Rickey Minor (‘The Oscars’ music director) video interview

“What goes through my mind is, ‘How can I make it better?’” says music director Rickey Minor, who returned to conduct the orchestra at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12. “Not better than anyone else. It’s just the best that I can do. What is that thing that’s going to elevate it? And the first thing is to come in with how to do it musically…and then bring it to the producers and discuss what ideas I have for this year’s awards.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

This was Minor’s third time at the Oscars after directing the music in 2019 and 2020. He is a two-time Emmy winner for “Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories that Changed America” (2017) and “The 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors” (2020).

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“You start with a list of things that I would love to hear,” Minor explains. “That I haven’t forgotten about in my years of watching television and hearing these beautiful scores and music from these movies. It’s so strange, because it’s a jigsaw puzzle. Everything has to fit in exactly. Timing, tempo, feel from various countries all over the world. The Oscars are here in Hollywood, but the movies are universal. Some of my favorites I love to hear like Lalo Schhifrin or ‘The Pawnbroker’ with Quincy Jones. Of course you’re not gonna always have Hans Zimmer, but there are pieces that inspire me. I think about pacing. It’s a lot.”

Minor explains how technology has allowed them to include more music in recent years, using pre-recorded play-ons for each winner. “There’s so many of them that you can’t make the change and be ready to do a presenter play-on, a winner play-on and then play them off. We lay out what needs to be pre-recorded first and mix.” This has allowed them to have different music play-ons if there are various winners throughout the night from the same film.

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When asked if any celebrity has ever yelled at him for playing them offstage for running over time with their acceptance speech, the music director admits, “One time.” He continues, “It starts very soft, with a piano, and it builds and builds. It’s out of consideration for the rest of the people, but this person said, ‘I’ve waited my who life, stop the music!’ The music just kept going.” Minor later saw the celebrity backstage and was told, “I may never get the chance again!” to which Minor jokingly responded, “With that behavior you probably won’t get up here again. But it was fun.”

Minor is also in Emmy contention for producing “Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon.” He says, “It’s an honor for me if I get those calls. I get an opportunity to salute and to pour into these performers and performances. The collaboration with the artist is everything. The job is to help guide the performers back to the center of who they are and what speaks to them. I’m not trying to get them to do what I want them to do. I want to help them find the thing that resonates for them in their performance. I know [Paul Simon‘s] music inside and out.”

The music director goes on to explain the trajectory of his career, from performing The Jackson 5 music as a kid, to starting his own band, and eventually forming a years-long friendship with Whitney Houston as her music director. “I met Whitney in 1981,” he says. “She was 18 and I was 22.” Houston was rejected from a record deal after the two of them put together a showcase for music executives in Los Angeles. “We stayed in touch and then [Houston’s manager] called and wanted me to join the tour. I had just finished ‘Dreamgirls.’ I had been playing in the pit and I got the call to go on tour and the rest is history.”

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