Timothy J. Tobias
Timothy John Tobias (1 July 1952 – 23 December 2006) was an American composer and musician. He died aged of lymphoma. Tobias worked on the soundtracks to the films Fame, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, The Flintstones, The Sandlot, Medium Rare, and on Steven Spielberg's "Movie Maker".
Also recorded as Timothy John Tobias · Tim Tobias
Timothy J. Tobias
- Name
- Timothy John Tobias
- Born
- 1 July 1952
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
- Died
- 23 December 2006
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- composer · jazz musician · pianist
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Biography
Biography
Tobias was born in Chicago, Illinois, and became an all-rounder who was equally at home composing feature films, playing live, or producing. He released three albums of his own music, including Mister Cat, Speaking in Tones which is received praise among the jazz community across the country, and his latest release Transcention. He played at The Chicago Jazz Festival, Green Dolphin Street, Pops for Champagne, Joe's BeBop Cafe, The Backroom, and just about every other jazz venue in Chicago. Tim worked on the soundtrack to Fame and wrote additional music for the feature films, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, The Flintstones, The Sandlot, Medium Rare, and A Piece of Eden. His compositions were also included on Steven Spielberg's Movie Maker from Knowledge Adventure and on many commercials. He was the composer for the television show - WTTW's show, Wild Chicago: Illinois Roadtrip, starring Ben Hollis. Producer/Arranger: He was musical director to multiple artists and his background as a studio musician included work for such great recording artists as Sister Sledge, Curtis Mayfield, Al Stewart, and Ramsey Lewis. He also produced albums for David Crawford, The Roach Brothers, Ben Hollis, and Angelo Badalamenti. Tim Tobias owned and operated Beachaus Music, Inc. From 2001 to 2006. Live performances included playing shows with the likes of Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., and Rita Moreno—which earned him a solid reputation as an in-demand keyboardist. He played synthesizer for the world premiere of Could It Be Magic, directed by Barry Manilow, and several other original musicals at the Royal George Theatre, and most recently at the Goodman Theatre for Purlie.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Timothy John Tobias • Born — 1 July 1952 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 23 December 2006 • Place of death — Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Discography
Mister Cat Tracks: 1. "Every Day Is... April Fool's Day" 2. "Amazon" 3. "Laurie Louise" 4. "Margaretta" 5. "Garden of Dreams" 6. "Afternoon in Pasadena" 7. "Mister Cat" 8. "Full Moon Pocket" 9. "Morris Beach" 10. "Twilight Time" 11. "Sunny Monday" Speaking in Tones Speaking in Tones is a collection of jazz instrumentals performed by Tim Tobias. Tracks one through seven are live recordings from one of Chicago's jazz venues, Pops for Champagne. The last two bonus tracks were recorded in a studio. Tim wrote 8 of the 9 songs included on this album. Tracks: 1. "The Balled Eagle" 2. "Latin Fantasy #2" 3. "Orange Was The Color of Her Dress... Then Silk Blue" (by Charles Mingus) 4. "The Other Irene" 5. "Donna Louise" 6. "Mary Jane" 7. "Speaking in Tones" 8. "Fanfare for the Lost Soul" 9. "September" Transcention Transcention released in 2006, contains 10 classic jazz compositions performed by his Chicago jazz trio. Tracks: 1. "The Golden Waffle" 2. "Things I Meant to Say" 3. "Transcention" 4. "Lorraine" 5. "Via Escuela" 6. "I Give You This Much" 7. "Haus Party" 8. "George Street" 9. "Stablemates" (by Benny Golson) 10. "Arabesque One" 11. "Good Things Come... To Those Who Wait"
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Timothy J. Tobias, revision 1351013534 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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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 04 October 2026.
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