Post, Mike
Mike Post
Composer, producer, musician
Like Elton John or Mick Jagger, Mike Post’s music is a part of everyday culture, extremely well-known to most people in the United States and Europe. Few could fail to recognize the themes to The Rockford Files, Hill Street Blues, or the 1981 number-one hit “Believe It or Not” by Joey Scarbury, from Greatest American Hero. These are all Post compositions, as are the themes for television shows such as NYPD Blue, Silk Stalkings, Law and Order, L.A. Law, Magnum P.I., The A-Team, Hunter, and many more. In addition, Post as producer and musician has left his imprint on well-known hits such as Mason Williams’s “Classical Gas,” Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” and the 1967 hit “I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” by the First Edition.
Yet Post, unlike highly visible artists such as Mick Jagger or Elton John, can go almost anywhere without being recognized. Many people recognize the music he composes but not the man behind the notes. This lack of visibility fuels many misconceptions about Post. Chief among these misconceptions is the idea that Mike Post is a jazz artist. Certainly his music does have an airy, jazz-like flavor, Post has admitted, but in fact he was never much influenced by jazz. On the contrary, he has confessed to having “a rock ‘n’ roll heart. I’d quit the business if I could be [Rolling Stones guitarist] Keith Richards.”
Keith Richards he may not be, but Post has had a varied career, and in the process established himself as the most successful composer in television history. As evidence of his talent and his massive impact on popular culture, Post has received five Grammy awards, one Emmy, and a BMI Film & Television Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Born in 1945, Mike Post grew up in the San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles. His father, architect Sam Postil, encouraged in him an appreciation for discipline, a key to Post’s early and continued success. Yet Post was far from a dedicated student, and he spent his days at Grant High School “playing” on a homemade paper keyboard, which he hid behind an open book while sitting at his desk. For good measure, he wore a pair of dark glasses.
Thus Post survived high school only by keeping close to his first and true love, which was music. From the beginning, he had varied tastes and influences, ranging from the composer Antonin Dvorak to American folk songwriter Stephen Foster to the blues and—of course—rock ‘n’ roll. Like his idol Ray Charles, Post’s instrument was the piano, and by the age of fifteen, he was already playing at clubs. He only graduated from Grant High,
For the Record…
Born 1945, in San Fernando, CA; son of Sam Postil, an architect; married Patty McGettigan; children: Aaron and Jennifer.
Performed session work with a number of bands, formed Wellingbrook Singers and First Edition, played backup guitar for Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Sonny and Cher mid-1960s; producer on First Edition and Mason Williams hits late 1960s; became musical director of The Andy Williams Show 1969; partnership with Pete Carpenter as composer of TV and film theme music 1968-87; continued as composer on shows such as NYPD Blue.
Awards: Grammy, 1968, Best Instrumental Arrangement: Classical Gas —Mason Williams; Grammy, 1975, Best Instrumental Arrangement: Rock ford Files; Grammy, 1981, Best Instrumental Composition: Hill Street Blues; Grammy, 1981, Best Instrumental Performance: Hill Street Blues;; Grammy, 1988, Best Instrumental Composition: L.A. Law; BMI Film & Television Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement, 1994; Emmy, 1996, Main Title Theme Music, Murder One.
Addresses: Management —Gorfaine-Schwartz Agency, 13245 Riverside Dr., Ste. 450, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Office —Mike Post Productions, 1007 West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506.
his 1962 graduating class were the Monkees’ Mickey Dolenz and actor Tom Selleck, whose Magnum, P.I. theme Post would later compose. But that lay far in the future, as did Post’s induction to his high school’s Hall of Fame, which would occur in 1987—quite an achievement for a bad student.
Post hit the club circuit in L.A., playing with bands who had famous names without the original members who had gained them that fame: Paul and Paula—Post became the new “Paul”—and the Markettes. He played in the house band for a topless club in San Francisco, and then, in an irony that would surely have pleased his teachers back at Grant High, Post realized he wouldn’t get anywhere without an education.
So he spent a year studying music, learning how to sight-read and write notation. He formed a folk group called the Wellingbrook Singers, and they toured the U.S. before disbanding. At that point, Post began working as a session musician for artists such as Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Dick and Dee Dee. He also spent a year playing backup for Sonny and Cher as a guitarist on songs that included their hit “I Got You Babe.”
