Paul Buckmaster has been played on NTS shows including Whits & Giggles, with Sleepwalk first played on 16 July 2020.

Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger, conductor and composer.

He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with Elton John and with The Rolling Stones in the 1970s.

He began learning the cello at the age of four and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music at age 21.

Buckmaster displayed professional mastery as a cellist. However, he soon started his career as an orchestral arranger on various hit songs, including David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (1969), and contributed orchestral collaborations on a number of early albums by Elton John (1969-72) and on The Rolling Stones' album Sticky Fingers (1971).

Buckmaster also helped Miles Davis with the preparation of On the Corner (1972). He wrote the arrangements for the studio sessions, in which he also participated, at Davis' request, by humming bass lines and rhythms to lead the musicians. The arrangements he wrote were often used as a starting point to be transformed until what was being played bore no resemblance to what he had written. This was in keeping with the Stockhausian approach that Buckmaster had been discussing with Davis in the weeks leading up to the session.

Buckmaster also played with Bowie and his band on the recordings for the original soundtrack to the science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which David Bowie starred as Thomas Jerome Newton. Buckmaster himself told in the book 60 Years of Bowie that he had played cello on the original soundtrack recordings. Also Carlos Alomar, J. Peter Robinson and others were involved. Buckmaster: "There were a couple of medium tempo rock instrumental pieces, with simple motifs and rifly kind of grooves, with a line-up of David's rhythm section (Carlos Alomar et al.) plus J Peter Robinson on Fender Rhodes and me on cello and some synth overdubs, using ARP Odyssey and Solina. There was also a piece I wrote and performed using some beautifully made mbiras (African thumb pianos) I had purchased earlier that year, plus cello, all done by multiple overdubbing." Later film-director Nicolas Roeg decided not to use the recordings but existing songs as soundtrack for the movie.

Buckmaster also wrote some instrumental tracks for the 1974 Harry Nilsson film Son of Dracula, and composed the original score for Terry Gilliam's science fiction hit 12 Monkeys (Universal, 1995), which starred Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt.

Buckmaster won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for Drops of Jupiter.

Selected discography

Year Artist Song Album Notes 2016 Max&Friends "Dove c'è amore" "Arrivi Tu"

"Acqua"

"Sabato Sera"

"Una parte del tutto"

"Felice"

"Terra mia"

