Kurt Farquhar is a Los Angeles–based television and film composer. Farquhar is a seven-time BMI award winner, including four for The King of Queens.[1] one for The Game and two for Being Mary Jane. He is known for composing the scores for The King of Queens, Girlfriends, Sister, Sister, Moesha, Being Mary Jane, The Game, Black Lightning, The Neighborhood, and Real Husbands of Hollywood. Farquhar's career is notable for having scored more prime-time television series than any other African-American composer to date.
A native of Chicago, he is the youngest of five children. He is the younger brother of television producer and writer Ralph Farquhar, and the two have worked together on several shows.[2]
Farquhar musical education took him from the streets of Chicago to the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, The National Conservatory of Music in Versailles, France, and Eastern Illinois University, where he studied with noted percussion teacher Johnny Lane. By the age of 12, Farquhar had already written his first symphonic work. During his early 20s, Farquhar performed with various jazz artists most notably Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Freddie Hubbard.[3]
In his late twenties, Farquhar was the lead singer of the band Big Slamm. They released their first single, "Livin' Large," on Modern Records. This song went on to become the end title for the pilot episode of Livin' Large, produced by Stephen J. Cannell. Farquhar went on to create theme songs and scores for a multitude of television shows and feature films.
Farquhar is also the founder and CEO of True Music, a prominent music licensing catalog operating out of Pasadena, California, which has licensed music throughout broadcast and cable television as well as feature films.[4]
| Title | Year | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Kill | 2022 | Netflix | |
| 2022 | |||
| Sacrifice | 2021 | BET+ | |
| Black Lightning | 2018-2021 | The CW | |
| Games People Play | 2019–Present | BET | |
| The Neighborhood | 2018–Present | CBS | |
| Saints & Sinners | 2016–2022 | Bounce TV | |
| 2021 | Lifetime TV Biopic | ||
| Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding | 2020 | Lifetime TV Movie | |
| Kidnapped: The Kamiyah Mobley Story | 2020 | Lifetime TV Movie | |
| American Soul | 2019-2020 | BET | |
| Being Mary Jane | 2013–2019 | BET | |
| Being Mary Jane (TV Movie) | 2019 | BET TV Movie | |
| Ambitions | 2019 | Oprah Winfrey Network | |
| In Contempt | 2018 | BET | |
| The Quad (TV Series) | 2016–2018 | BET | |
| Russell Simmons: All Def Comedy | 2017 | HBO | |
| Media | 2017 | TV One TV Movie | |
| Stitchers | 2015-2017 | Freeform | |
| The Quad (TV Movie) | 2016 | BET TV Movie | |
| Furst Born | 2016 | CBS Scored Pilot | |
| Winning Ugly | 2016 | Fox Scored Pilot | |
| Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | 2016 | BET TV Movie | |
| Second Sight | 2016 | TV One TV Movie | |
| Zoe Ever After | 2016 | BET | |
| Here We Go Again | 2016 | TV One | |
| The Next 15 | 2016 | TV One | |
| Real Husbands of Hollywood | 2013–2016 | BET | |
| 2015 | BET | ||
| Light Girls | 2015 | Oprah Winfrey Network TV Movie | |
| The Game | 2006–Present | The CW/BET/Paramount+ | |
| Single Ladies | 2011–2015 | BET Her/Centric/VH1 Seasons Three and Four | |
| The Fright Night Files | 2014 | TV One | |
| 2011–2013 | American Heroes Channel | ||
| 2012 | BET | ||
| Free Agents | 2011 | NBC | |
| A.N.T. Farm | 2011 | Disney Channel Scored The Pilot Only | |
| Dark Girls | 2011 | Oprah Winfrey Network TV Movie | |
| Reed Between the Lines | 2011 | BET | |
| K-Ci & JoJo... Come Clean | 2010 | TV One Docu-series | |
| Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices | 2009 | HBO | |
| Lincoln Heights | 2007–2009 | Freeform | |
| Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes? | 2006–2009 | TV One | |
| 2008 | Nickelodeon TV Movie | ||
| Just Jordan | 2007–2008 | Nickelodeon | |
| 2006–2008 | BET | ||
| Girlfriends | 2000–2008 | UPN/The CW | |
| All of Us | 2003–2007 | UPN/The CW | |
| The King of Queens | 1998–2007 | CBS (Starting 3rd Season) | |
| The Adventures of Baxter and McGuire | 2006 | Comedy Central | |
| Blendin | 2006 | Scored Pilot | |
| Love, Inc. | 2005–2006 | UPN | |
| One on One | 2001–2006 | UPN Season 2 & 3 Only | |
| Keke & Jamal | 2005 | Disney Channel TV Movie | |
| Second Time Around | 2004–2005 | UPN | |
| Dance 360 | 2004–2005 | Syndication | |
| The Proud Family | 2001–2005 | ABC/Disney Channel | |
| Soul Food: The Series | 2000–2004 | ||
| Soluna | 2004 | Scored Pilot | |
| Cuts | 2004 | Scored Pilot | |
| The Parkers | 1999–2004 | UPN | |
| Saving Jason | 2003 | Scored Pilot | |
| 2002 | VH1 TV Movie | ||
| Commitments | 2001 | BET TV Movie | |
| Cousin Skeeter | 1998–2001 | Nickelodeon | |
| The Famous Jett Jackson | 1998–2001 | Disney Channel | |
| Moesha | 1996–2001 | UPN | |
| Dancing in September | 2000 | HBO TV Movie | |
| The Corner | 2000 | HBO Miniseries | |
| Smart Guy | 1997–1999 | The WB | |
| In the House | 1995–1999 | NBC/UPN | |
| Sister, Sister | 1994–1999 | ABC/The WB | |
| Cousin Skeeter | 1998 | Nickelodeon | |
| The Kirk Franklin Show | 1998 | Pilot | |
| Claude's Crib | 1997 | USA Network | |
| C Bear and Jamal | 1996–1997 | Fox | |
| Ned and Stacey | 1995–1997 | Fox | |
| Matt Waters | 1996 | CBS | |
| Under One Roof | 1995 | ||
| My Brother and Me | 1994–1995 | Nickelodeon | |
| South Central | 1994 | Fox | |
| The Sinbad Show | 1994 | Fox | |
| Def Comedy Jam: Primetime | 1994 | HBO | |
| Thea | 1993–1994 | ABC | |
| Roc | 1991–1994 | Fox | |
| Rachel Gunn, R.N. | 1992 | Fox | |
| The Royal Family | 1991–1992 | CBS | |
| Drexell's Class | 1991–1992 | Fox | |
| New Attitude | 1990 | NBC | |
| Jackee | 1989 | NBC (Television pilot) |
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Minutes of Fame | 2020 | Leslie Small |
| The Counter: 1960 (Short) | 2017 | Tracy "Twinkie" Bird |
| Created Equal | 2017 | Bill Duke |
| The Perfect Match | 2016 | Bille Woodruff |
| What Love Will Make You Do | 2015 | Lisa Haynes |
| Dark Girls | 2012 | Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry |
| 96 Minutes | 2011 | Aimee Lagos |
| Lifted | 2011 | Lexi Alexander |
| Pastor Brown | 2009 | Rockmond Dunbar |
| Not Easily Broken | 2009 | Bill Duke |
| 2008 | Mike Blum | |
| Cover | 2007 | Bill Duke |
| Miles from Home | 2006 | Ty Hodges |
| Gas | 2004 | Henry Chan |
| Room 302 | 2001 | Short Film |
|}