Kurt Farquhar
Kurt Farquhar is a Los Angeles-based television and film composer. Farquhar is a seven-time BMI award winner, including four for The King of Queens.[1] one for The Game and two for Being Mary Jane. He is best known for composing the scores for The King of Queens, Girlfriends, Sister, Sister, Moesha, Being Mary Jane, The Game, Black Lightning, and Real Husbands of Hollywood. Farquhar's career is notable for having scored more prime-time television series than any other African-American composer to date.
A native of Chicago, he is the youngest of five children. He is the younger brother of television producer and writer Ralph Farquhar, and the two have worked together on several shows.[2]
Farquhar musical education took him from the streets of Chicago to the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, The National Conservatory of Music in Versailles, France, and Eastern Illinois University, where he studied with noted percussion teacher Johnny Lane.[2] By the age of 12, Farquhar had already written his first symphonic work. During his early 20s, Farquhar performed with various jazz artists most notably Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Freddie Hubbard.[3]
In his late twenties, Farquhar was the lead singer of the band Big Slamm. They released their first single, "Livin' Large," on Modern Records. This song went on to become the end title for the pilot episode of Livin' Large, produced by Stephen J. Cannell. Farquhar went on to create theme songs and scores for a multitude of television shows and feature films.[2]
Farquhar is also the founder and CEO of True Music, a prominent music licensing catalog operating out of Pasadena, California, which has licensed music throughout broadcast and cable television as well as feature films.[4]
Works
Television
| Title | Year | Network |
|---|---|---|
| The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder | 2021 | Disney+ |
| Kidnapped: The Kamiyah Mobley Story | 2020 | Lifetime TV Movie |
| American Soul: The Untold Story Of Soul Train | 2019-Present | BET |
| Games People Play | 2019-Present | BET |
| Ambitions | 2019 | OWN |
| Being Mary Jane (TV Movie) | 2019 | BET TV Movie |
| The Neighborhood | 2018-Present | CBS |
| Black Lightning | 2018-Present | The CW |
| In Contempt | 2018 | BET |
| Russell Simmons: All Def Comedy | 2017 | HBO |
| Furst Born | 2016 | CBS Scored Pilot |
| Winning Ugly | 2016 | Fox Scored Pilot |
| Saints & Sinners | 2016–Present | Bounce TV |
| The Quad (TV Series) | 2016–Present | BET |
| The Quad (TV Movie) | 2016 | BET TV Movie |
| Media | 2016 | TV One TV Movie |
| Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | 2016 | BET TV Movie |
| Stitchers | 2015-2017 | Freeform |
| Second Sight | 2016 | TV One TV Movie |
| Zoe Ever After | 2016 | BET |
| Here We Go Again | 2016 | TV One |
| The Adventures of Baxter and McGuire | 2006 | Comedy Central |
| The Sinbad Show | 1994 | Fox |
| South Central | 1994 | Fox |
| My Brother and Me | 1994–1995 | Nickelodeon |
| Under One Roof | 1995 | CBS |
| C Bear and Jamal | 1996–1997 | Fox |
| Smart Guy | 1997–1999 | The WB |
| Ned and Stacey | 1995–1997 | Fox |
| Cousin Skeeter | 1998–2001 | Nickelodeon |
| Sister, Sister | 1994–1999 | ABC/The WB |
| Commitments | 2001 | BET TV Movie |
| Moesha | 1996–2001 | UPN |
| Play'd: A Hip Hop Story | 2002 | VH1 TV Movie |
| The Parkers | 1999–2004 | UPN |
| One on One | 2001–2006 | UPN Season 2 & 3 Only |
| Soul Food | 2000–2004 | Showtime |
| Keke & Jamal | 2005 | Disney Channel TV Movie |
| Second Time Around | 2004–2005 | UPN |
