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Mystery Gari's


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I was digging through old commercials earlier and came across an early 1980's Pepsi campaign that has a Frank Gari vibe.

 

(Embedding is disabled, should start at 12:16)

 

The musical accompaniment for the lyrics "You're the Pepsi Generation/Sharing One Great Taste for Life!" reminds me of "The One for All" ("For all the ways you're growing/Reaching out and standing tall!") which Gari released around the same time. I can't tell if he's the one singing, but it does kinda sound like it.

 

Frank's non-news work always seems to get brushed over. His Wikipedia page references a whopping three non-news jingles out of "hundreds more", before going into detal about every news music package he may have sneezed during a recording of. Has anyone found other non-news commercial jingles that sound like a Gari campaign? Or found confirmation that he was behind them? I'm convinced that he also did many news campaigns that aren't credited to him, but I'd like to keep this thread limited to commercials.

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Here are some...

 

Ad Age, 1987:

 

"Using Mr. O'Neill's lyrics, Mr. Gari recently wrote the music for Group W's "For Kids' Sake" public service campaign airing in 100 markets."

 

"Later he moved into jingles for WEWS TV-5 and local commercial work for The Plain Dealer and American Greetings Corp."

 

"He created the Home Box Office theme "Make the Magic Shine," which began running in spring 1985 and separated HBO from its "white-picket-fence image," said Tim Miller, a former HBO executive, now VP-advertising and promotion, East Coast, NBC.

 

The theme was adopted from the Chaka Khan song "Tonight's the Night."

 

Earlier, Mr. Gari created "HBO Brings Them Home," with a pop Phil Collins beat and rewrote it again for a Patti LaBelle blues gospel sound."

 

"The sassy sax theme for the nationally syndicated "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is a Frank Gari creation. ... Mr. Gari dressed up Phil Donahue's memorable musical theme with a jazzier beat.

 

His commercial clients have included national advertisers such as Bank of America ("Out in Front With Bank of America") and J.M. Smucker Co. ("I Like to Spread Some Happiness on My Toast" and "With a Name Like Smucker's It Has to Be Good.")

 

Other credits include Kelly Springfield Tires and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Corp.

 

Mr. Gari recently spread his elbows into TV programming. He did the theme song for "Live Quest," a television series that has yet to be sold. The documentary on health in the 20th century was funded by Westinghouse Electric Corp."

 

One 2008 article, mostly about Hello, notes Gari

 

"...also wrote “Be a Pepper” for Dr Pepper and “Be All You Can Be” for the Army"

 

He wrote "Philadelphia Pride", the signature theme of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, and "The World is Coming to Atlanta" for the 1996 Olympics (which also wormed its way into pieces of the NBC Collection).

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"He created the Home Box Office theme "Make the Magic Shine," which began running in spring 1985 and separated HBO from its "white-picket-fence image," said Tim Miller, a former HBO executive, now VP-advertising and promotion, East Coast, NBC.

 

The theme was adopted from the Chaka Khan song "Tonight's the Night."

Here is said promo, and while to me it doesn't sound very Gari-ish (likely due to being an existing song), it's damn catchy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=kFPDoUD4_VQ;t=16

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Interesting thread!

 

I didn't know until recently that Gari did

that were used across CBS' Oldies stations in the 80s and 90s. Brings me back to memories of being in the car with mom and listening to WOGL constantly...

 

He wrote "Philadelphia Pride", the signature theme of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, and "The World is Coming to Atlanta" for the 1996 Olympics (which also wormed its way into pieces of the NBC Collection).

"Philadelphia Pride" is actually the KYW version of the Stand Up/Turn To campaign. I'd LOVE to know how that turned into the signature theme of the Boys Choir. I did a spit take when I heard them performing it.

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