W. G. Snuffy Walden

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W. G. Walden
Interview at the BMI Awards (2010)
Background information
Also known as	Snuffy Walden W. G. Snuffy Walden
Born	February 13, 1950 (1950-02-13) (age 61)
Genres	Instrumental
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1973–present
Associated acts	Stray Dog The Eric Burdon Band Free
Website	www.wgsnuffywalden.com

W. G. Walden (also known as Snuffy Walden or W. G. Snuffy Walden) is a musician and composer for television shows. He has been awarded or nominated for numerous Emmy Awards and BMI Awards.^[1]^[2]

1 Early life
2 Early music career
3 Professional success
4 Awards and nominations
5 Discography
6 Filmography
7 References
8 External links

Early life

William Garrett Walden was born in Louisiana on February 13, 1950, and raised in Houston, Texas.^[3] He graduated from Lamar High School in Houston in 1968. In college he studied science and math, and put himself through school working on a late-night radio show at KRBE in Houston, and playing guitar in a strip club.^[4]

Early music career

In the late 1960s, Walden dropped out of school, quit his job, and devoted his eneries to the guitar full-time. In 1968, he formed the group Stray Dog, a blues-based rock trio, and together they moved to England. Following the breakup of Stray Dog, Walden teamed up with the English rock singer Paul Rodgers for what would be the last configuration of the rock group Free. Walden replaced the ailing Paul Kossoff on Free's final album Heartbreaker, which was released in 1973. In 1973, he joined The Eric Burdon Band and performed with them for a year.^[5]^[6]

In 1973, Walden moved to Los Angeles and spent the rest of the decade performing as a solo artist, and supporting artists such as Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, and Eric Burdon. By the mid-1980s, television agents and producers became aware of Walden through his local performances in Santa Monica. When approached to score a new television show, Walden had mixed feelings, but accepted the offer. "I could see the handwriting on the wall for touring," he would later remember, "and it wasn't pretty. I kept envisioning Holiday Inn at age 60." The television show he was hired for was thirtysomething, which turned out to be a major hit television series, and dramatically altered Walden's music career.^[7]^[8]

Professional success

Following his successful debut as a television composer for thirtysomething, Walden was contacted by the producer on another new television show called The Wonder Years, which had the fortune of premiering right after Super Bowl XXII. Walden scored the pilot episode, and then went on to score the series, which also became a hit. For the end credits, he recorded his unique version of The Beatles' song "A Little Help from My Friends".

Throughout the 1990s, Walden scored numerous television shows and series, including Roseanne, Ellen, My So-Called Life, Felicity, Early Edition, Sports Night, The West Wing, The George Lopez Show, I'll Fly Away, The Stand, Huff, Once and Again, Friday Night Lights, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

In the summer of 2001, Walden released a solo album of mainly acoustic guitar pieces titled Music by... W. G. Snuffy Walden. The "elegance and glowing warmth of the compositions" permiated the entire album. Avoiding the obvious temptation to release a greatest hits compilation of his television hits, Walden chose to explore and expand his musical vocabulary. Walden's playing always "evoked character and emotion through sometimes deceptively simple melodic motives." For example, "Felicity's Theme" surrounds the beautiful melody with "gentle harmonics" creating a poignant effect. The album also includes expanded or full versions of many of Walden's themes, such as "Once and Again", "Eugene's Ragtop", "Thirtysomething (Revisited)", and "West Wing Suite".^[9]

In 2002, a comprehensive interview with Walden was conducted by Tom Guerra for Vintage Guitar Magazine. Walden announced that he would team up with a 60-piece orchestra to compose the film adaptation of The Umbrella Academy. This will be the first time he has scored a movie since Leaving Normal. Walden is now working with YouTube artists, including Jake Coco, to help them to produce covers and original songs. Walden serves as an artistic advisor to the BMI Foundation.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

2007 Emmy Nomination for Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) – Kidnapped
2005 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music – Huff
2003 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music – Miracles
2001 Emmy Nomination for Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) – The West Wing
2000 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music – The West Wing
2000 Emmy Nomination for Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) – Felicity
1997 Emmy Nomination for Main Title Theme Music – Early Edition
1997 Emmy Nomination for Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) – Early Edition
1995 Emmy Nomination for Main Title Theme Music – My So-Called Life
1994 Emmy Nomination for Best Original Score – The Stand
1992 Emmy Nomination for Main Title Theme Music – I'll Fly Away
1988 Emmy Nomination for Main Title Theme Music – thirtysomething^[10]

BMI Awards

Richard Kirk Ward BMI Award for Outstanding Career Achievement (2001)
Men of a Certain Age (2010)
The West Wing (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
The Norm Show (1999)
Providence (1999, 2000,^[11], 2002, 2003)
The Drew Carey Show (1997,^[12] 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Ellen (1994, 1995)
Roseanne (1994, 1995, 1996)
The Jackie Thomas Show (1993)
The Wonder Years (1988, 1989, 1990^[13])

Discography

Solo albums

Music by... W. G. Snuffy Walden (2001, Windham Hill Records)

Stray Dog albums

While You're Down There (1974)
Fasten Your Seat Belts (1973)
Stray Dog (1973)

Compilation albums

Friday Night Lights Vol. 2 (2010)
Windham Hill Chill 2 (2003, Windham Hill Records)
Windham Hill Chill: Ambient Acoustic (2003, Windham Hill Records)
A Windham Hill Christmas (2002, Windham Hill Records)
A Winter's Solstice, Vol. 1: Silver Anniversary Edition (2001, Windham Hill Records)
Touch - Windham Hill 25 Years of Guitar (2001, Windham Hill Records)
Celtic Christmas IV (1998, Windham Hill Records)
Sounds Of Wood & Steel (1998, Windham Hill Records)
Summer Solstice 2 (1998, Windham Hill Records)
The Carols Of Christmas II (1997, Windham Hill Records)
Celtic Christmas III (1997, Windham Hill Records)
A Winter's Solstice VI (1997, Windham Hill Records)
My-So Called Life Soundtrack (1995, Atlantic Records)
The Stand (1994, ABC Circle Music)
Babylon Minstrels (1992, Hollywood Records)
thirtysomething Soundtrack (1991, Geffen Records)