Max&Friends Co-composer Arranger

2016 Idina Menzel "Extraordinary" "Show Me" "Everybody Knows" "Small World" "I Do" "I See You" "Like Lightning" "Last Time" idina. Arranger 2016 Heart "I Jump" "City's Burning" "Sweet Darlin" "Language of Love" Beautiful Broken Arranger 2015 The Tenors "I Remember You" Under One Sky Arranger 2014 Hunter Hayes "…interlude" Storyline Arranger/Conductor 2014 Ferras feat. Katy Perry "Legends Never Die" Ferras Arranger/Conductor 2013 Goo Goo Dolls "When The World Breaks Your Heart" Magnetic Arranger/Conductor 2012 Ben Folds Five "On Being Frank" "Away When You Were Here" The Sound of the Life of the Mind Arranger/Conductor 2010 Taylor Swift "Back to December" "Haunted" Speak Now Arranger/Conductor 2009 Mika "I See You" The Boy Who Knew Too Much Arranger/Conductor 2008 Guns N' Roses "Street of Dreams" "There Was A Time" "Madagascar" "Prostitute" Chinese Democracy Arranger/Conductor 2007 The Bravery "The Ocean" The Sun and the Moon Arranger/Conductor 2007 Mika "Happy Ending" Life in Cartoon Motion Arranger/Conductor 2007 Katharine McPhee "Ordinary World" Katharine McPhee Arranger/Conductor 2007 Michael Bublé "Lost" Call Me Irresponsible Arranger/Conductor 2007 Mig Ayesa "Baby I Love Your Way" "Kiss From a Rose" "Who Wants to Live Forever" "Can't Find My Home" "Life on Mars" "Wrapped Around Your Finger" Mig Arranger/Conductor 2006 Ben Folds "Still" Over the Hedge (Soundtrack) Arranger/Conductor 2006 New Found Glory "When I Die" "Boulders" Coming Home Arranger/Conductor 2006 Kenny Rogers "Water & Bridges" "One Life" Water & Bridges Arranger/Conductor 2006 Jesse McCartney "Invincible" Right Where You Want Me Arranger/Conductor 2006 Bianca Ryan "Awake" Bianca Ryan Arranger/Conductor 2005 Bon Jovi "Wildflower" Have a Nice Day Arranger/Conductor 2005 Carrie Underwood "Lessons Learned" "Starts With Goodbye" Some Hearts Arranger/Conductor 2005 Faith Hill "Paris" Fireflies Arranger/Conductor 2005 Ben Folds "Landed" Songs for Silverman Arranger/Conductor 2005 The Wallflowers "Beautiful Side of Somewhere" Rebel, Sweetheart Arranger/Conductor 2005 The Darkness "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" "Girlfriend" "Blind Man" One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back Arranger/Conductor 2005 Nerina Pallot "Geek Love" "Idaho" Fires Arranger/Conductor 2004 Keith Urban "Tonight I Wanna Cry" "She's Gotta Be" Be Here Arranger/Conductor 2004 Tears for Fears "Secret World" Everybody Loves a Happy Ending Arranger/Conductor 2004 Third Day "Wire" "It's a Shame" Wire Arranger/Conductor 2003 Train "Lincoln Avenue" "Your Every Color" My Private Nation Arranger/Conductor 2003 The Thorns "No Blue Sky" The Thorns Arranger/Conductor 2003 Something Corporate "The Runaway" "Me and the Moon" North Arranger/Conductor/Performer 2003 Beth Hart "I'll Stay With You" Leave the Light On Arranger/Conductor 2003 Luis Miguel "Nos Hizo Falta Tiempo" 33 Arranger/Conductor 2003 Live "Run Away" Birds of Pray Arranger/Conductor 2003 Wilshire "In Your Arms" "Tonight" New Universe Arranger/Conductor 2002 Faith Hill "You're Still Here" "Safest Place to Hide" Cry Arranger/Conductor 2002 Tim McGraw "She's My Kind of Rain" Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors Arranger/Conductor 2002 Something Corporate "Punk Rock Princess" "The Astronaut" "Cavanaugh Park" "Not What It Seems" "Globes And Maps" Leaving Through the Window Arranger/Conductor 2001 Train "Drops of Jupiter" Drops of Jupiter Arranger/Conductor 2002 Grammy Winner Arrangement of the Year 2001 Elton John "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore" "Original Sin" "Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes" "Mansfield" "Emperor's New Clothes" Songs from the West Coast Arranger/Conductor 2000 No Doubt "Too Late (Reprise)" (Hidden instrumental track) Return of Saturn Arranger/Conductor 1999 Julio Iglesias Jr Under My Eyes Arranger/Conductor 1999 Tal Bachman "Beside You" "You're My Everything" Tal Bachman Arranger/Conductor 1999 Lara Fabian "Sola Otra Vez" Lara Fabian Arranger 1998 Des'ree "Time" Supernatural Arranger/Conductor 1997 Collective Soul "She Said" Scream 2 Soundtrack Arranger/Conductor/Co-composer 1996 Counting Crows "Daylight Fading" "I'm Not Sleeping" "Another Horsedreamer's Blues" Recovering the Satellites Arranger/Conductor 1996 Celine Dion "Falling into You" Falling into You Arranger/Conductor 1995 Elton John "Believe" "Belfast" "House" "Cold" Made in England Composer/Arranger/Conductor 1993 Dwight Yoakam "Ain't That Lonely Yet" "Try Not to Look So Pretty" This Time Arranger/Conductor 1994 Grammy Winner Best Male Country Vocal Performance 1992 Lionel Richie "My Destiny" "Love, Oh Love" Back to Front Arranger/Conductor 1991 Kenny Loggins "Cody's Song" "Too Early for the Sun" Leap of Faith Arranger/Conductor 1991 Lloyd Cole Don't Get Weird on Me Babe Arranger/Conductor 1985 Mick Jagger "Hard Woman" She's the Boss Arranger/Conductor 1983 Nick Heyward North of a Miracle Arranger 1983 Stevie Nicks "Beauty and the Beast" The Wild Heart Arranger/Conductor 1978 Elton John A Single Man Arranger/Conductor 1977 Grateful Dead Terrapin Station Arranger/Conductor entire Side Two of Album 1976 Elton John Blue Moves Arranger/Conductor 1975 Thijs van Leer O My Love Arranger/Conductor 1974 Miles Davis "Ife" Big Fun Arranger/Conductor 1974 Carly Simon "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" Hotcakes Arranger/Conductor 1973 Elton John "Have Mercy on the Criminal" "Blues for My Baby and Me" Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Arranger/Conductor 1973 Shawn Phillips "Lady of the Blue Rose" Bright White Arranger/Conductor 1973 Blood, Sweat & Tears No Sweat Arranger/Conductor 1972 Miles Davis On the Corner Arranger/Conductor 1972 Carly Simon "You're So Vain" No Secrets Arranger/Conductor 1971 Elton John "Tiny Dancer" "Levon" Madman Across the Water Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album) 1971 Rolling Stones "Moonlight Mile" "Sway" Sticky Fingers Arranger/Conductor 1971 Leonard Cohen Songs of Love and Hate Arranger/Conductor 1971 Harry Nilsson "Without You" Nilsson Schmilsson Arranger/Conductor 1971 Elton John
"Variations on "Friends" Theme" "Variations on Michelle's Song" "I Mean To Do My Work Today" "Four Moods"

Friends Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album) 1970 Elton John Tumbleweed Connection Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album) 1970 Elton John "Your Song" "Border Song" "The Greatest Discovery" (cello Intro) Elton John Arranger/Conductor/Musical Director (Full Album) 1970 Shawn Phillips "F Sharp Splendor" (instrumental) Second Contribution Arranger/Musical Director/Keyboards (Full Album) 1970 Mick Farren "Mona, The Whole Trip" Mona – The Carnivorous Circus Solo cello 1969 David Bowie "Space Oddity" "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" Space Oddity Arranger/Cellist/Conductor 1969 The Bee Gees - Odessa - cello