Botkin Jr. was also behind popular theme songs for '70s sitcom Mork & Mindy and The ABC Sunday Night Movie weekly program. Throughout his decades-long career, Botkin Jr. composed several recognizable commercial tunes for brands including American Airlines, Baskin-Robbins, Busch Light Beer, Chevron and Mattel. Though he was born in New York on April 16, 1933, the hitmaker was raised in Los Angeles after his family moved to The City of Angels soon after his birth. Botkin Jr. began developing his musical abilities in high school, where he played the trombone as part of a student jazz quartet (which also included composer John Williams, who played piano for the group).