Jack got his start in the music industry by co-writing the song "Needles and Pins" for the Searchers. He would go on to play for a great number of musicians including the Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithful.
For the Stones, Jack wore many hats over the years. The first time Jack's name appears in conjunction with the Stones in 1964. By 1966, he's a familiar part of their recording group. That year, Jack arranged the trumpets on "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?" and played piano on "Back Street Girl". He also acted as music director for a short film called Gather No Moss that featured performances by the Stones.
At some point Jack shifted from pop music to movie music. Maybe his greatest achievement was bringing rock and roll to film. His soundtracks melded just the right touch or rock to the feel of the movie. Jack was one of the most influential and prolific film composers of the last three decades.
I was surprised by how many of Jack's movies I'd seen: Mermaids (1990), Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986), Stand by Me (1986), Cruising (1980), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest(1975), The Exorcist (1973) and, of course, Performance (1970). For some reason I don't remember seeing his name in any of these credits. I guess it just goes to show that you don't find what you're not looking for.
In 1983, Jack won an Oscar, which he shared with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings, for the song "Up Where We Belong" from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. He was also nominated for Best Original Score that year.
Jack's son, Jack M. Nitzsche Jr. is also in the movie industry. He works as a boom operator. His most recent films include Stigmata and To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday.
Click here for more information on Jack Nitzsche from the Internet Movie Database.
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