David Buttolph

Who was David Buttolph?

David Buttolph was a film composer who scored over 300 movies in his career. Born in New York City, Buttolph showed musical talent at an early age, and eventually studied music formally. After earning a music degree, Buttolph moved to Europe in 1923 and studied in Austria and Germany supporting himself as a nightclub pianist. He returned to the U.S. in 1927 and, a few years later, began working for NBC radio network as an arranger and conductor. In 1933, Buttolph moved to Los Angeles and began working in films. Buttolph's best work, according to many, was his work as an arranger on Alfred Newman-directed The Mark of Zorro.

In the mid-1950s, Buttolph started to write scores television, the most memorable being the theme for the TV western Maverick with the same music appearing in his score of The Lone Ranger. He continued write music for television, many times westerns until his retirement in 1963.