Edward Woodley Kalehoff Jr. (born September 1, 1945) is an American television composer who specializes in compositions for television, known for his work on the Moog synthesizer. Kalehoff is best known for composing the musical packages for game shows, most notably the Goodson Todman produced shows The Price Is Right, Tattletales, Card Sharks and the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, as well as for ABC World News Tonight, Monday Night Football, Nightly Business Report, and PBS News Hour.
Early life
Kalehoff was born in Washington, D.C. His father, Edward Woodley "Woody" Kalehoff Sr., played piano at the White House for president Harry S. Truman. He attended the University of the Arts (then known as the Philadelphia Musical Academy), graduating in 1967 with a Bachelor of Music degree.
Career
Notable pieces
Kalehoff composed many television themes and musical cues using the Moog synthesizer, alone or in combination with a band of musicians. He composed The Price Is Right main theme, His most recent work is the new theme for the PBS NewsHour as part of a new on-air look launched on July 20, 2015.
The main theme of The Price Is Right is officially credited to Sheila Cole, even though it was composed and performed by Kalehoff. At the time, Kalehoff was working for Score Productions, under composer Bob Israel. Israel assigned the theme's Broadcast Music, Inc. publishing rights to Mark Goodson, the producer of The Price Is Right, so that Goodson would benefit monetarily. Israel assigned the composer credit to Sheila Cole Israel, his wife, explaining this fiction to Kalehoff as a "technicality." Israel assured Kalehoff that there would be future work with Goodson. This arrangement diverted millions of dollars of residual away from Kalehoff. Kalehoff was named as composer in the closing credits of the television show but he did not appear on the official BMI credits for the song.
As a keyboard player and record producer
Kalehoff is a noted synthesist, being a featured performer in the documentary film Moog and keyboardist for several albums by the Roches. He was prominently featured in a 1973 television commercial for Schaefer Beer as "Edd Kalehoff at the MOOG synthesizer" playing his rendition of the company's jingle.
As a record producer, he produced several albums including Another World (1985) for the Roches, and Andrea McArdle's On Broadway (1996) and Family Christmas (2003).
Personal life
Kalehoff was married to Broadway theatre actress and singer Andrea McArdle, and their daughter, actress Alexis Kalehoff, has appeared in many Broadway theatre productions. The couple divorced in August 2011. Kalehoff has two sons, Max and Rex, from his first marriage to songwriter Beverly Kalehoff.
Selected filmography
- Monday Night Football