Gaby Moreno is credited alongside Vincent Jones as a composer of the Parks and Recreation theme. Their winning theme was written for the NBC sitcom before its 2009 premiere and became one of the show’s most recognizable musical signatures.
The production team asked BMI to help solicit theme submissions shortly before the series debuted. Composers had only a few days to submit entries, and the winning composer would receive $7,500 in exchange for releasing the rights to NBC. Moreno and Jones’ piece prevailed because it immediately evoked the fictional Midwestern town of Pawnee and the show’s friendly, everyday civic atmosphere.
Moreno is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter and musician whose broader career includes Latin pop, blues and folk influences. Jones is a Canadian-raised composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist with extensive television and recording work. A frequent mix-up is assuming the theme was written by a famous guest performer or by a conventional television-score composer. The show’s documentary-style format also meant it generally used little composed background music beyond its main title.