Pivotal Partnerships
Post soon began to see a place for himself in the production booth. While working as a studio arranger for producer Jimmy Bowen, he helped form the group the First Edition. Later the group’s bassist and vocalist, Kenny Rogers, would gain enormous fame, but Post assisted them in their start by producing their first hit in 1967, “I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In.)”
After his work with First Edition, Post entered into another significant partnership, this time with the multi-talented musician Mason Williams. Post acted as producer/arranger on The Mason Williams Phonograph Album (1968), which spawned the hugely successful hit, “Classical Gas.” For his work with Williams, Post earned his first Grammy Award—at the age of 23. At 24, he became the youngest person in television history to become musical director for a major talk/variety program when he signed on with The Andy Williams Show in 1969.
Welcome to Television
The Andy Williams Show was Post’s introduction to the world of television, where he would have his greatest successes in the next three decades. But before this could happen, the self-effacing Post, who had already proven his ability to work well in partnership with others, had to form yet another partnership. This one would become the most significant pairing of his life—other than his marriage to music editor Patty McGettigan, of course—and it would last for the next 19 years.
While playing in a golf tournament in 1968, Post met trombonist and arranger Pete Carpenter. The latter was much older than Post, and it was a time when the “generation gap” made the idea of a collaboration between the two seem like an oddity to everyone but Post and Carpenter. Post recalled in the BMI Music World website: “All of Pete’s friends—older jazz guys—thought, oh well, Pete’s kind of carrying this kid. Mike’s just a rocker. And all of my friends thought, ‘poor Mike, he’s just carrying this old guy, who really isn’t too hip.’ All that was baloney.”
The two men collaborated on the music for TV producer Stephen J. Cannell’s first series, Toma. It was a police drama program, and it established a pattern for Post, who would become identified with numerous cop shows in the years to come. Much greater success followed with Rockford Files, for which Post composed the distinctive music that earned him a top ten radio hit and another Grammy in 1975.
Over the course of the 1970s and early 1980s, Post composed the music for some feature films, ranging from 1972’s Gidgetto the 1984 Sylvester Stallone-Dolly Parton pairing, Rhinestone. He would also produce Parton’s smash 1981 album 9 to 5 and Other Jobs, as well as the debut for singer Joey Scarbury. But it was as a composer of television themes that Post made his name. These included the music for Greatest American Hero, which in Scarbury’s 1981 rendition became the only TV theme to ever reach number one on the charts. Further top ten exposure followed with the music from Hill Street Blues, which featured Larry Carlton on guitar.
Up until 1987, Post worked with Carpenter. Discussing this partnership with Julius Robinson of BMI Music-world, Post recalled: “We never worried about who wrote what… We did our job. After 18 years, we never even had a handshake agreement or a contract; we just split it all 50/50. We never had an unkind word. Not one argument.” When Carpenter was on his deathbed in 1987, he and Post calculated that they had together scored 1,800 hours of television “all done in the back of his house, eating tunafish sandwiches.” Along the way, “we made a big dent in the tradition of ghosting—we always gave contributing writers credit—so we were able to help a lot of other guys start as composers.” In 1989, Post and the BMI Foundation established a Pete Carpenter Memorial Fund to benefit young composers.
“I’ve had at least one show on the air every year since 1970,” Post recalled in a 1994 interview on the occasion of receiving the BMI Film & Television Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement. But rather than sit back and merely rest on what he had established, though, he was already looking toward new challenges in an area that had so far eluded him: songs with lyrics. Referring to himself as “the worst lyricist,” Post didn’t plan to write the words himself, but to collaborate with someone such as his friend James Nederlander on compositions for Broadway.
It would be fitting if the future found Mike Post, the relatively anonymous composer of many enormously popular themes, in another collaboration. He continues to draw input from his wife Patty, who refers to him as “hobby-man” because of his many projects, and from children Aaron and Jennifer, who he credits for “keeping me on the cutting edge of new music.” Post is as active physically as he is musically, having competed in over 20 marathons from Honolulu to New York City. He was once the third-ranking arm wrestler for his class in the United States, and he enjoys golfing with son Aaron, who is also embarking on a career in the music industry. Not surprisingly, the man whose name is virtually synonymous with TV cop shows regularly donates money to charities that benefit police officers and their families. Part of the profits from his album Inventions from the Blue Line go to the Law Enforcement Officers Educational Foundation, which provides college scholarships to children of police officers who perished while in the line of duty.
