| Tom Borton | |
| Birth Name: | Thomas William Borton |
| Birth Date: | January 4, 1956 |
| Birth Place: | Norristown, Pennsylvania, US |
| Death Date: | July 26, 2011 (age 55) |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Occupation: | Musician, songwriter, composer |
| Instrument: | Saxophone |
| Years Active: | 1981–2011 |
Thomas William Borton (January 4, 1956 – July 26, 2011) was an American jazz saxophonist, songwriter and composer, and was the founder and CEO of Los Angeles Post Music, Inc.[1]
Borton was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania to Robert G. and Phyllis M. (Phelps) Borton, and later on moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he grew up and began playing saxophone at age 7.[2] [3] Borton attended Eastwood Junior High School, where he was a member of the school band; he won a talent show at a summer music camp held by Purdue University when he was in 8th grade.
While in high school, he played with Tarnished Silver, a band which featured R&B singer and songwriter Kenneth Edmonds, best known as Babyface, record producer Daryl Simmons, and drummer Rayford Griffin.[4] [3] [5] [6] Borton graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in 1974, and attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he joined a band called Streamwinner, which featured guitarist David Grissom, and drummer Kenny Aronoff.[4] [2] [5] [7]
In 1981, Borton moved to Los Angeles, California, where he started writing for television and film music.[4] In the summer of 1987, he joined The Big Picture band as a composer and played alto saxophone; the band also featured singer and songwriter Joanna St. Claire.[3] [5] [7]
In 1990, Borton signed with the Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings label, and released his debut album Dancing With Tigers, which was co-produced with jazz musician Vel Lewis.[4] [8] Two of the songs from the album, "Wherever You Are" and "Looking for a Way", were both featured in the "Local Forecast" segments on The Weather Channel;[9] [10] another song from the album titled "Photoland", was featured on the jazz compilation album Best of Mesa Records & Bluemoon Recordings, which was also released in 1990.[11]
In 1992, Borton released his second album The Lost World, which also featured Lewis;[12] the second track from the album titled "Swingopolis", was also featured on the jazz compilation album The Best New Jazz in America: Volume 3, which was also released in 1992, under the Catalyst Communications label.[13] [14]
Borton also co-produced two of Steve Allee's albums, The Magic Hour (1995), and Mirage (2003). He was also the founder and CEO of Los Angeles Post Music, Inc, a production music library,[2] [5] [6] where he composed music for the 1998 TV documentary Titanic: Secrets Revealed,[15] and movies such as The Jitters (1989), and Amy's Orgasm (2001).
Borton died unexpectedly at his home in Los Angeles on July 26, 2011, at the age of 55.[2] [3] [7] [16] His third and final album, Simply One, was released posthumously in 2012.[17] Borton was survived by his parents, his sisters, Rebecca Ann (William) Erdel, and Janis Elaine Borton, and his two nephews and great nieces.[2] [7] [16]