James Bond theme composer Monty Norman dies aged 94
- The twangy, menacing piece of music has been used in all 25 films revolving around the suave British secret agent
- John Barry, who was hired to arrange the theme, was widely assumed to be the composer, and Norman had to sue to assert his authorship
Monty Norman, a British composer who wrote the theme tune for the James Bond films, has died. He was 94.
A statement posted on Norman’s official website on Monday said: “It is with sadness we share the news that Monty Norman died on 11th July 2022 after a short illness.”
Norman was hired by producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli to compose a theme for the first James Bond film, Dr No, released in 1962.
He drew on a piece he had written for a proposed musical adaptation of V.S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas, shifting the key riff from sitar to electric guitar. The result – twangy, propulsive, menacing – has been used in all 25 Bond thrillers.
Producers hired composer John Barry to rearrange the theme, and Barry was widely assumed to have written it – to Norman’s chagrin.
