News and Events

With Wendy Kirkland, (piano, organ and voice) and 

Pat Sprakes (double bass)

Tickets available from BookitBee at £15.00 each.

 https://events.bookitbee.com/ted-lewis-centre/get-carter-theme-revisited/ 

Musical prodigy from the age of 6, Roy Budd was a leading jazz piano and organist before he was introduced to the Get Carter producer, Michael Klinger, who had purchased the film rights to Ted Lewis' novel, Jack's Return Home. Budd agreed to compose and play the entire score for a miserly sum of £750 (a fee which would be worth just over £12,000 today). 

Budd economised by playing the electric piano, piano and harpsichord himself, accompanied by only two others, the similarly talented, Chris Karen on bass and electric bass and Jeff Clyne on percussion and rhythm. Budd's haunting theme on the harpsichord was adopted by director, Mike Hodges, to accompany those dark parts of the film which made its reputation and it has now become instantly recognisable.

The soundtrack included a number of stand-alone songs and themes in which Budd collaborated with his friend and songwriter, Jack Fishman. He continued writing screen music after Get Carter and was held in high regard. He died of a brain haemorrhage in 1993 at the age of 46. Ted Lewis, also died early at 42 - what creative art would they have created had they lived longer ?