Michael Boddicker

• Name — Michael Lehmann Boddicker • Birth Name — Michael J. Boddicker • Born — 19 January 1953 • Birthplace — Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. • Education — Coe College, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa • Known for — * Music composer • film composer • sessions musician • Style — * Synthesizer • electronic musician

Boddicker grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His parents, Arlene Estelle (née Reyman) and Gerald "Jerry" Valentine Boddicker operated a music school and store in Cedar Rapids, which served students in all of Eastern Iowa. His mother was a nationally recognized accordionist. While still attending Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids in 1971, Boddicker enrolled full-time at the local Coe College, studying electronic music. By 1972, he continued studies at Coe College, focused on music composition and he started taking jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin. By 1973, he enrolled in 20th-century composition at the University of Iowa. That same year in 1973, Michael purchased a powerful portable semi-modular synthesizer, the ARP 2600. By 1974, Michael moved to Los Angeles and found Paul Beaver as a mentor.

He was able to purchase a Minimoog and a Moog System 15 modular synthesizer by 1975. As a result of his purchase, he was asked by Bob Moog (the founder of Moog Music) to demonstrate their newest synthesizer, the Polymoog, at the 1975 summer NAMM Show. He quickly found work as a session musician, and by 1977 appeared playing synthesizer, vocoder, accordion and keyboards on albums by many notables such as Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, The Manhattan Transfer and The Bee Gees. One of Boddicker's earliest soundtrack collaborations of note was a score for a short experimental claymation film made by Gumby creator Art Clokey entitled "Mandala" (released in 1977). Soon after that he entered the mainstream with work on such films as Saturday Night Fever, Battlestar Galactica and The Wiz. Boddicker is a Board Member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), of Beverly Hills, California. He owns an audio post production facility, Sol7 (aka Sol Seven), in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 2019, he co-founded the Los Angeles synthesizer music festival, Synthplex.

Boddicker was married to Cassandra Lee Jensen, from 1972 to 1980, ending in divorce. Boddicker officially changed his name to Michael Lehmann Boddicker when he married singer/conductor/actress Edie Lehmann on October 15, 1995 in Hollywood, California. He has four children, two of the children he had were with Edie Lehmann. They live in Southern California. He sued Michael Jackson's estate in 2016, alleging that he was unpaid for work and services provided early in his professional relationship with Michael Jackson.

As a session musician he played synthesizer on, among others, Michael Jackson's This Is It, HIStory, Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall, Dangerous, Black or White, and We Are the World; Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove; Lionel Richie's Hello, You Are, Running with the Night; Dazz Band's Let It Whip; Randy Newman's The Natural and Short People; Kenny Loggins' Footloose; Cyndi Lauper's The Goonies 'R' Good Enough; Barbra Streisand's Somewhere; Cheap Trick's Surrender; The Jacksons' Shake Your Body; Pointer Sisters' He's So Shy; and Diana Ross's Missing You. Select list, as performer • Year — Song — Album — Artist(s) — Performed — Notes • 1976 — I Heard That!! — Quincy Jones • 1976 — I'll Be Good to You — The Brothers Johnson • 1977 — Roots (1977 miniseries) soundtrack — Various — Synthesizer — With Quincy Jones, performed on keyboard. • 1977 — Little Criminals — Randy Newman — Synthesizer — named as "Mike Boddicker" • 1977 — Superman — Barbra Streisand — named as "Mike Boddicker" • 1978 — Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! — Quincy Jones — Synthesizer • 1978 — Please Don't Keep Me Waiting — Totally Hot — Olivia Newton-John — Synthesizer • Dancin' 'Round and 'Round • 1979 — Rock With You — Off the Wall — Michael Jackson — Synthesizer — Synthesizers with Greg Phillinganes. • Off The Wall • I Can't Help It • 1979 — No One Home — Lalo Schifrin • 1979 — One Voice — One Voice — Barry Manilow — Synthesizer • (Why Don't We Try) A Slow Dance • Rain • Ships • You Could Show Me • I Don't Want To Walk Without You • Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed • Where Are They Now • Bobbie Lee (What's The Difference, I Gotta Live) • When I Wanted You • Sunday Father • 1979 — It's Money That I Love — Born Again — Randy Newman — Synthesizer • The Story Of A Rock And Roll Band • Pretty Boy • Mr. Sheep • Spies • Half A Man • William Brown • Pants • 1980 — He Who Rides the Tiger — Bernie Taupin — Synthesizer, keyboards, programming • 1981 — Landslide — Physical — Olivia Newton-John — Synthesizer • Stranger's Touch • Falling • Love Make Me Strong — Synthesizer, piano, vocoder • Silvery Rain — Synthesizer • Carried Away — PPG Wave 2 • The Promise (The Dolphin Song) • 1982 — Let It Whip — Dazz Band • 1982 — You Are — Lionel Richie — Lionel Richie • 1982 — Muscles — Diana Ross — Synthesizer • 1982 — Wanna Be Startin' Somethin — Thriller' — Michael Jackson — Synthesizer, background vocals • Baby Be Mine • Billie Jean — Emulator • Human Nature • P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) — Emulator, vocoder • The Lady in My Life — Emulator • This Is It — Michael Jackson • 1983 — I Love L.A. — Trouble In Paradise — Randy Newman — Synthesizers • 1984 — Chicago 17 — Chicago • 1984 — Missing You — Diana Ross • 1984 — Penny Lover — Can't Slow Down — Lionel Richie • Running with the Night — Synthesizer, vocoder • Stuck on You • 1984 — 1100 Bel Air Place — Julio Iglesias — Keyboards • 1985 — We Are The World — USA For Africa, various — Synthesizer, programming — (Grammy Award Winner). • 1985 — The Goonies 'R' Good Enough — Cyndi Lauper — Cyndi Lauper — Synthesizer • 1985 — Greatest Love Of All — Whitney Houston — Whitney Houston • 1985 — Somewhere — The Broadway Album — Barbra Streisand — (Grammy Award Winner) • 1986 — Chicago 18 — Chicago • 1986 — They Don't Make Them Like They Used To — Tough Guys (movie soundtrack) — Kenny Rogers • 1986 — Dancing on the Ceiling — Lionel Richie — (Grammy Award Winner) • 1987 — Bad — Michael Jackson • 1989 — Back on the Block — Back on the Block — Quincy Jones — drum machine • Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) — M1 pads, synth pads • I'll Be Good to You — Synthesizer, programming • The Places You Find Love • Birdland • 1991 — Black Or White — Dangerous — Michael Jackson • Jam • Heal the World • Will You Be There • Keep The Faith • Gone Too Soon • 1995 — Earth Song (single) • 1995 — HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I • 1996 — They Don't Care About Us

Select list, as music department for television • Year(s) — Television series — Performed — Notes • 1982–1983 — St. Elsewhere — Synthesizer — 22 episodes • 1982–1985 — Knight Rider — Synthesizer — 43 episodes • 1984 — Night Court — Synthesizer — 13 episodes • 1985–1986 — Family Ties — Synthesizer — 24 episodes • 2001 — Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (television special) — Keyboards — 1 episode • 2002–2003 — Will & Grace — Synthesizer — 24 episodes • 2003 — Boomtown — Synthesizer — 6 episodes • 2004–2005 — The Simpsons — Synthesizer — 21 episodes • 2014–2015 — Scandal — Synthesizer — 22 episodes