Steve Sexton
Encyclopedia
Steve Sexton was born in Richmond Hill
, Ontario
, Canada
. He is a Canadian composer, arranger, musical director, producer and keyboardist
. He served as Canadian singer Anne Murray
's Musical Director for 25 years with responsibilities as her pianist, conductor, arranger, and on occasion her producer.
, from 1982 to 1984 and appears as keyboardist on their albums Breaking Curfew
and Neruda
. He was one half (with Gerald O'Brien) of the jazz
/New Age
ensemble, Exchange, whose recordings include Between Places, Into the Night, Exchange, and Beyond Words. Between Places reached number 9 in the Billboard
New Age chart for June 30, 1990. He also appears as keyboardist on the Strange Advance
album, 2WO
, Platinum Blonde
's album, Standing in the Dark
, Shirley Eikhard
's comeback album, Taking Charge, and the Jim Carrey
film Copper Mountain
. His ensemble, Exchange, was nominated for a 1993 Juno Award
for Best Instrumental Artist or Ensemble of the year.
, Bryan Adams
, Michael Bublé
, Anne Murray
, and top orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra
and the Boston Pops Philharmonic orchestra with John Williams
.
He served as Anne Murray's Musical Director for 25 years with responsibilities as her pianist, conductor, arranger, and on occasion her producer. He was the Music Director for many of her television shows, including Friends & Legends (2008), The Music of My Life (2005), Intimate Evening with Anne Murray (1998), The Sounds of London (1985), Anne Murray's Winter Carnival in Quebec (1984), and A Special Anne Murray Christmas (1981). He also produced Anne Murray's Classic Christmas (1995) and Anne Murray (1991).
, and The Phantom 2040. As a songwriter, his compositions include "Her Body Makes Vows" which appears on the soundtrack for the Antonio Banderas
film Never Talk to Strangers
and Tú
's single "Stay With Me", the band's biggest hit. According to his official website, his compositions have also been heard on several sporting events and broadcasts including the Olympics, the Super Bowl
, the U.S. Open
, the Tour De France
, Baseball World Series
, ABC's Wide World of Sports and the Ryder Cup
.
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is a Canadian composer, arranger, musical director, producer and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
. He served as Canadian singer Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
's Musical Director for 25 years with responsibilities as her pianist, conductor, arranger, and on occasion her producer.
Early career
Sexton graduated from Richmond Hill High School and received a music degree from The University of Western Ontario and a performance degree from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music. He was a member of the Canadian rock band, Red RiderRed Rider
Red Rider are a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While the band achieved great success in Canada, in the US, the band never had a song in the Top 40....
, from 1982 to 1984 and appears as keyboardist on their albums Breaking Curfew
Breaking Curfew
Breaking Curfew is the fourth studio album by the Canadian rock band Red Rider, released in 1984 . The album was recorded and mixed at Metalworks Studios and E.S.P...
and Neruda
Neruda (album)
Neruda is the third studio album by the Canadian rock band Red Rider, released in 1983 . The album was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Toronto, Ontario. The figure on the album cover was inspired by Denise Sexton. The instrumental track "Light In The Tunnel" and "Power" have been used to open...
. He was one half (with Gerald O'Brien) of the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
ensemble, Exchange, whose recordings include Between Places, Into the Night, Exchange, and Beyond Words. Between Places reached number 9 in the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
New Age chart for June 30, 1990. He also appears as keyboardist on the Strange Advance
Strange Advance
Strange Advance was a Canadian New Wave band formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were nominated for a 1983 Juno Award as Most Promising Group of the Year and again in 1985 as Group of the Year...
album, 2WO
2WO
2WO is the second album by Strange Advance released in early 1985. It featured two hit Canadian singles, "We Run" and "The Second That I Saw You"...
, Platinum Blonde
Platinum Blonde (band)
Platinum Blonde is a Canadian New Wave group in the mid 1980s-early 1990s. The band originally consisted of Mark Holmes from Scarborough on vocals and bass, Sergio Galli on guitar and Chris Steffler on drums. Scottish musician Kenny MacLean later joined the group as the bassist. The name of the...
's album, Standing in the Dark
Standing in the Dark
Standing in the Dark was the first full-length album by Platinum Blonde. Released by Columbia/CBS Records Canada in 1984, it expanded on the band's original 6-track EP...
, Shirley Eikhard
Shirley Eikhard
Shirley Rose Eikhard is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her song, "Something to Talk About", was recorded by musician Bonnie Raitt to significant success in the 1990s. She sang the theme song to the movie The Passion of Ayn Rand, "Love is, Love is Not"...
's comeback album, Taking Charge, and the Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
film Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain (film)
Copper Mountain is a 1983 comedy film about two friends who travel to a Colorado ski resort. One of them, played by Alan Thicke, looks to hit the slopes and the other, played by Jim Carrey, spends his time trying to pick up women. The film was written by Damian Lee and David Mitchell, who also...
. His ensemble, Exchange, was nominated for a 1993 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Best Instrumental Artist or Ensemble of the year.
Work with Anne Murray
Steve's extensive career has had him working alongside such artists as Celine DionCeline Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, and top orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
and the Boston Pops Philharmonic orchestra with John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
.
He served as Anne Murray's Musical Director for 25 years with responsibilities as her pianist, conductor, arranger, and on occasion her producer. He was the Music Director for many of her television shows, including Friends & Legends (2008), The Music of My Life (2005), Intimate Evening with Anne Murray (1998), The Sounds of London (1985), Anne Murray's Winter Carnival in Quebec (1984), and A Special Anne Murray Christmas (1981). He also produced Anne Murray's Classic Christmas (1995) and Anne Murray (1991).
Notable Television and Film scores
His scores for television cartoon shows include The Legend of Prince ValiantThe Legend of Prince Valiant
The Legend of Prince Valiant is an American animated television series based on the Prince Valiant comic strip created by Hal Foster. Set in the time of King Arthur, it's a family-oriented adventure show about an exiled prince who goes on a quest to become one of the Knights of the Round Table. He...
, and The Phantom 2040. As a songwriter, his compositions include "Her Body Makes Vows" which appears on the soundtrack for the Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
film Never Talk to Strangers
Never Talk to Strangers
Never Talk to Strangers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Peter Hall and starring Antonio Banderas and Rebecca De Mornay.-Plot:...
and Tú
Tú (band)
Tú was a Canadian pop music duo from the Toronto area in the late 1980s, featuring twin sisters Amanda DiBlasi and Cassandra DiBlasi. They released a self-titled album in 1987, produced for T.B.A. Productions on the RCA label...
's single "Stay With Me", the band's biggest hit. According to his official website, his compositions have also been heard on several sporting events and broadcasts including the Olympics, the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, the U.S. Open
U.S. Open
The term U.S. Open or US Open is applied to "open" United States-hosted championships in a particular sport , in which anyone, amateur or professional, American or non-American, may compete....
, the Tour De France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, Baseball World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, ABC's Wide World of Sports and the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
.
External links
- Steve Sexton - Official website
- Photograph of Steve Sexton (on http://www.starnow.com)
- Photograph of Steve Sexton with Exchange (on http://www.amazon.com)
- Photograph of Steve Sexton with Anne Murray and other members of her band (on Anne MurrayAnne MurrayMorna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
's official website)
