David Axelrod (born April 17, 1931, Los Angeles) is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.His father was active in radical labour union politics, and Axelrod was raised in South Central Los Angeles, where he grew up listening to R&B and jazz. After a stint as a boxer, he found studio work in the film and television industry, and was soon in demand as a drummer, producer and arranger. He produced his first album in 1959, saxophonist Harold Land’s The Fox, which was seen as a landmark record.