John Harry Cacavas (August 13, 1930 – January 28, 2014) was an American composer, conductor, and arranger, best known for his television scores. He was the principal composer for the television series Kojak (1973–1978) and also composed its second main title theme for the fifth and final season.
Early Life and Education
Cacavas was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1930. His father was a Greek emigrant and his mother was born in North Dakota. He had a fraternal twin sister, Jeanne, and three other siblings. He displayed an early talent for music, forming a local band at age 14 and starting a school dance band called "The Golden Blues" at age 16. He studied musical composition at Northwestern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree.
During his military service, Cacavas was assigned to Washington, D.C., where he worked as an arranger for the United States Army Band. There he met Charles Osgood, with whom he later collaborated on musical compositions and recordings.
Career
In the 1960s, Cacavas and Osgood collaborated on several projects, including U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen's recording of Gallant Men, which won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording.
While working in London in the 1970s, Cacavas met actor Telly Savalas, who helped him transition into film scoring. He scored Savalas's 1972 cult horror film Horror Express and subsequently moved to Hollywood, where he began composing scores for television series and made-for-TV movies.
Television Work
Cacavas's most noted work was as chief composer for Kojak (1973–1978). His extensive television credits include scoring for Hawaii Five-O, The Bionic Woman, Mrs. Columbo, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He also composed for numerous television movies, including The Elevator (1974), Friendly Persuasion (1975), Murder at the World Series (1977), SST: Death Flight (1977), Superdome (1978), The Time Machine (1978), and The Executioner's Song (1982). Later television work included the miniseries Jenny's War (1985), Confessional (1989), and Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (2000).
Film Work
Cacavas's notable film scores include two entries in the Airport series: Airport 1975 and Airport '77. He also composed the score for the Hammer film The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), as well as Hangar 18 (1980), Gangster Wars (1981), Mortuary (1983), and They're Playing with Fire (1984).
Other Notable Works
Cacavas is known for his composition "Flute Poem," which was used as the opening theme for Hinterland Who's Who, a series of Canadian public service announcements profiling wild animals. He also composed and arranged many works for school bands and music students, with publications through Hal Leonard Corporation and Alfred Music Publishers.
Personal Life and Later Years
Cacavas wrote and published his autobiography, It's More than Do-Re-Mi: My Life in Music (2004). He lived in Beverly Hills, California, and London, UK, with his wife, Bonetta Becker Cacavas. He was an accomplished chef. He died on January 28, 2014, at his home in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 83.
