Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger, conductor and composer. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with Elton John and with The Rolling Stones in the 1970s. He began learning the cello at the age of four and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music at age 21. Buckmaster displayed professional mastery as a cellist. However, he soon started his career as an orchestral arranger on various hit songs