A prolific British composer, arranger, and session musician, Alan Hawkshaw created a widely heard body of work without ever achieving any sort of celebrity, a situation which suited him just fine. Although he was a member of the Shadows, played keyboards with everyone from David Bowie to Donna Summer, and even scored a number one dance hit in the U.S., Hawkshaw's most enduring contributions were in the form of library music, which was licensed extensively for film and television from the late-'60s onward. By the time of his death in 2021, his theme songs to British programs like Countdown, Grange Hill, and the Channel 4 News remained intimately familiar to millions.