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To the average person on the street, the name Sam Spence probably means very little. But the mention of National Football League Films Music will instantly bring a smile of recognition. NFL Films music is so popular in America that Spence enjoys celebrity status without anyone but a select few knowing who he really is. His music is ubiquitous being heard in several popular television shows such as The Simpsons, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond and Sponge Bob, to name just a few.

Spence was born in San Francisco, California. His interest in music led him to put together a 16 piece swing band in high school in Salinas, California. At USC, he studied music for several years and formed another band. After furthering his music composition studies at the Ecole de Music in Paris, under Arthur Honegger, he then took a job composing and conducting music in Austria. This eventually led to Spence gaining plenty of experience scoring films and TV series in Germany. Spence would end up living in Munich Germany because it had five full-time symphony orchestras. He had done many TV series in Germany and a few international films.

By the time Spence joined the NFL in 1966, he was already an accomplished composer. Spence’s NFL Films work meant a substantial output of music. “At one time I figured out that I’d done the equivalent of about 40 Mozart symphonies, or around 700 titles in 35 years.”

During Spence’s prodigious career, he’s had an amazing range of style in his music, from jazz to rock, from classical to big band, from folk to disco and even synthesizer music. You name it and Spence has composed it. Many people have asked Spence how he is able to write so many different kinds of music. He sums it up succinctly by saying, if you can hear it in your head, you can write it. Since putting together his 16 piece swing band in high school, he is still writing for full symphony orchestra to this very day.

recent release:

"Sam Spence - our man in Munich" (CD, ASM 025, Allscore, 2007)

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