Disney Music

In addition to books, I’ve had a second career producing media. One of my most gratifying jobs was as director of product development for Walt Disney Records. That job also involved history.   

When I arrived on the Disney lot in Burbank, one of my favorite places to hang out was the Walt Disney Archives, with founder Dave Smith (pictured) and archivist Paula Sigmon Lowery. There I explored the remarkable story of Walt Disney and his creations, and that story found its way into my job.   

With Dave and Paula’s help, I planned and produced Disney’s first compact disc, the digital soundtrack to Fantasia. The second and third CDs were a two-volume retrospective of Disney’s movie music, The Disney Collection. For all three projects we tracked down the earliest and best master recordings and wrote liner notes detailing the history.  

My favorite project was a lovingly edited and expanded soundtrack of Mary Poppins, which we produced for the first time on CD.   I collaborated with legendary recording engineers Shawn Murphy and Bruce Botnick and was privileged to work with the film’s songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, two of the most delightful people you could ever hope to meet. 

Dave Smith spent 40 years as the keeper of Walt Disney’s legacy.

Shawn Murphy won a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Classical, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Bruce Botnick was film composer Jerry Goldsmith’s recording engineer, as well as of the Doors, where he was known as the fifth Door.

Richard and Robert Sherman wrote songs for “Winnie the Pooh,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Aristocats,” and dozens of other films.