Selected scores
Film
Rabbit Test, 1978.
Deep in the Heart, 1981.
Running Brave, 1983.
Hadley’s Rebellion, 1984.
Rhinestone, 1984.
The River Rat, 1984.
Television pilots/series
The Andy Williams Show, 1969.
Griff, 1973.
Needles and Pins, 1973.
Toma, 1973.
The Rockford Files, 1974.
The Texas Wheelers, 1974.
The Mac Davis Show, 1974.
The Bob Crane Show, 1975.
Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging, 1977.
Off the Wall, 1977.
The Black Sheep Squadron, 1977.
ChiPs, 1977.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, 1978.
The White Shadow, 1978.
The 416th, 1979.
Operating Room, 1979.
Captain America, 1979.
Captain America II, 1979.
240-Robert, 1979.
Big Shamus, Little Shamus, 1979.
The Duke, 1979.
The Night Rider, 1979.
Stone, 1980.
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, 1980.
Magnum P.I., 1980.
(With Stephen Geyer) The Greatest American Hero, 1981.
Hill Street Blues, 1981.
Palms Precinct, 1982.
The Powers of Matthew Star, 1982.
The Quest, 1982.
Tales of the Gold Monkey, 1982.
The A-Tearn, 1983.
Bay City Blues, 1983.
Big John, 1983.
Hardcastle and McCormick, 1983.
Riptide, 1984.
The Rousters, 1983.
Brothers-in-Law, 1985.
LA Law, 1986.
The Last Precinct, 1986.
Hooperman, 1987.
J. J. Starbuck, 1987.
Wiseguy, 1987.
Sirens, 1987.
Quantum Leap, 1989.
The Hat Squad, 1992.
Silk Stalkings: Natural Selection, 1994.
NYPD Blue, 1993.
Murder One, 1996.
Brooklyn South, 1997.
Players, 1997.
Television movies
(With Pete Carpenter) Two on a Bench, 1971.
(With Carpenter) Gidget Gets Married, 1972.
Locusts, 1974.
(With Carpenter) The Morning After, 1974.
The Invasion of Johnson County, 1976.
Scott Free, 1976.
Richie Brockelman: Missing 24 Hours, 1976.
Dr. Scorpion, 1978.
Coach of the Year, 1980.
Scout’s Honor, 1980.
Will: G. Gordon Liddy, 1982.
Adam, 1983.
Sunset Limousine, 1983.
Hard Knox, 1984.
Heart of a Champion: The Ray Mancini Story, 1985.
Adam: His Song Continues, 1986.
Stingray, 1986.
Destination: America, 1987.
The Ryan White Story, 1989.
B.L. Stryker: The Dancer’s Touch, 1989.
B.L. Stryker: Blind Chess, 1989.
Unspeakable Acts, 1990.
Without Her Consent, 1990.
The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage, 1991.
The Great Pretender, 1991.
(With Velton Ray Bunch) Palace Guard, 1991.
The Rockford Files: I Still Love LA., 1994.
Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou, 1995.
Television specials
Mac Davis Special, 1975.
Mac Davis Christmas Special, 1975.
Mac Davis Christmas Special… When I Groi Up, 1976.
Mac Davis Christmas Odyssey, Two Thousand and Ten, 1978.
Selected discography
Albums
(As the Mike Post Coalition) Fused, 1975.
Television Theme Songs, 1982.
Mike Post, 1984.
Music from L.A. Law & Otherwise:
Inventions from the Blue Line (includes the theme from NYPD Blue ), American Gramophone, 1994.
Sources
Books
Hubbard, Linda S. and Owen O’Donnell, eds., Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Vol. 6, Gale, 1989.
Periodicals
Billboard, May 7, 1994.
Billboard, May 28, 1994.
Online
http://www.bmi.com/MusicWorld/summer94/MIKEPOST.html
Additional information was provided by Mike Post Productions.
