Hugo Montenegro
Encyclopedia
Hugo Montenegro was an American
orchestra leader and composer
of film soundtracks. His best known work is derived from interpretations of the music from Spaghetti western
s, especially his cover version of the main theme
from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
. He composed the musical score for the 1969 Western Charro!
which starred Elvis Presley
.
in 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years, mostly as an arranger for the Newport Naval Base band in Newport, Rhode Island. After the war he attended Manhattan College
while studying composition and leading his own band
for school dances.
In the middle 1950s, he was directing, conducting, and arranging the orchestra for Eliot Glen and Irving Spice on their Dragon and Caprice labels. It was he who was directing the Glen-Spice Orchestra on Dion DiMucci
's first release when Dion was backed by Dragon recording artists, the Timberlanes. Released on Mohawk #105 in 1957, the songs were "Out In Colorado" and "The Chosen Few", which were soon issued on the Jubilee label for better distribution.
He was later hired by Time Records as a musical director producing a series of albums for the label, and moved to Los Angeles
in the early 1960s where he began working for RCA Records
, producing a series of albums and soundtrack
s for motion pictures and television
themes, such as two volumes of Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
, an album of cover version
s of spy music themes Come Spy With Me and an album of cover versions of the Clint Eastwood
The Man With No Name series of spaghetti western
s that led to major chart hits.
Montenegro began scoring motion pictures with the instrumental music from Advance to the Rear
in 1964. Following the success of his albums, he was contracted by Columbia Pictures
where he did such films as Hurry Sundown (film)
and two Matt Helm
pictures. He composed the musical score and conducted the recording sessions for the 1969 Elvis Presley
Western film Charro!
(1969). Montenegro was also contracted to Columbia's television production company Screen Gems
where he is most famous for his theme from the second season of the television series I Dream of Jeannie
, his theme song "Seattle
" and music from Here Come the Brides
and The Outcasts
. During the mid‑60s he started producing some of the most renowned works from the space age pop
era, featuring electronics and rock
in albums such as Moog Power and Mammy Blue.
Montenegro's electronic works were decisive and influential for the future generations of electronic music
ians, giving a retro/futuristic edge by the use of the Moog synthesizer
, and helped to push its popularity. He will be also remembered by his versions of classics such as the main theme to Sergio Leone
's film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, originally composed by Ennio Morricone
. This was Montenegro's biggest pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, #3 in the Canadian RPM Magazine
charts, and spending four weeks atop the UK Singles Chart
in 1968. It sold over one and a quarter million copies and was awarded a gold disc
.
His version of the theme from Hang 'em High
reached #59 in Canada. In 1968, his hit "Aces High" placed at #11 on the Billboard Year End Chart of the Top Hits of 1968.
In the late 1970s severe emphysema
forced an end to his musical career, and he died of the disease in 1981. His remains were buried at Welwood Murray Cemetery in Palm Springs, California
.
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
orchestra leader and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of film soundtracks. His best known work is derived from interpretations of the music from Spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s, especially his cover version of the main theme
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (theme)
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is the theme to the 1966 film of the same name, which was directed by Sergio Leone. Included on the film soundtrack as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ", the instrumental piece was composed by Ennio Morricone, with Bruno Nicolai conducting the orchestra. A cover...
from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone...
. He composed the musical score for the 1969 Western Charro!
Charro!
Charro! is a 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley. It was his only role that didn't feature him singing on-screen, and is the only Presley film to feature no songs at all except for the main title theme. It also features a bearded Presley for the first and last time in any of his films.The film...
which starred 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"....
.
Biography
Hugo Mario Montenegro was born in 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...
in 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years, mostly as an arranger for the Newport Naval Base band in Newport, Rhode Island. After the war he attended Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
while studying composition and leading his own band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
for school dances.
Dion DiMucci
Dion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
's first release when Dion was backed by Dragon recording artists, the Timberlanes. Released on Mohawk #105 in 1957, the songs were "Out In Colorado" and "The Chosen Few", which were soon issued on the Jubilee label for better distribution.
