Hugo Peretti
Encyclopedia
Hugo E. Peretti was an American
songwriter
and record producer
.
Born in New York City
, Hugo Peretti began his career as a teenager, playing the trumpet
in the Borscht Belt
in upstate New York
. He graduated to playing with orchestras then in the 1950s partnered with his cousin Luigi Creatore
to form the Hugo & Luigi
songwriting team that evolved to producing records. In 1957, they bought into Roulette Records
where they both wrote songs for various artists such as Valerie Carr
and produced major hits for Jimmie Rodgers
including "Honeycomb
" (Billboard # 1
) and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
" (Billboard # 3), and "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again
" and "Secretly
".
Two years later, Peretti and Creatore signed a contract with RCA Records
where they produced crooner Perry Como
. In addition, they produced Sam Cooke
and Ray Peterson
and wrote English lyrics for the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
" (with the original bulk of the song written by Solomon Linda
), producing the hit for The Tokens
. With George David Weiss
they co-wrote "Can't Help Falling in Love
" for RCA's mega-star, Elvis Presley
. Peretti and Creatore also wrote the Presley hit single Wild in the Country
. He and Creatore left RCA in 1964 to join George David Weiss in writing a musical about the American Civil War
. Titled Maggie Flynn
, it ran on Broadway
in 1968. The family of South Africa
n composer Solomon Linda reached a settlement in the lawsuit over his world-famous song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," in 2006.
In the 1970s, Peretti and Creatore owned part of Avco Records
and then established H&L Records
which they operated until retiring at the end of the decade. Among their successes were recordings by The Stylistics
and The Softones
. They also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
as producers for "Bubbling Brown Sugar."
Hugo Peretti died in 1986 in Englewood, New Jersey
, aged 69.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Born in New York City
New 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...
, Hugo Peretti began his career as a teenager, playing the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
in the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. He graduated to playing with orchestras then in the 1950s partnered with his cousin Luigi Creatore
Luigi Creatore
Luigi Creatore is a American songwriter and record producer.From a musical family, Creatore began his career as a writer. After serving with the United States military during World War II, in the 1950s he became a writer then partnered with his cousin Hugo Peretti to form the songwriting team of...
to form the Hugo & Luigi
Hugo & Luigi
Hugo & Luigi were an American record producing team, made up of songwriters and producers Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, who shared an office in New York's Brill Building...
songwriting team that evolved to producing records. In 1957, they bought into Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
where they both wrote songs for various artists such as Valerie Carr
Valerie Carr
Valerie Carr is an African-American singer. Her most fondly remembered single is probably "I Talk Too Much," her answer song to Joe Jones' 1960 hit, "You Talk Too Much".-Career:...
and produced major hits for Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)
James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
including "Honeycomb
Honeycomb (song)
"Honeycomb" is a popular song written by Bob Merrill in 1954. The best-selling version was recorded by Jimmie Rodgers and charted at number one on the Billboard Top 100 in 1957. "Honeycomb" also reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart and number seven on the Country & Western Best Sellers...
" (Billboard # 1
Number-one hits of 1957 (USA)
This is a list of number-one songs in the United States during the year 1957 according to Billboard magazine. Prior to the creation of the Hot 100, Billboard published multiple singles charts each week...
) and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
Kisses Sweeter than Wine (song)
"Kisses Sweeter than Wine" is a popular love song written by The Weavers in 1950, and a hit for Jimmie Rodgers in 1957 and Frankie Vaughan in 1958.-History:...
" (Billboard # 3), and "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again
Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again
"Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, and Mark Markwell and published in 1958.The best-known recording of the song was done by Jimmie Rodgers, charting in 1958. It debuted on the charts in February, and spent 11 weeks on the charts that spring,...
" and "Secretly
Secretly
The best-known recording of the song was done by Jimmie Rodgers, charting in 1958, reaching number three on the U.S. pop chart and number five on the country chart....
".
Two years later, Peretti and Creatore signed a contract with 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...
where they produced crooner Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
. In addition, they produced Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
and Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson was an American pop music singer who was best remembered for singing "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corrine, Corrina" in the 1960s.-Career:...
and wrote English lyrics for the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...
" (with the original bulk of the song written by Solomon Linda
Solomon Linda
Solomon Popoli Linda , also known as Solomon Ntsele , was a South African Zulu musician, singer and composer who wrote the song "Mbube" which later became the popular music success "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya a cappella popularized later by...
), producing the hit for The Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
. With George David Weiss
George David Weiss
George David Weiss was an American songwriter and former President of the Songwriters Guild of America.-Career:...
they co-wrote "Can't Help Falling in Love
Can't Help Falling in Love
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a pop song originally recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. The melody was based on "Plaisir d'Amour" but with a different...
" for RCA's mega-star, 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"....
. Peretti and Creatore also wrote the Presley hit single Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:...
. He and Creatore left RCA in 1964 to join George David Weiss in writing a musical about the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Titled Maggie Flynn
Maggie Flynn
Maggie Flynn is a musical with a book by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and music and lyrics by Peretti, Creatore, and Weiss....
, it ran on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1968. The family of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n composer Solomon Linda reached a settlement in the lawsuit over his world-famous song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," in 2006.
In the 1970s, Peretti and Creatore owned part of Avco Records
Avco Records
Avco Records was a record label started in 1968 by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and Joseph E. Levine as Avco Embassy Records. In the late 1960s, they released a psychedelic rock album by the group Bead Game, titled Welcome. The Embassy name was dropped in 1971 making the label Avco Records...
and then established H&L Records
H&L Records
H&L Records was a record label founded by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore after they left Avco Records. They took The Stylistics with them....
which they operated until retiring at the end of the decade. Among their successes were recordings by The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
and The Softones
The Softones
The Softones are a "sweet soul" group from the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Their biggest hits were: "My Dream", "Can't Help Falling in Love", "I'm Gonna Prove It", "Carla My Love", and "That Old Black Magic".-History:...
. They also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award was given only to the album producer, and to the composer and lyricist who wrote at least 51% of the music which had not been recorded previously....
as producers for "Bubbling Brown Sugar."
Hugo Peretti died in 1986 in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
, aged 69.