RIP Flutist Sheridon Stokes (JW’s principal flute for 20+ years)

[TownerFan 4,981]

Flute legend Sheridon Stokes has died. He was one of the most revered and beloved studio musicians of all time, having performed for 50+ years with virtually all the great film composers in many popular films.

 

He was John Williams’ preferred principal flute for 20+ years, starting in the 1960s. He has beautiful solos in some of JW’s most beloved scores including Jaws, E.T. and The Witches of Eastwick. In the early 1970s, Sheridon also premiered Williams’ Flute Concerto at UCLA.

 

I had the privilege of knowing Sheridon as he has been one of the guests on The Legacy of JW podcast and also joined the LA musicians video tribute we did last year. He was a generous, kind and fun person. We stayed in touch until recently and he was a lovely man other than being a terrifically talented musician. He will be missed, but his playing will live forever.

 

https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2021/01/18/sheridon-stokes-podcast/
 

 

[QuartalHarmony 399]

How sad.

 

Anyone care to post examples of passages where his flute is highlighted? OST track and time code would be good, especially if a track’s not available on the ‘Tube.

 

Mark

[Bespin 7,977]

Tracks on Youtube and the time code....?  A baked apple pie with that?

[QuartalHarmony 399]

Yes please, if you’re offering.

 

Didn’t realise it would be such an unreasonable request.

[bollemanneke 3,171]

Oh dear. Listening to a very sad Westworld cue right now so this news gets me even more.

[TownerFan 4,981]

On 09/07/2022 at 9:35 PM, QuartalHarmony said:

How sad.

 

Anyone care to post examples of passages where his flute is highlighted?

 

For Williams, Sheridon played 1st flute from the early 1970s until the late 1980s (Louise Di Tullio became principal in 1989 on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), so he was there for most the big ones recorded in LA during that era

 

Sheridon was highlighted by JW on The Towering Inferno:

 

 

On Jaws (this is probably my favourite moment):

 

 

 

Some of his most stirring solos for JW are for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial OST album arrangements:

 

 

 

But the biggest one he got was the unaccompained cadenza on "The Seduction of Sukie" in The Witches of Eastwick:

 

 

Sheridon played for virtually all the greats, including Max Steiner and Alfred Newman. He got many solos when working for Lalo Schifrin, including the world-famous solo for the Mission: Impossible TV show:

 

 

He was also prominently featured on Schifrin's score for The Fox:

 

 

He was truly a formidable musician, revered and beloved by the whole community. He was notoriously famous for his unassuming attitude even when playing the most challenging part. Some musicians said that he rarely uncrossed his legs while playing . In 2019, he was celebrated by his peers for a special event at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles, where he also performed several pieces. Robert Townson did a lovely pre-concert talk featuring all the greatest Hollywood flute players (Louise Di Tullio, Jim Walker, Geri Rotella, Paul Fried, David Shostac) celebrating Sheridon and his musicianship:

 

 

[QuartalHarmony 399]

That’s great, @TownerFan - thank you for putting this together. I’m glad it maybe wasn’t too much of an unreasonable request to hear some favourite performances from a recently-departed musician.

 

Mark