—Judson Knight
Post, Mike 1944(?)– (Michael Postil)
Post, Mike 1944(?)- (Michael Postil)
PERSONAL
Some sources cite original name as Leland Michael Postil; born September 29, 1944 (some sources cite 1945), in Los Angeles (some sources cite San Fernando), CA; son of Sam Postil (an architect); married Patty McGettigan (marriage ended); married Darla Eyer, August 29, 1966; children: (second marriage) Aaron, Jennifer. Avocational Interests: Marathon running, golf.
Addresses:
Office—Mike Post Productions, 1007 West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506. Agent—Gorfaine-Schwartz Agency, 4111 West Alameda Ave., Suite 509, Burbank, CA 91505.
Career:
Composer, orchestra leader, and music producer. Collaborated with Pete Carpenter as a composer. Founder of the musical group the Wellingbrook Singers; cofounder of the group the First Edition; member of the Mike Post Coalition; performed with bands in nightclubs in the Los Angeles area; session musician and backup guitarist for various performers, including Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, and Sonny and Cher. Mike Post Productions, founder. Pete Carpenter Memorial Fund, cofounder, 1989.
Member:
American Federation of Musicians, Broadcast Music, Inc., American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Screen Actors Guild.
Awards, Honors:
Grammy Award, best instrumental arrangement, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1968, for "Classical Gas"; Grammy Award, best instrumental arrangement, 1975, for The Rockford Files; Grammy awards, best instrumental composition and best pop instrumental performance, and Emmy Award nomination, outstanding achievement in music composition for a dramatic underscore for a series, all 1981, for Hill Street Blues; Post and Stephen Geyer's song "Believe It or Not," the theme song for The Greatest American Hero, became a number one single, 1981; some sources cite a Grammy Award, c. 1981, for The Greatest American Hero; BMI Television Music awards, BMI Film and Television awards, Broadcast Music, Inc., annually, 1987-90 and 1992, all for L.A. Law; Grammy Award, best instrumental composition, 1988, for L.A. Law; BMI Television Music Award (with Pete Carpenter), 1989, for Hunter; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding main title theme music, 1989, for Unsub; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding individual achievement in main title theme music, 1992, for "Working Girl" episode, Silk Stalkings; BMI Television Music Award (with others), 1993, for Blossom; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding individual achievement in main title theme music, 1994, for NYPD Blue; Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement, BMI Film and Television awards, 1994; BMI Television Music awards (sometimes with others), annually, 1994-2003, for NYPD Blue; BMI Television Music awards (sometimes with others), annually, 1994-2006, for Law & Order; Emmy Award, outstanding individual achievement in main title theme music, and Emmy Award nomination, outstanding main title theme music, both 1996, for Murder One; BMI Television Music awards, annually, 2001-07, for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; BMI Television Music awards, annually, 2003-05, for Law & Order: Criminal Intent; BMI Television Music Award, 2005, for Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
CREDITS
Television Work; Series:
Music director and producer, The Mac Davis Show, NBC, 1974-76.
Music arranger, The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1974-80.
Music producer, Cop Rock (musical), ABC, 1990.
Television Work; Specials:
Music director, Andy Williams Christmas Show, CBS, 1973.
Music director, The Mac Davis Special, NBC, 1976.
Producer, The Mac Davis Christmas Special … When I Grow Up, NBC, 1976.
Television Work; Pilots:
Music supervisor, Stingray, NBC, 1985.
Television Appearances; Series:
Orchestra leader, Andy Williams Show, NBC, 1969-77.
Orchestra leader, The Mac Davis Show, NBC, 1974-76.
Television Appearances; Episodic:
(As Michael Postil) Harold, "The Pot of Gold," General Electric Theater (also known as G.E. Theater), CBS, 1956.
Himself, Just Men!, NBC, 1983.
Film Work:
Music adaptor and performer of song "Hope You're Never Happy," Rhinestone, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1984.
RECORDINGS
Albums:
(With the Mike Post Coalition) Fused, 1975.
(With others) Television Theme Songs, 1982.
Mike Post, 1984.
Music from L.A. Law and Otherwise: Inventions from the Blue Line, American Gramophone, 1994.
