Musique concrète composer and writer Tod Dockstader was from Minnesota but went to Hollywood in the '50s where he lined up a job doing music to accompany the Tom & Jerry cartoon. Dockstader also wrote a couple of the episodes. He also contributed sound effects for Mr Magoo.
His first album Eight Electronic Pieces was self-released before being picked up by Folkways in 1961. Music from those recordings were later used in the film Fellini Satyricon. He released his organized sound masterpiece Quatermass in the mid '60s.
He continued his experimental sound art into the '70s, while also composing and directing for television, educational films and stock material. He used tape manipulations and oscillators on his earlier work, as well as Moog and other synthesizers while his later work utilized computers.
Morton Feldman described Dockstader's work as possessing “vibrant musicality rather than musicianship”. Dockstader cited Varèse, Stockhausen, Berio and Ussachevsky as major influences.