Al Caiola
Encyclopedia
Al Caiola is a guitarist
who plays jazz
, country
, rock
, western
, and pop music
. He has been both a studio musician and stage performer. He has recorded over fifty albums and has worked with some of the biggest stars of the 20th century, including Elvis Presley
, Frank Sinatra
, Percy Faith
, Buddy Holly
, Mitch Miller
, and Tony Bennett
. During World War II
Caiola played with the United States Marine Corps
5th Marine Division (United States) Band that also included Bob Crosby
. Caiola served in the Battle of Iwo Jima
as a stretcher bearer.
area. He released some minor records
under his own name in that decade. In addition, he performed under the musical direction of John Serry, Sr.
on an album for Dot Records
in 1956 (Squeeze Play). In 1960 he became a recording
star
on the United Artists
(UA) label
for at least ten years. He had prominent pop hits
in 1961 with "The Magnificent Seven
" and "Bonanza
". The style was inspired by Duane Eddy
's twangy bass guitar sound. The arrangement
s were typically by Don Costa
using a large orchestral backing. Caiola continuously released singles
and album
s throughout the 1960s and beyond, though no others appeared on the charts except for an entry in 1964 with "From Russia with Love". UA used him to make commercial recordings of many movie
and television
themes
. A popular and sought-after album is 1961's Hit Instrumentals From Western TV Themes, which included "Wagon Train (Wagons Ho)", "Paladin", "The Rebel" and "Gunslinger". It has been reissued in other forms since then. Solid Gold Guitar, probably his most impressive album, contained exciting big arrangements of "Jezebel", "Two Guitars", "Big Guitar", "I Walk the Line
" and "Guitar Boogie".
The Magnificent Seven album, other than the title track, consisted of a variety of pop songs with a jazzy bent. Guitars Guitars Guitars was similar. There was a wide variety to his albums — soft pop, Italian, Hawaiian, country, jazz. The 1960s were his heyday. In the early 1970s he continued on the Avalanche Records label, producing similar work including the album Theme From the 'Magnificent 7 Ride' '73. Later, on other labels, came some ethnic-themed instrumental
albums such as In a Spanish Mood in 1982, and Italian instrumentals.
Caiola is still in demand. He performed with Frank Sinatra, Jr., on December 31, 2010, and tours on a regular basis with Steve Lawrence.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
who plays jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. He has been both a studio musician and stage performer. He has recorded over fifty albums and has worked with some of the biggest stars of the 20th century, including Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Percy Faith
Percy Faith
Percy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
, and Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Caiola played with the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
5th Marine Division (United States) Band that also included Bob Crosby
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
. Caiola served in the Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
as a stretcher bearer.
Career
Caiola was an active studio musician in the 1950s centered in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area. He released some minor records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
under his own name in that decade. In addition, he performed under the musical direction of John Serry, Sr.
John Serry, Sr.
John Serry, Sr. was an accomplished concert accordionist virtuoso, arranger, composer, organist and educator who performed on the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks...
on an album for Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
in 1956 (Squeeze Play). In 1960 he became a recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
on the United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(UA) label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
for at least ten years. He had prominent pop hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1961 with "The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
" and "Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
". The style was inspired by Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
's twangy bass guitar sound. The arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s were typically by Don Costa
Don Costa
Don Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
using a large orchestral backing. Caiola continuously released singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s throughout the 1960s and beyond, though no others appeared on the charts except for an entry in 1964 with "From Russia with Love". UA used him to make commercial recordings of many movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
themes
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. A popular and sought-after album is 1961's Hit Instrumentals From Western TV Themes, which included "Wagon Train (Wagons Ho)", "Paladin", "The Rebel" and "Gunslinger". It has been reissued in other forms since then. Solid Gold Guitar, probably his most impressive album, contained exciting big arrangements of "Jezebel", "Two Guitars", "Big Guitar", "I Walk the Line
I Walk the Line
"I Walk the Line" is a song written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. It was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics that his brother introduced him to following his discharge from the Air Force. Cash and his wife, Vivian, were living in Memphis, Tennessee,...
" and "Guitar Boogie".
The Magnificent Seven album, other than the title track, consisted of a variety of pop songs with a jazzy bent. Guitars Guitars Guitars was similar. There was a wide variety to his albums — soft pop, Italian, Hawaiian, country, jazz. The 1960s were his heyday. In the early 1970s he continued on the Avalanche Records label, producing similar work including the album Theme From the 'Magnificent 7 Ride' '73. Later, on other labels, came some ethnic-themed instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
albums such as In a Spanish Mood in 1982, and Italian instrumentals.
Caiola is still in demand. He performed with Frank Sinatra, Jr., on December 31, 2010, and tours on a regular basis with Steve Lawrence.
Partial studio recordings list
- Paul Anka — "Diana," "Lonely Boy," "My Way," "Puppy Love," "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," "Times Of Your Life"
- Louie Armstrong — "Back O'Town Blues," "Mop! Mop!," "Blueberry Hill" (All three tracks recorded live in 1947.)
