Chris Granner

Chris Granner’s journey in the pinball industry began in the mid-1980s when, fresh from studying electronic music, he joined Williams Electronics as their first in-house sound designer. His work on groundbreaking machines like Road Kings, The Addams Family, and Twilight Zone helped to elevate pinball audio from basic bleeps to immersive, theme-driven soundtracks, pushing pinball hardware and creativity to new heights. Granner’s approach—tying music closely to gameplay events—created some of pinball’s most memorable moments and influenced the evolution of pinball audio well into the 21st century.

After a long and prolific career at Williams/Bally/Midway and later at Capcom and Stern, Granner briefly stepped away from the industry, only to return in 2011 to help launch Jersey Jack Pinball’s The Wizard of Oz. The advanced technology of modern machines allowed him to exercise his full range of talent, giving players rich, cinematic soundscapes. Now recognized as a pinball Hall of Fame inductee, Chris Granner leaves an enduring legacy as one of the great composers and sound engineers in the world of coin-op and arcade entertainment.