In Memoriam: Ian Freebairn-Smith

In Memoriam: Ian Freebairn-Smith
(4 Mar 1932 – 7 Oct 2025)

Grammy Award winner composer/arranger Ian Freebairn-Smith has left us. With his passing on 7 Oct 2025, once again we have lost another gentle giant in our industry.

His career began in music as a group singer/arranger. In the early 1960’s, he was part of the group of session singers who sang on the themes for many classic TV shows like Flipper, Batman, and Gilligan’s Island, and was the solo singing voice of Ray Walston in the movie Kiss Me Stupid starring Dean Martin. From there he moved into orchestral and choral arranging and conposing for motion pictures.

In 1977, he won a Grammy Award for best arrangement accompanying a vocalist, for “Evergreen” sung by Barbra Streisand. He arranged and conducted for The Hi-Lo’s, The Four Freshmen, Liza Minnelli, Frederica von Stade, Andy Williams, Anthony Newley, Stephen Bishop, Harry Nilsson, Phil Ochs, Paul Williams, Jeff Beck, and others.

Ian was an active Board member with ASMAC and narrated the first Golden Score video for them.

He was a personal friend over the decades and we shared many wonderful sessions working together, along with fantastic dinners laughing and telling stories about the “good-old-days!”

Ian was a total class act. With his loss, we are reminded once again of the “Golden Years” of the music of Hollywood.

Thank you, dear Ian, for the privilege of knowing you and the joy of your glorious music.

–Gayle Levant, ASMAC President