Broadway Music Director Jim Vukovich Has Passed Away

Musician, recording artist, conductor, arranger, composer and musical director Jim Vukovich has passed away.

Jim's theatrical credits include the Broadway national tours of Hairspray and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, as well as the Broadway productions of The Wedding Singer and Hot Feet: The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. He also musical directed numerous tours and regional theater productions including Beehive, Twist and The Hunchback of Notre Dame among many others.

Jim began his fascination with music at an early age, plunking out Sunday School tunes on the family piano in Waukegan, Illinois. By age 8 he was also playing trumpet while listening to his mother's favorite recording artists on a record player in the basement. Greats like Aretha, Al Green, Eta James and The 5th Dimension began to shape his musical style. In the 80s Jim headed to Los Angeles and became an Arista Records recording artist and staff writer recording under the duo Fire On Blonde.

He also began touring with artists like The Pointer Sisters, Rita Coolidge, Dionne Warwick, Freda Payne, Barry Manilow, David Foster and Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. of The 5th Dimension. But it was in pop/rock musicals that Jim truly hit his stride as a musical director and mentor to up and coming talent.

In his later years Jim accepted a position at Houston Community College as the head of musical theater. He continued musical directing local productions, many at Houston's famous Theater Under the Stars.

A virtual memorial will be held for Jim on April 1. For more information email JimmyVMemorial@gmail.com and a link will be sent to you. Jim's friends request any donations in his name be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.