Gary Portnoy

Gary Portnoy is an American singer-songwriter and composer best known for writing and performing «Where Everybody Knows Your Name», the theme song of the long-running sitcom Cheers, co-written with Judy Hart Angelo. The song became a cultural touchstone in the United States, recognizable far beyond the show’s original audience, and it remains his signature work.

Beyond Cheers, Portnoy built a career composing music for American television, contributing themes and songs for other network shows of the 1980s, including work associated with Punky Brewster. His style sits within mainstream pop and soft rock, favoring warm, singable melodies and sentimental, easygoing lyrics well suited to television framing devices.

While Portnoy never achieved major recognition as a recording artist outside of television work, his contribution to American TV theme music is considered influential, and «Where Everybody Knows Your Name» continues to be covered, referenced, and played in popular culture decades after its debut.