You're listening to 20,000 Hertz, the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
I'm Dallas Taylor.
When it comes to film composers, there are a few names that stand out above the rest.
People like Ludwig Goranson, Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer.
But the most well-known film composer in history has to be John Williams.
Incredibly, he's been scoring movies since the 1950s, and he's still working today, at 94 years old.
Over the last 70 years, he's scored over 100 films, including many of the biggest blockbusters of all time,
like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., Home Alone, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan.
He's won 27 Grammys, three Emmys, and five Academy Awards.
And he's toured the globe conducting world-class orchestras.
But despite all of that success, the story of John Williams' life has rarely been told.
Because while John has done lots of interviews, he doesn't talk much about his personal history.
But in 2025, the first official biography of John was published.
It's called John Williams, A Composer's Life by Tim Grieving.
My name is Tim Grieving.
I am a film music journalist and historian,
and I just wrote a book about John Williams, who is my favorite artist of all time.
Working on the book gave Tim a unique window into the life and work of this musical icon.
John Williams was born in 1932, which means he's older than Elvis Presley.
He grew up in Queens, New York during the Depression, but his family was comfortable because his dad was always busy.