Jerry Buckner

The top 40 charts in the early 1980s were packed with oddball pop hits such as Stars on 45’s Beatles medley; “Hooked on Classics,” a mixture of classical songs set to a disco beat; and a top 10 novelty called “Pac-Man Fever,” created at the time by Atlanta jingle writers Jerry Bucker and Gary Garcia.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Buckner recalled working at a studio in Marietta with Garcia and going to dinner at Shillings on the Square. While playing a table-top version of Pac-Man, they became addicted like many others. Garcia had an idea: create a silly song, and if it does well, it might boost their jingle career.

Buckner fiddled with the melody, and Garcia massaged the lyrics. They presented the idea to Arnie Geller, producer for such acts as rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section and disco queen Alicia Bridges. Geller liked it and allowed them to record the song in his studio. This is when Garcia came up with the opening line, “I got a pocket full of quarters, and I’m headed to the arcade.”

Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between.

Fabulous Flip Sides – “Pac-Man Fever” 40th Anniversary with Jerry Buckner plus Anne Murray
Jerry Buckner discusses “Pac-Man Fever,” written and performed with his best friend Gary Garcia, early bands, and compositions for Anne Murray, Bertie Higgins and his Disney music connection
Warren Kurtz Jan 24, 2022

Following Gary Garcia's death in 2011, Jerry Buckner continued on as a songwriter, keyboardist, and arranger. His songs have been recorded by Anne Murray (On and On), Bertie Higgins ("The Wall"), Bobby Vinton ("The Wall"), and Seiko ("So In Love With You"). He has scored original music for television and motion picture soundtracks along with jingles for a variety of commercial clients including Coca-Cola, Papa John’s, DirecTV and Waffle House.

In 2012, Buckner co-produced and performed the title track to the hit Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph, which received numerous awards, including Critics' Choice for “Best Movie”, Annie awards for “Best Movie” and “Best Soundtrack” and was nominated for an Oscar.