Performer on other recordings. Post's musical compositions have been featured in various recordings.
Album Producer:
(And arranger) Mason Williams, The Mason Williams Phonograph Album, Warner Bros./Wea, 1968.
Peter Allen, I Could Have Been a Sailor, A&M, 1979.
(With Dolly Parton and Gregg Perry) Dolly Parton, 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (also known as 9 to 5 (and Other Odd Jobs)), RCA, 1980.
Producer for other recordings.
Singles Producer:
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, "I Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)," 1967.
(And arranger) Mason Williams, "Classical Gas," 1968.
WRITINGS
Television Music; Series:
Make Your Own Kind of Music!, NBC, 1971.
The NBC Mystery Movie (also known as The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie and The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie), NBC, 1971-77.
Needles and Pins, NBC, 1973.
Griff, ABC, 1973-74.
(With Pete Carpenter) Toma, ABC, 1973-74.
The Texas Wheelers, ABC, 1974-75.
The Mac Davis Show, NBC, 1974-76.
The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1974-80.
The Bob Crane Show, NBC, 1975.
Boston & Killbride, beginning c. 1976.
Baa Baa Black Sheep, NBC, 1976-77, later known as Black Sheep Squadron, NBC, 1977-78.
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, NBC, 1978.
The White Shadow, CBS, 1978-81.
Big Shamus, Little Shamus, CBS, 1979.
The Duke, NBC, 1979.
240-Robert, ABC, 1979-81.
Stone, ABC, 1980.
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, ABC, 1980.
(With Stephen Geyer) Theme song "Believe It or Not," The Greatest American Hero, ABC, 1981-84.
And theme music, Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1981-87.
The Quest, ABC, 1982.
The Powers of Matthew Star, NBC, 1982-83.
Tales of the Gold Monkey (also known as Tales of the Golden Monkey), ABC, 1982-83.
Bay City Blues, NBC, 1983.
Small & Frye, CBS, 1983.
(And theme music "Tough Enough") The Rousters, NBC, 1983-84.
Hardcastle and McCormick, ABC, 1983-86.
(With Carpenter) The A Team, NBC, 1983-87.
The Larry King Show, syndicated, 1983, later known as Larry King Live, Cable News Network, beginning 1985.
Roughcuts, beginning 1984.
Riptide, NBC, 1984-86.
Hunter, NBC, 1984-90, theme music, 1990-91.
The Last Precinct, NBC, 1986.
Stingray, NBC, 1986-87.
And theme, L.A. Law, NBC, 1986-94.
J. J. Starbuck, ABC, 1987-88.
Hooperman, ABC, 1987-89.
Wiseguy (also known as El astuto, Kampf gegen die Mafia, L'espavilat, and Un flic dans la mafia), CBS, 1987-90.
Sonny Spoon, NBC, 1988.
Murphy's Law, ABC, 1988-89.
Studio 5B, ABC, 1989.
Top of the Hill, syndicated, 1989.
Unsub (also known as UNSUB), NBC, 1989.
Booker (also known as Booker, P.I.), Fox, 1989-90.
Doogie Howser, M.D., ABC, 1989-93.
The Joan Rivers Show, syndicated, 1989-93.
Quantum Leap, NBC, 1989-93.
Cop Rock (musical), ABC, 1990.
Sunday Night with Larry King, NBC, beginning c. 1990.
Broken Badges, CBS, 1990-91.
Lenny, CBS, 1990-91.
Law & Order (also known as Law & Order Prime), NBC, 1990—.
Disney Presents the 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (also known as Black Jack Savage and The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage), Disney Channel, 1991.
(With Velton Ray Bunch) Palace Guard, CBS, 1991.
(And main title theme music) Silk Stalkings, CBS and USA Network, 1991-93, USA Network, 1991-95.
(And theme song) Blossom, NBC, 1991-95.
The Commish, ABC, 1991-95.
Tequila and Bonetti, CBS, 1992.
The Hat Squad, CBS, 1992-93.
Renegade, USA Network and syndicated, 1992-97.
Crime and Punishment, NBC, 1993.
(And main title theme music) Nurses, NBC, 1993-94.
