Pete Carpenter
Clarence Edward "Pete" Carpenter (April 1, 1914 – October 18, 1987) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and veteran of television theme music sheet music. After a long career playing the trombone in bands and as a studio musician, Carpenter started working with composer Earle Hagen and writing music for television on shows like Bewitched (1964), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964), and The Andy Griffith Show (1966–1967).
Also recorded as Clarence E. Carpenter
Pete Carpenter
- Name
- Pete Carpenter
- Birth Name
- Clarence E.
- Born
- 1 April 1914
- Birthplace
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Died
- 18 October 1987
- Place of death
- Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Musician, arranger
- Full name
- Clarence E. Carpenter.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Fields
- jazz.
- Honours
- Emmy Award.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Clarence Edward "Pete" Carpenter (April 1, 1914 – October 18, 1987) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and veteran of television theme music sheet music. After a long career playing the trombone in bands and as a studio musician, Carpenter started working with composer Earle Hagen and writing music for television on shows like Bewitched (1964), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964), and The Andy Griffith Show (1966–1967).
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wikidata · Q788503 · wikipedia · Pete Carpenter
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Pete Carpenter • Birth Name — Clarence E. Carpenter • Born — 1 April 1914 • Birthplace — Honolulu, Hawaii • Died — 18 October 1987 • Place of death — Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — Musician, arranger • Instrument — Trombone
Music
Music
Carpenter's collaboration with the much younger composer Mike Post began in 1968 and lasted until Carpenter's death nearly two decades later. The two saw some success when they wrote the theme for producer Stephen J. Cannell's first show, the police detective drama Toma in 1973. But their big breakthrough was the top 10 Billboard hit and Grammy Award-winning theme for Cannell's private detective drama The Rockford Files in 1974, starring James Garner.
Personal life
Personal life
Carpenter died of lung cancer in Sherman Oaks, California on October 18, 1987, at the age of 73. He was married to actress Maybeth Carr, the daughter of silent screen star Mary Carr, and had two children, Pete Jr., and Nancy. The Magnum, P.I. episode "Innocence... A Broad" was dedicated to him. In 1987, Mike Post and the BMI Foundation established a Pete Carpenter Memorial Fund to benefit young composers.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Honolulu.
Birth place
Valley Village.
Death place
Film and television works
Carpenter and Post went on to score over 1800 hours of television, and to compose the music for television shows like The Rockford Files (1974), Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976), CHiPs (1977), Magnum, P.I. (1980), Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980), The A-Team (1983), Hardcastle and McCormick (1983), Riptide (1984), Hunter (1984), Stingray (1985), as well as movies like Vanishing Point (1971), Rabbit Test (1978), and Will: G. Gordon Liddy (1982). In addition to their 17th Annual Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumentalist for Rockford, for Hunter the duo won a Broadcast Music, Inc. TV Music Award in 1989. The theme for The A-Team and The Rockford Files have also made appearances on other television programs and movies, including the pilot for David Chase's hit show on HBO, The Sopranos (1999), and the films Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), and Miracle (2004).
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Pete Carpenter”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q788503: Pete Carpenter
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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