Ian Underwood, Sound - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

Back

Back

Top

Korplix
Korean Online
Content Archives

0
0.2029

Ian Underwood
Sound

Ian Underwood
Known For
Sound
Birthday
1939-05-22,New York City, New York
Gender
Male
Biography
Ian Robertson Underwood (born May 22, 1939) is a woodwind and keyboards player, who was a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention. Following the original band's split in late 1969, Underwood continued to work with Zappa extensively during the 1970s. Underwood graduated from The Choate School in 1957 and Yale University with a bachelor's degree in composition in 1961 and a master's degree in composition at UC Berkeley in 1966. He began his career by playing San Francisco Bay Area coffeehouses and bars with his improvisational group, the Jazz Mice, in the mid-1960s before he became a member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in 1967 for their third studio album, We're Only in It for the Money. He speaks on Uncle Meat; on the track "Ian Underwood Whips It Out" he relates how he first met Zappa and demonstrated his capabilities on the saxophone at Zappa's invitation. Underwood later worked with Frank Zappa on his solo recordings, including 1969's Hot Rats. He married Ruth Komanoff (Underwood), marimbist/percussionist from the Mothers of Invention in May 1969. Underwood left the Mothers of Invention in September 1973. He and Ruth divorced in 1986. After his association with Frank Zappa, he pursued a career as a session keyboardist. Underwood has since been proficient on the Minimoog synthesizer, mostly in film. He has been credited in recordings for Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Ronee Blakley, Hugh Cornwell, Freddie Hubbard, Jean-Luc Ponty, Herb Alpert, Hugh Masekela, Peggy Lee, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Janet Jackson, Dave Grusin, Jefferson Airplane, Frankie Valli, the Carpenters, James Ingram, and Barry Manilow. Underwood was also one of the musicians who played the main title theme for the 1980s hit series Knight Rider. Underwood was the uncredited producer of the debut album by Alice Cooper, Pretties For You, in 1969. Underwood contributed synthesizers and programming to the historic recording of the Michael Jackson/Lionel Richie single "We Are the World" (produced by Quincy Jones in 1985); he has also been a featured performer (mostly on keyboard) with James Horner on numerous James Horner film scores including Titanic (1997) and Sneakers (1992).

Filmography

Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note

7

Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note
2002-06-20

Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die

0

Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die
2000-07-02

6.286

Uncle Meat
1987-01-01

The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels

7.333

The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
1988-01-01

Video from Hell

7.25

Video from Hell
1987-02-28

Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation

6.5

Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (') Over-Nite Sensation
2007-05-01

Burnt Weeny Sandwich

0

Burnt Weeny Sandwich
1969-04-30

Frank Zappa - Freak Jazz, Movie Madness & Another Mothers

8

Frank Zappa - Freak Jazz, Movie Madness & Another Mothers
2014-10-01

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

7.389

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
2016-05-03

7.254

Zappa
2020-11-27

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968

0

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968
2024-06-21

Frank Zappa: The Freak Out List

0

Frank Zappa: The Freak Out List
2010-04-19

5.198

200 Motels
1971-11-10

Frank Zappa: Opopoppa Stockholm, Sweden

0

Frank Zappa: Opopoppa Stockholm, Sweden
1973-09-10

7.7

Classic Albums
1997-04-14