NYPD Blue, ABC, 1993-2005.
The Byrds of Paradise, ABC, 1994.
Theme music, Traps, CBS, 1994.
Roughnecks, BBC, 1994-95.
Pointman, syndicated, 1995.
Theme music, U.S. Customs: Classified, syndicated, 1995.
The Wright Verdicts, CBS, 1995.
Eine Frau Wird Gejagt, [Germany], beginning 1995.
Theme music, The Jeff Foxworthy Show (also known as Somewhere in America), ABC, 1995-96, NBC, 1996-97.
Murder One, ABC, 1995-97.
NewsRadio (also known as News Radio, The Station, Dias de radio, and Dies de radio), NBC, 1995-98.
Public Morals, CBS, 1996.
Profit, Fox, 1996-97.
Feds, CBS, 1997.
Total Security, ABC, 1997.
Brooklyn South, CBS, 1997-98.
Players, NBC, 1997-98.
Sins of the City, USA Network, 1998.
Martial Law (also known as Le flic de Shanghai, Ley marcial, and Piu forte ragazzi), CBS, 1998-2000.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order's Sex Crimes, Law & Order: SVU, and Special Victims Unit), NBC, 1999—.
City of Angels (also known as Anglarnas stad, Englenes by, Enkelten kaupunki, and Orasul ingerilor), CBS, 2000.
Deadline, NBC, 2000-2001.
Theme music, Arrest & Trial, syndicated, 2000-2002.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (also known as Law & Order: CI), NBC, 2001-2007, USA Network, 2007—.
Philly, ABC, 2001-2002.
The Phil Donahue Show, MSNBC, 2002-2003.
Theme music, Crime & Punishment (also known as Law & Order: Crime & Punishment and Trial & Error), NBC, 2002-2004.
Dragnet (also known as L.A. Dragnet), ABC and USA Network, 2003-2004.
Law & Order: Trial by Jury, NBC, 2004-2005.
Blind Justice, ABC, 2005.
Over There, FX Channel, 2005-2006.
Conviction (also known as Young Prosecutors), NBC, 2006.
Post's music and songs have been featured in several films, television programs, and other productions.
Television Music; Miniseries:
Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer, ABC, 1997.
Television Music; Movies:
(With Pete Carpenter) Two on a Bench, ABC, 1971.
Locusts, ABC, 1974.
(With Carpenter) The Morning After, ABC, 1974.
The Invasion of Johnson County, NBC, 1976.
Dr. Scorpion, ABC, 1978.
Captain America, CBS, 1979.
Captain America II: Death Too Soon (also known as Death Too Soon), CBS, 1979.
Coach of the Year, NBC, 1980.
Scout's Honor, NBC, 1980.
Will: G. Gordon Liddy (also known as Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy), NBC, 1982.
Adam, NBC, 1983.
Sunset Limousine, CBS, 1983.
Hard Knox, 1984.
No Man's Land, 1984.
Heart of a Champion: The Ray Mancini Story, CBS, 1985.
Adam: His Song Continues, NBC, 1986.
Destination: America, ABC, 1987.
Nashville Beat, The Nashville Network, 1989.
The Ryan White Story (also known as A historia de Ryan White—Uma licao de vida, O drama de Ryan, and Ryanin tarina), ABC, 1989.
Theme music, The ABC Mystery Movie (also known as The Mystery Movie, The ABC Monday Mystery Movie, and The ABC Saturday Mystery Movie; consisted of the movie series B. L. Stryker, Christine Cromwell, Columbo, Gideon Oliver, and Kojak), ABC, beginning 1989.
Unspeakable Acts, CBS, 1990.
Without Her Consent (also known as A Matter of Trust), NBC, 1990.
The Great Pretender (also known as Dead End Brattigan), NBC, 1991.
Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou, NBC, 1995.
Theme music for the television movie Hunter, The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A. (also known as The Return of Hunter), NBC, 1995.
Wiseguy (also known as Undercover Man and Infiltrado), CBS, 1996.
Exiled (also known as Exiled: A Law & Order Movie), NBC, 1998.
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie, CBS, 1999.
Title theme music, L.A. Law: The Movie, NBC, 2002.
