncredited)

 

    2003

 

Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

The Matrix Revolutions

6.7

 

    score vocalist (uncredited)

 

    2003

 

Peanuts (1965)

Peanuts

7.5

TV Series

 

    music arranger (uncredited)

 

    1985

 

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1985)

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

7.3

TV Movie

 

    music arranger (uncredited)

 

    1985

 

Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)

Magnum, P.I.

7.5

TV Series

 

    composer: theme composer: theme music

 

    1980–1981

 

Orson Welles, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Frank Oz, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Jim Henson, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Edgar Bergen, and Paul Williams in The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie

7.6

 

    conductormusic arranger

 

    1979

 

Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in The End (1978)

The End

6.1

 

    conductormusic arranger

 

    1978

 

Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in A Star Is Born (1976)

A Star Is Born

6.1

 

    music arranger (uncredited)

 

    1976

 

Muriel Smith in Voice of the Hurricane (1964)

Voice of the Hurricane

 

    conductor

 

    1964

 

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963)

Charade

7.8

 

    chorus (uncredited)

 

    1963

 

Hatari! (1962)

Hatari!

7.1

 

    chorus (uncredited)

 

    1962

 

Actor

 

    Orson Welles, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Frank Oz, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Jim Henson, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Edgar Bergen, and Paul Williams in The Muppet Movie (1979)

    The Muppet Movie

 

7.6

 

    Bogen County Fair Band Player (uncredited)

 

    1979

 

Soundtrack

 

    Orson Welles, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Frank Oz, Milton Berle, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Jim Henson, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Edgar Bergen, and Paul Williams in The Muppet Movie (1979)

    The Muppet Movie

 

7.6

 

    arranger: "America The Beautiful"

 

    1979

 

The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse (1977)

The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse

5.5

 

    lyrics: "Coming Back To You"music: "Coming Back To You"

 

    1977

 

Bobbie Gentry in Bobbie Gentry (1968)

Bobbie Gentry

8.8

TV Series

 

    writer: "The Wailing of the Willow" (uncredited)

 

    1971

 

Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston in Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

Kiss Me, Stupid

6.9

 

    performer: "Sophia", "I'm a Poached Egg", "All the Livelong Day (and the Long, Long Night)" (uncredited)

 

    1964

 

Self

 

    Alberto Giacometti - Sculptor of the Gaze (2015)

    Alberto Giacometti - Sculptor of the Gaze

    TV Special

        SelfSelf - Narrator

        2015