Vince DiCola

Vince DiCola, a synthesizer player and composer, earned his primary recognition through the music he composed and performed for the 1986 animated film Transformers: The Movie. Although pieces such as "Instruments of Destruction," "Dare to Be Stupid," and "The Transformers Theme" stayed rooted in the heavy metal and hard rock vein, the standout track "Dare and the Touch" leaned instead toward rock and pop. DiCola's composition "The Touch" received the 1986 APEX Award for Best Original Song (Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror).

Originally from Lancaster, PA, DiCola began building his career upon relocating to Southern California in 1981. Early success followed when he was selected to co-write eight songs for Staying Alive, the film starring John Travolta and directed by Sylvester Stallone. He supplied keyboards for one of them, "Far from Over," which featured vocals by Stallone's brother Frank. The same song brought DiCola a Golden Globe Award. After issuing Piano Solos in 1986, he continued recording in varied settings. Serving as performer and arranger on four tracks of the 1991 multi-artist tribute Artfully Beatles, his version of "Yesterday" aired during the Winter Olympics in 1998. He handled arrangement, production, and performance for every track of the follow-up release Artistically Beatles in 1993.

DiCola later combined solo projects with work in the five-piece rock band Storming Heaven; their debut album Life in Paradise appeared in Europe and Japan in 1996. He also joined the soul-rock trio Thread, which included Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry and Tower of Power vocalist Ellis Hall, releasing their first album the same year. In November 2000 he formed In-VINCE-Ible with former members of Chicago, Santana, and Jethro Tull, issuing a self-titled album that mixed older and previously unreleased material. He has performed regularly with Christian artist Bryan Duncan. Remaining devoted to his Transformers score, DiCola released three CDs of film-related material early in the new millennium: the complete original soundtrack, a set of rare tracks and demos, and the solo piano album Artistic Transformation.