Post's theme music for the series The Commish and The Rockford Files was also featured in subsequent television movies featuring the original characters.
Television Music; Specials:
Mac Davis Christmas Special, NBC, 1975.
Mac Davis Christmas Special … When I Grow Up, NBC, 1976.
Mac Davis Special, NBC, 1976.
Mac Davis Christmas Odyssey: Two Thousand and Ten, NBC, 1978.
Scandals, ABC, 1988.
Fair Game, NBC, 1989.
The "L.A. Law" 100th Episode Special, NBC, 1991.
Inside the KGB, NBC, 1993.
Cop Files, UPN, 1995, 1996.
Theme music, PBS Hollywood Presents (series of specials), PBS, 2001-2004.
Inside "NYPD Blue": A Decade on the Job, ABC, 2002.
NYPD Blue: A Final Tribute, ABC, 2005.
Television Music; Episodic:
"Three Minus Two," Magnum, P.I., CBS, 1982.
Song "Fate's Wide Wheel," "Glitter Rock—April 12, 1974, Quantum Leap, NBC, 1991.
Television Music; Pilots:
(With Pete Carpenter) Gidget Gets Married, ABC, 1972.
The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator and The Rockford Files: Backlash of the Hunter), NBC, 1974.
Baa Baa Black Sheep (also known as The Flying Misfits), NBC, 1976.
Richie Brockelman: Missing 24 Hours, NBC, 1976.
Scott Free, NBC, 1976.
CHiPs (also known as Chips and CHiPs Patrol), NBC, 1977.
Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging, NBC, 1977.
Off the Wall, NBC, 1977.
The Chinese Typewriter, 1979.
The 416th, CBS, 1979.
The Gypsy Warriors, 1979.
The Night Rider, ABC, 1979.
Operating Room, NBC, 1979.
Stone, ABC, 1979.
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, ABC, 1980.
Palms Precinct, NBC, 1982.
Tales of the Gold Monkey (also known as The Curse of the Gold Monkey), ABC, 1982.
Big John, 1983.
Hunter, NBC, 1984.
Welcome to Paradise, CBS, 1984.
Brothers-in-Law, ABC, 1985.
Stingray, NBC, 1985.
The Last Precinct, NBC, 1986.
Theme music, Beverly Hills Buntz, NBC, 1987.
"Sirens," CBS Summer Playhouse, CBS, 1987.
Wiseguy (also known as El astuto, Kampf gegen die Mafia, L'espavilat, and Un flic dans la mafia), CBS, 1987.
Philby, ABC, 1989.
Quantum Leap (also known as Genesis), NBC, 1989.
Thunder Boat Row (also known as Thunderboat Row), ABC, 1989.
Theme music, Blossom, NBC, 1990.
The Human Factor, CBS, 1992.
Greyhounds, CBS, 1994.
Eine Frau Wird Gejagt, [Germany], 1995.
Profit, Fox, 1996.
Also composer for the pilot The Dark, NBC.
Film Music:
Rabbit Test, Avco-Embassy, 1978.
(And song "Make Me Come with You Tonight") Handgun (also known as Deep in the Heart), Warner Bros., 1982.
Running Brave, Buena Vista, 1983.
Hadley's Rebellion, ADI Marketing, 1984.
(And song "The Day My Baby Died") Rhinestone, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1984.
(And songs "The River Song," "Rock on the Bayou," "Wherever You Are," "Maybe Next Time," and "Halfway Right") The River Rat, Paramount, 1984.
Dead above Ground, Oak Knoll Pictures, 2002.
Albums:
(With the Mike Post Coalition) Fused, 1975.
(With others) Television Theme Songs, 1982.
Mike Post, 1984.
Music from L.A. Law and Otherwise: Inventions from the Blue Line, American Gramophone, 1994.
Post's musical compositions have been featured in various recordings.
Singles:
(With Stephen Geyer) Joey Scarbury, "Believe It or Not" (theme song for The Greatest American Hero), 1981.
OTHER SOURCES
Books:
Contemporary Musicians, Volume 21, Gale, 1998.
Periodicals:
Billboard, May 28, 1994, p. 8.
Journal of Film and Video, fall, 1998, p. 40.
New York Times, June 19, 1994, p. H31.