He was later hired by Time Records as a musical director producing a series of albums for the label, and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the early 1960s where he began working for RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, producing a series of albums and soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for motion pictures and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
themes, such as two volumes of Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
, an album of cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of spy music themes Come Spy With Me and an album of cover versions of the Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
The Man With No Name series of spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
s that led to major chart hits.
Montenegro began scoring motion pictures with the instrumental music from Advance to the Rear
Advance to the Rear
Advance to the Rear is a light-hearted 1964 western comedy film set in the American Civil War. It stars Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens and Melvyn Douglas and is directed by George Marshall. The film is based on the 1957 novel Company of Cowards by Jack Schaefer, with the film having that title in...
in 1964. Following the success of his albums, he was contracted by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
where he did such films as Hurry Sundown (film)
Hurry Sundown (film)
Hurry Sundown is a 1967 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Jane Fonda and Michael Caine. The screenplay by Horton Foote and Thomas C. Ryan is based on the 1965 novel of the same title by K.B...
and two Matt Helm
Matt Helm
Matt Helm is a fictional character created by author Donald Hamilton. He is a U.S. government counter-agent—a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of the term as used in spy thrillers.-The character and the series:The...
pictures. He composed the musical score and conducted the recording sessions for the 1969 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"....
Western film Charro!
Charro!
Charro! is a 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley. It was his only role that didn't feature him singing on-screen, and is the only Presley film to feature no songs at all except for the main title theme. It also features a bearded Presley for the first and last time in any of his films.The film...
(1969). Montenegro was also contracted to Columbia's television production company Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
where he is most famous for his theme from the second season of the television series I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
, his theme song "Seattle
Seattle (song)
"Seattle" is a song written by Hugo Montenegro, Jack Keller and Ernie Sheldon. It was used as the theme for the 1968-70 ABC-TV U.S. television show Here Come the Brides. Late in the show's first season, singer Perry Como recorded a version of the song, which became a Top 40 hit for him on the...
" and music from Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
and The Outcasts
The Outcasts (TV series)
The Outcasts is a short-lived Western genre television series, appearing on ABC in the 1968-69 season. The series co-starred Don Murray and Otis Young, and is probably most notable for being the first television Western with a Black co-star and the first bi-racial Western action...
. During the mid‑60s he started producing some of the most renowned works from the space age pop
Space age pop
Space age pop is a general and loosely based term for a music genre associated with certain Mexican and American composers and songwriters in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s. It is also called bachelor pad music or lounge music...
era, featuring electronics and 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...
in albums such as Moog Power and Mammy Blue.
Montenegro's electronic works were decisive and influential for the future generations of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ians, giving a retro/futuristic edge by the use of the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
, and helped to push its popularity. He will be also remembered by his versions of classics such as the main theme to Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
's film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, originally composed by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
. This was Montenegro's biggest pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, #3 in the Canadian RPM Magazine
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
charts, and spending four weeks atop the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1968. It sold over one and a quarter million copies and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
His version of the theme from Hang 'em High
Hang 'Em High
Hang 'Em High is a 1968 American Western film directed by Ted Post and produced and co-written by Leonard Freeman. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching, Inger Stevens as a widow who helps him, Ed Begley as the leader of the gang that lynched him, and Pat...
reached #59 in Canada. In 1968, his hit "Aces High" placed at #11 on the Billboard Year End Chart of the Top Hits of 1968.
In the late 1970s severe emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
forced an end to his musical career, and he died of the disease in 1981. His remains were buried at Welwood Murray Cemetery in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
-
- Overture--American Musical Theatre Vol. 2---Time-52036/S-2036---196?
- Music From "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" ---RCA Victor-LPM/LSP-3927---1968
- Hang 'Em High---RCA Victor-LPM/LSP-4022---1968
- Good Vibrations---RCA Victor-LSP-4104---1969
- This Is Hugo Montenegro---RCA Victor-VPS-6036---1971
External links
- Montenegro at Space Age Pop http://www.spaceagepop.com/monteneg.htm