Spanish “saxofonista” José Luis Santacruz invited me to join him to record a cover of Chuck Mangione’s composition The Cannonball Run Theme. José expertly transcribed the flugelhorn part for me to play, shared here with his kind permission.

Chuck Mangione composed and recorded the theme for the 1981 movie The Cannonball Run, which starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and a long list of others.

I recall my surprise at hearing the theme for the first time while watching the movie with several friends at my local cinema. I was about age 14 and had been listening to Chuck’s recordings day and night. I had no idea that Chuck had contributed to the movie soundtrack so I wasn’t listening for it, but when I heard his unmistakable flugelhorn sound I immediately recognized it and excitedly shared the news with my friends seated next to me. Of course, they had no idea what I was flipping out over…

In addition to the movie soundtrack, the original recording was released on Chuck Mangione’s 1982 A&M album 70 Miles Young.

Resources:

• Chuck Mangione – Cannonball Run Theme collab video.
• Chuck Mangione – Cannonball Run Theme flugelhorn chart.

Transcribed by José Luis Santacruz and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

PS: Fans of Chuck Mangione’s music may be interested in joining the Chuck Mangione Facebook Group, where I’m a member of the admin team.