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Mike Post—a musician, composer, arranger, and producer—is widely regarded as the most successful television composer in history. His TV career began in 1970, and over time, he composed music for seven thousand hours of television, including Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, and Nurses.
His extensive credits also include NYPD Blue, The Rockford Files, Magnum PI, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, The A-Team, Wiseguy, Hunter, The Commish, Quantum Leap, Doogie Howser MD, Blossom, Hooperman, The White Shadow, Hardcastle & McCormick, Byrds of Paradise, News Radio, Silk Stalkings, and Renegade. Theme songs from The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law became chart-topping hits, earning Post four of his five Grammy Awards. In 1996, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Composition for the acclaimed series Murder One.
Born and raised in Los Angeles County’s San Fernando Valley as the son of an architect, Post began piano lessons at age six. His musical tastes were diverse, ranging from Dvorak and Stephen Foster to blues and rock ’n’ roll. By fifteen, he was performing at clubs, playing a brown Wurlitzer electric piano modeled after the one used by his idol, Ray Charles.
Post’s life centered around music and Valley subculture—much like the characters in the film American Graffiti. During school hours, when he was cut off from playing music, he found solace in a homemade paper keyboard that he would quietly “play” in class, concealed behind dark sunglasses and an open book. Ironically, almost twenty-four years later, Post was invited back to Grant High School as a 1987 Hall of Fame inductee. His 1962 graduating class included Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees and Magnum PI’s Tom Selleck.
In the evenings, Post performed on the L.A. club scene, often with groups that had famous names but few original members. He became the new “Paul” in Paul and Paula and joined the Markettes after their founding members left. “There was little money in it, but it sure was fun,” Post recalls. He graduated high school primarily to please his parents, giggled with various rock bands, and spent time in the house band of a renowned San Francisco topless club before deciding to return to school to study music. A year later, armed with sight-reading skills and music notation ability, he formed a 60s folk group, The Wellingbrook Singers, and toured the U.S. After the group disbanded, Post transitioned from touring to studio work.
He began playing on records, commercials, and movie soundtracks as part of the famed Wrecking Crew. Post contributed to virtually every recording session in the L.A. scene during this era, most notably playing on Sonny and Cher’s early hits, including “I Got You Babe.” His ambition led him to work behind the scenes as well. While employed by producer Jimmy Bowen, Post formed The First Edition, featuring then-unknown bassist and vocalist Kenny Rogers. His production debut resulted in the group’s Top Five hit “I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” He then produced and arranged Mason Williams’ The Mason Williams Phonograph Album, which included the hit “Classical Gas” and earned Post his first Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
At 24, Post became Musical Director for The Andy Williams Show, making him the youngest musician in television history to hold that role. He later returned to TV as a producer for The Mac Davis Show and began designing stage shows, assembling acts for artists like Dolly Parton and Ronnie Milsap.
However, Post’s most prominent work has been composing dramatic music for television and film. In 1968, he met veteran arranger and trombonist Pete Carpenter. Their first project was the score for the TV show Toma, Stephen J. Cannell’s inaugural series, marking the beginning of a significant musical partnership and friendship. They went on to create music for The Rockford Files (which produced a Top 10 single and earned each a Grammy), Baa Baa Black Sheep, Hunter, and Magnum PI. Their collaboration ended in late 1987 when Carpenter passed away after a long illness. In 1989, Post helped establish the Pete Carpenter Memorial Fund with the BMI Foundation to support young composers.
Alongside scoring, Post continued producing and arranging records. He contributed arrangements to several Ray Charles albums and co-wrote (with Stephen Geyer) and produced the theme for The Greatest American Hero, which became a #1 hit for Joey Scarbury. In 1981, Post reached the Top 10 again with his own recording of the Hill Street Blues theme, featuring guitarist Larry Carlton.
When reflecting on his success, Post says, “I am so fortunate. If I couldn’t make a living writing music, I’d do something else during the day and write music at night for free. I’m the luckiest person I’ve ever met. I’ve worked with, who I believe are, the greatest musicians in the world.”
