Eric Arthur Tomlinson was born in Preston, Lancashire, on 8 January 1931. Whilst working as an aeronautical engineer for Fairey Aviation Company, he became interested in recording sound and music. After working on jazz albums with the likes of
John Dankworth, he moved to film music, recording the James Bond theme for
Dr. No (1962). Over the years, whilst working at EMI's Abbey Road studios he recorded such film soundtracks as
Amadeus (1984),
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) in addition to working alongside composers including
Burt Bacharach and recording
Frank Sinatra's only album not to have been made in America. Eric retired in the mid-1990s, living with his second wife Joy in Devon, where he died on 24 November 2015.