| The Proud Family | 2001–2005 | ABC/Disney Channel |
| Love, Inc. | 2005–2006 | UPN |
| The King of Queens | 1998–2007 | CBS (Starting 3rd Season) |
| All of Us | 2003–2007 | UPN/The CW |
| Girlfriends | 2000–2008 | UPN/The CW |
| Just Jordan | 2007–2008 | Nickelodeon |
| Gym Teacher: The Movie | 2008 | Nickelodeon TV Movie |
| Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices | 2009 | HBO |
| Lincoln Heights | 2007–2009 | Freeform |
| K-Ci & JoJo... Come Clean | 2010 | TV One Docu-series |
| Free Agents | 2011 | NBC |
| Triggers: Weapons That Changed the World | 2011–2013 | American Heroes Channel |
| Real Husbands of Hollywood | 2013–2016 | BET |
| Dancing in September | 2000 | HBO TV Movie |
| A.N.T. Farm | 2011 | Disney Channel Scored The Pilot Only |
| Single Ladies | 2011–2015 | BET Her/Centric/VH1 Seasons Three and Four |
| Being Mary Jane | 2013–2017 | BET |
| Dark Girls | 2011 | Oprah Winfrey Network TV Movie |
| Light Girls | 2015 | Oprah Winfrey Network TV Movie |
| The Game | 2006–2015 | The CW/BET |
| Stitchers | 2015–2017 | Freeform |
| The Fright Night Files | 2014 | TV One |
| Keyshia Cole: All In | 2015 | BET |
| Reed Between the Lines | 2011 | BET |
| Keyshia & Daniel: Family First | 2012 | BET |
| Soluna | 2004 | Scored Pilot |
| The Next 15 | 2016 | TV One |
| Cuts | 2004 | Scored Pilot |
| Saving Jason | 2003 | Scored Pilot |
| In the House | 1995–1999 | NBC/UPN |
| Def Comedy Jam: Primetime | 1994 | HBO |
| Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes? | 2006–2009 | TV One |
| Blendin | 2006 | Scored Pilot |
| Cousin Skeeter | 1998 | Nickelodeon |
| The Kirk Franklin Show | 1998 | Pilot |
| Claude's Crib | 1997 | USA Network |
| The Famous Jett Jackson | 1998–2001 | Disney Channel |
| Matt Waters | 1996 | CBS |
| Dance 360 | 2004–2005 | Syndication |
| Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is | 2006–2008 | BET |
| The Corner | 2000 | HBO Miniseries |
| Thea | 1993–1994 | ABC |
| Rachel Gunn, R.N. | 1992 | Fox |
| Roc | 1991–1994 | Fox |
| The Royal Family | 1991–1992 | CBS |
| Drexell's Class | 1991–1992 | Fox |
| New Attitude | 1990 | NBC |
| Jackee | 1989 | NBC (Television pilot) |
Film
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| #TwoMinutesOfFame | 2020 | Leslie Small |
| The Counter: 1960 (Short) | 2017 | Tracy "Twinkie" Bird |
| Created Equal | 2017 | Bill Duke |
| The Perfect Match | 2016 | Bille Woodruff |
| What Love Will Make You Do | 2015 | Lisa Haynes |
| Dark Girls | 2012 | Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry |
| 96 Minutes | 2011 | Aimee Lagos |
| Lifted | 2011 | Lexi Alexander |
| Pastor Brown | 2009 | Rockmond Dunbar |
| Not Easily Broken | 2009 | Bill Duke |
| The Adventures of Baxter Baxter & McGuire: The Boss (short) | 2008 | Mike Blum |
| Cover | 2007 | Bill Duke |
| Miles from Home | 2006 | Ty Hodges |
| Gas | 2004 | Henry Chan |
| Room 302 | 2001 | Short Film |
Recordings
- Real Life (composer) - The Pointer Sisters
- Stupid Love (arranger) - Brenda Russell
- Crazy For Your Love (composer) - Sam Riney
- Now That I'm With You (composer) - Papa John Creach
- Everytime We Kiss (composer) - Sam Riney
|}
References
- BMI News: Kurt Farquhar
- "From the Streets to the Studio: BMI Composer Kurt Farquhar Shares His Incredible Story". BMI.com. February 19, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- Catig, Gary (May 1, 2018). "Talking With Kurt Farquhar: The Man Behind The Music Of The Hit, Black Lightning". COMICON. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- "Kurt Farquhar Composer". kurtfarquhar.com.