Meco Monardo

Meco Monardo (born November 29, 1939) was an American record producer and musician, responsible for several Star Wars music albums, including Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk in 1977 and Christmas in the Stars in 1980 under the name Meco. Other Star Wars releases from Meco include the songs "Ewok Celebration," "Lapti Nek," and "Themes from Star Wars," on the album entitled Ewok Celebration, his EP "Meco* – Plays Music From The Empire Strikes Back," and his compilation albums Dance Your Asteroids Off: The Complete Star Wars Collection, released in 2000, and Music Inspired By Star Wars.

In 1977, Meco saw Star Wars opening day, and he reportedly returned several more times over opening weekend. Obsessed with John Williams's score, he obtained permission to make a disco-themed version of the music. The record "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" became a number 1 hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. In his hit song, Meco and his recording parter Tony Bongiovi reverse-engineered authentic-sounding effects of R2-D2, starships, and laser fire to help dancing listeners feel more connected to the movie. Meco acquired the score to Star Wars after calling 20th Century Fox. Reportedly, the friendly receptionist initially told him she could not send the score, but Meco immediately had flowers sent to her, and he received the score within days. Later, a song featuring Japanese lyrics by Masato Shimon set to his music, "スター・ウォーズのテーマ～カンテナバンド," was released without permission.

After the release of "Ewok Celebration," Meco retired from music in 1985. He returned to Star Wars music in 2000 following the release of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and released his final Star Wars music in 2005. Meco passed away on May 26, 2023 at 83 years old.

Text and facts from the “Meco Monardo” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.