Charles Fox just received a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame. No one deserves it more.
Charles Fox’s music has been a constant in our lives, in all genres of music. He composed the music for more than 100 films including “Barbarella,” “9 to 5,” and “Goodbye Columbus.” He’s wrote the iconic theme songs for television including “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley,” “Love American Style,” “Wonder Woman,” and more. He composed the themes for “ABC Wide World Of Sports” and “Monday Night Football.”
A two time Oscar nominee and a two time Emmy winner, he also wrote the Grammy Award winning song “Killing Me Softly With His Song” as well as Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name,” Barry Manilow’s “Ready To Take A Chance Again,” among other hits. He’s composed numerous concert and chamber music works and ballets. It’s incredible to think this one person has this depth but he does. Apple TV + currently has a wonderful not-to-be missed doc on him called “Killing Me Softly With His Songs.”
Songwriter Diane Warren first spoke about her good pal. “I’ve known for years about Charlie’s credits as a composer and songwriter in virtually every genre. But I’ve know your music my whole entire life. What makes you amazing is not only your brilliant body of work, but you are one of the most kindest wonderful human beings I’ve ever met. You deserve to be walked all over!”
Hit songwriter Paul Williams spoke next.
“Songwriters are the spiritual giants of the industry, but Charlie makes us all look like heathens. He’s the most normal human I’ve ever met in my life. It’s unnerving. Charlie has a genre blind spot. He trained to be a classical musician but he first started working with Tito Puente. He’s done it all, his heart extends to his music. His elegance and kindness, he’s passed that on to all of us. I’ve known him for almost fifty years, but there was an empty decade there. In the eighties I was gone. Charlie hadn’t gone anywhere, but I had. I had fallen into the depth of my own addiction, my alcoholism. But 34 years ago when I got out if it, I saw Charlie and he didn’t say where had I been? He said welcome back. That’s the essence of him.”
Charles Fox is indeed one of a kind, to know him is to love him.
Photo: Isabella Costa