- Frankie Avalon — "Dede Dinah," "Venus"
- Burt Bacharach — "Bridget Bardo"
- Pearl Bailey — "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'," "Westport"
- LaVerne Baker — "I Cried A Tear," "I'm Leaving You," banjo on "Humpty Dumpty Heart"
- Tony Bennett — "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Stranger In Paradise"
- Ruth Brown — "A New Love," "I Hope We Meet," "I Loves You Porgy," "Look Me Up," "Show Me"
- Solomon Burke — "Cry To Me"
- Glen Campbell — "Galveston"
- Petula Clark — "Don't Sleep In The Subway," "This Is My Song"
- Rosemary Clooney — "Come On A My House," "Half As Much," "Hey There," "This Ole House"
- The Coasters — "Dance!," "Gee, Golly," "Hungry," "I'm Fallin'," "Run Red Run"
- Perry Como — "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes," "Patricia," "Temptation"
- Ray Conniff, His Orchestra And Chorus — "Melody For Two Guitars"
- The Crickets — "Rave On," "That's My Desire"
- King Curtis & Al Caiola — "Guitar Boogie Shuffle"
- Bobby Darin — "Artificial Flowers," "Bill Bailey," "Dream Lover," "Mack The Knife," "Queen Of The Hop," "Splish Splash," "That's All"
- Peter De Angelis Orchestra & Chorus featuring Al Caiola — "The Happy Mandolin"
- Dion Di Muci — "Abraham, Martin And John," "Drip Drop," "Runaround Sue," "The Wanderer"
- Fabian — "Tiger"
- Percy Faith — The Theme From "A Summer Place"
- Ferrante & Teicher — "Theme From Airport," "Theme From Exodus"
- Eddie Fisher — "Anytime," "Dungaree Doll," "Oh! My Pa-Pa," "On The Street Where You Live"
- The Four Lads — "Istanbul," "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing," "Moments To Remember," "No Not Much," "Standing On The Corner"
- Connie Francis — "Al-Di-La," "Arrivederci Roma," "Mama," "Summertime In Venice"
- Jackie Gleason — "From Russia With Love," "Melancholy Serenade"
- The Bobby Hackett Quartet — entire "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" album
- Herbie Hancock — "Deck The Halls"
- Woody Herman — "Body And Soul," "Caldonia," "Early Autumn," "Mood Indigo"
- Al Hirt — "Big Honey," "Puppet On A String"
- Buddy Holly — "I'm Gonna Love You Too," "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," "Moondreams," "True Love Ways"
- The Hugo & Luigi Chorus — "It Happened In Monterey"
- Ivory Joe Hunter — "Empty Arms," "Love's A Hurting Game"
- Mahalia Jackson — "His Hands," "I See God," "You're Not Living In Vain"
- Willis Jackson — "Back Door," "Lator Gator"
- Ben E. King — "Spanish Harlem," "Stand By Me"
- Andre Kostelanetz — "The Impossible Dream," "My Favorite Things"
- Frankie Laine — "Lonely Man," "Moonlight Gambler"
- Brenda Lee — "Fairyland," "One Step At A Time"
- Peggy Lee — "Lean On Me," "Spinning Wheel"
- Jerry Lee Lewis — "Let's Talk About Us," "To Make Love Sweeter For You"
- Julie London — "Lonely Girl," "Remember"
- Al Martino — "Spanish Eyes"
- Johnny Mathis — "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say," "Misty," "Smile," "The Twelfth Of Never"
- The McGuire Sisters — "Sugar In The Morning"
- Helen Merrill — "It's De-lovely"
- Mitch Miller — "The Yellow Rose Of Texas," most "Sing Along With Mitch" albums
- Guy Mitchell — "Knee Deep In The Blues," "Run With The Best"
- Lou Monte — "Lazy Mary," "Pepino The Italian Mouse"
- Claus Ogerman — "Lyric Suite"
- Elvis Presley — "Santa Lucia"
- Johnnie Ray — "Just Walkin' In The Rain," "Soliloquy Of A Fool"
- Henri René And His Orchestra — entire "Compulsion To Swing" album
- Marty Robbins — "A White Sport Coat," "She Was Only Seventeen," "The Story Of My Life"
- Neil Sedaka — "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do," "Calendar Girl," "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen," "Next Door To An Angel"
- Del Shannon — "Hats Off To Larry," "Little Town Flirt," "Runaway"
- Simon & Garfunkel — "Mrs. Robinson," "Old Friends/Bookends," "Why Don't You Write Me" (also see Tom & Jerry)
- Frank Sinatra — "Bye Bye Baby," "Don't Cry Joe," "Drinking Again," "It All Depends On You"
- Somethin' Smith & The Redheads — "It's Gonna Snowflow," "Love Is A Gamble"
- Barbara Streisand — "Bye Bye Blackbird"
- Tom & Jerry (Simon & Garfunkel) — "Baby Talk"
- Sarah Vaughan — "Autumn In New York," "Lullaby Of Birdland," "Moonlight In Vermont," "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever"
- The Village Stompers - "Washington Square"
- Dinah Washington — entire "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes" album
- Andy Williams — "Butterfly," "Canadian Sunset"
- Joe Williams — "I Should Have Kissed Her More," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street"
- Chuck Willis — "C. C. Rider" (also known as "See See Rider,") "Hang Up My Rock 'N' Roll Shoes," "What Am I Living For?"
- Hugo Winterhalter — "Blue Tango," "Count Every Star"