Robert Etoll

Etoll was born and raised in Troy, New York. He began guitar lessons at age seven at Miller's Music and later at the Troy Music Academy. During his teenage years, he also studied piano. He graduated from Lansingburgh High School.

His first band, The Marlins — later renamed Sweet Silence — performed at local CYO and high school dances, block parties, and other community events. In 1971, the group won a local battle of the bands competition and opened for The Grass Roots at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Etoll later attended Berklee College of Music, where he studied guitar performance, composition, and arranging.^[1][2]

While studying at Berklee, Etoll joined an established horn band that later became Back Bay Brew, a funk-rock-soul group that toured from Boston down the eastern seaboard to Florida. After the group disbanded, he moved to Los Angeles in 1976, where he worked as a session musician and toured Europe with renowned drummer, Alphonse Mouzon.^[2]

By the late 1980s, Etoll had signed as a songwriter with Warner Chappell Music and later MCA Music Publishing.^[2] His songs were recorded by various artists including The Pointer Sisters, Reba McEntire, and Akina Nakamori.^[2]

In addition to songwriting and music production, Etoll composed music for films, documentaries, television series, and game shows. He also served for 18 years as the house composer for Cessna Aircraft, creating music and sound design for corporate campaigns.

A director of one of the films he scored invited Etoll to compose a 30-second television spot for The Godfather Part III for Paramount Pictures, set to air during the Super Bowl.^[2] The project marked his entry into music composition and sound design for the trailer industry. Soon after, Etoll founded Q-Factory Music.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Etoll contributed as a music producer and composer for the Japanese animated television series Zoids.^[8][9][10] He also provided music for the game show Lingo.^[11]

During the 1990s, Etoll taught Music for Film and Television for UCLA Extension.^[12]