Composer, Arranger, Conductor. Captivated by music during his early youth, he began writing prior to the age of ten and at eleven submitted an arrangement of "Stardust" to be performed by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. A self-taught instrumentalist, he mastered the trumpet during his junior high school years and gained experience playing nightly at a hotel in San Francisco. After briefly attending San Francisco State University, he would be mentored by Mario Castelnuoyo-Tedesco and launch his career in Hollywood. His break came when he landed a job with NBC Radio as a staff composer and arranger, and following service with the US Army (with whom he was stationed in Europe), he returned to work as a music instructor in a Los Angeles-area school for several years. During the 1950s, Garcia moved onto motion pictures beginning with "Radar Secret Service" (1950), while contributing arrangements to the Charlie Chaplin film "Limelight" (1952) and "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954). He recorded the album "Wigville" (1955) and served as conductor and arranger for Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's album "Porgy and Bess" (1957). This was followed by his acclaimed recording "Fantastica: Music From Outer Space" (1959). Garcia may perhaps be best remembered for his music score to the classic science-fiction film "The Time Machine" (1960) and from 1965 to 1966, he was the main contributor to the TV series "Laredo." After serving as an arranger with bandleader Stan Kenton, he abandoned his career in 1966, purchased a sail boat and with his wife embarked on a trip around the world. He settled in New Zealand after falling in love with the country and served as a conductor for their orchestra.
Composer, Arranger, Conductor. Captivated by music during his early youth, he began writing prior to the age of ten and at eleven submitted an arrangement of "Stardust" to be performed by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. A self-taught instrumentalist, he mastered the trumpet during his junior high school years and gained experience playing nightly at a hotel in San Francisco. After briefly attending San Francisco State University, he would be mentored by Mario Castelnuoyo-Tedesco and launch his career in Hollywood. His break came when he landed a job with NBC Radio as a staff composer and arranger, and following service with the US Army (with whom he was stationed in Europe), he returned to work as a music instructor in a Los Angeles-area school for several years. During the 1950s, Garcia moved onto motion pictures beginning with "Radar Secret Service" (1950), while contributing arrangements to the Charlie Chaplin film "Limelight" (1952) and "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954). He recorded the album "Wigville" (1955) and served as conductor and arranger for Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's album "Porgy and Bess" (1957). This was followed by his acclaimed recording "Fantastica: Music From Outer Space" (1959). Garcia may perhaps be best remembered for his music score to the classic science-fiction film "The Time Machine" (1960) and from 1965 to 1966, he was the main contributor to the TV series "Laredo." After serving as an arranger with bandleader Stan Kenton, he abandoned his career in 1966, purchased a sail boat and with his wife embarked on a trip around the world. He settled in New Zealand after falling in love with the country and served as a conductor for their orchestra.
Bio by: C.S.
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