Vince Dicola

Synthesizer player/composer Vince DiCola is best known for his composing and performing of the soundtrack of the 1986 animated film Transformers: The Movie. While most tunes, including "Instruments of Destruction," "Dare to Be Stupid," and "The Transformers Theme," were firmly set in the heavy metal/heavy rock tradition, the most successful song, "Dare and the Touch," reflects more of a rock and pop influence. DiCola's tune "The Touch" received a 1986 APEX Award for Best Original Song (Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror).

A native of Lancaster, PA, DiCola launched his career after moving to Southern California in 1981. His first success came when he was chosen to co-write eight tunes for Staying Alive, starring John Travolta and directed by Sylvester Stallone. DiCola played keyboards on one tune, "Far from Over," featuring Stallone's brother Frank on vocals. He received a Golden Globe Award for his song "Far from Over." Recording his album Piano Solos in 1986, DiCola has since gone on to record in a variety of contexts. A performer and arranger of four tunes on the 1991 multi-artist tribute album Artfully Beatles, his recording of "Yesterday" was heard during the Winter Olympics in 1998. He arranged, produced, and performed on all ten tracks of a follow-up CD, Artistically Beatles, in 1993.

DiCola later balanced his solo work with membership in a five-piece rock band, Storming Heaven; their debut album, Life in Paradise, was released in Europe and Japan in 1996. He has also worked with the soul-rock trio Thread, also including Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry and Tower of Power vocalist Ellis Hall. Their first album was also released in 1996. Forming a new band, In-VINCE-Ible, in November 2000, with ex-members of Chicago, Santana, and Jethro Tull, DiCola released an album with the same name, combining past and previously unreleased tunes. He has also performed regularly with Christian performer Bryan Duncan. DiCola remains committed to the music that he composed for Transformers. He released three CDs of film-oriented material early in the new millennium — the full original score, a collection of rare tracks and demos, and a solo piano album, Artistic Transformation.