Percy Faith
Encyclopedia
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 continued well into the 1960s. Though his professional orchestra-leading career began at the height of the swing era, Faith refined and rethought orchestration techniques, including use of large string sections, to soften and fill out the brass-dominated popular music of the 1940s.
, Ontario
, Canada
. He was the oldest of eight children. He played violin and piano as a child, and played in theatres and at Massey Hall
. After his hands were badly burned in a fire, he turned to conducting, and his live orchestras utilized the new medium of radio broadcasting. Beginning with defunct stations CKNC
and CKCL, Faith was a staple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's live-music broadcasting from 1933 to 1940, when he resettled in Chicago
. In 1945, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States
. He made many recordings for Voice of America
. After working briefly for Decca Records
, he worked for Mitch Miller
at Columbia Records
, where he turned out dozens of albums and provided arrangements for many of the pop singers of the 1950s, including Tony Bennett
, Doris Day
, Johnny Mathis
(for Johnny's 1958 Christmas album entitled "Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis"), and Guy Mitchell
(for whom Faith wrote Mitchell's number one single, "My Heart Cries for You
").
His most famous and remembered recordings are "Delicado
" (1952), "The Song from Moulin Rouge
" (1953) and "Theme from A Summer Place
" (1960), which won the Grammy Award
for Record of the Year
in 1961. Faith remains the only artist to have the best selling single of the year during both the pop singer era ("Song from Moulin Rouge") and the rock era ("Theme from a Summer Place"); and he is one of only three artists, along with Elvis Presley
and The Beatles
, to have the best selling single of the year twice. The B-side
of "Song from the Moulin Rouge" was "Swedish Rhapsody" by Hugo Alfvén
.
Though Faith initially mined the worlds of Broadway, Hollywood and Latin music for many of his top-selling 1950s recordings, he enjoyed popularity starting in 1962 with his orchestral versions of popular rock and pop hits of the day. His Themes for Young Lovers album was a top seller during this era and introduced the Faith sound to a younger generation of listeners. With the success of Columbia record-mate Ray Conniff
's chorus and orchestra during this same time, Faith began using a chorus (usually all female in the early recordings, later mixed) in several popular albums from the mid-1960s on. Faith's first single with a female chorus, "Yellow Days," was a substantial hit in the MOR (Middle of the Road) easy listening radio format of the mid-1960s. Faith continued to enjoy airplay and consistent album sales throughout the early 1970s, and received a second Grammy award in 1969 for his album Love Theme from 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Though best known for his recording career, Faith also occasionally scored motion pictures, and received an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of the song score for the Doris Day
musical feature, Love Me or Leave Me
. Several of his other original scores for dramatic features such as Tammy Tell Me True and The Oscar
contained popular theme songs. Faith also composed the popular theme for the long running NBC series The Virginian
.
With the advent of harder rock sounds in the 1970s, Faith's elegant arrangements fell out of favor with the listening and record-buying public, although he continued to release albums as diverse and contemporary as Jesus Christ Superstar and Black Magic Woman. He released one album of country music and two albums of disco-oriented arrangements toward the end of his forty-year career, his very last recording being a disco-style reworking of "Theme from a Summer Place", titled "Summer Place '76", which was a minor and, sadly, posthumous hit. Faith died of cancer
in Encino, California, and was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
in Culver City, California
.
His wife, Mary (Palange) Faith, was born November 24, 1909 and died November 27, 1997 in Los Angeles. They married in 1928 and had 2 children, Marilyn and Peter.
Sources: Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 - Billboard Top Adult Songs 1961-2006
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, orchestrator, 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...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. Though his professional orchestra-leading career began at the height of the swing era, Faith refined and rethought orchestration techniques, including use of large string sections, to soften and fill out the brass-dominated popular music of the 1940s.
Biography
Faith was born and raised in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was the oldest of eight children. He played violin and piano as a child, and played in theatres and at Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
. After his hands were badly burned in a fire, he turned to conducting, and his live orchestras utilized the new medium of radio broadcasting. Beginning with defunct stations CKNC
CJBC (AM)
-External links:* * * at Canadian Communications Foundation...
and CKCL, Faith was a staple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's live-music broadcasting from 1933 to 1940, when he resettled in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1945, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He made many recordings for Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
. After working briefly for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, he worked for Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
at Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where he turned out dozens of albums and provided arrangements for many of the pop singers of the 1950s, including Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
(for Johnny's 1958 Christmas album entitled "Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis"), and Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
(for whom Faith wrote Mitchell's number one single, "My Heart Cries for You
My Heart Cries for You
"My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th century French melody.The music is from an old French song attributed to Marie Antoinette " La jardinière du Roi"...
").
His most famous and remembered recordings are "Delicado
Delicado
"Delicado" is a popular song published in 1952 with music by Valdir Azevedo and lyrics by Jack Lawrence.A version recorded by Percy Faith and his orchestra reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1952. Stan Kenton and Dinah Shore recorded successful cover versions. Dr. John recorded a...
" (1952), "The Song from Moulin Rouge
The Song from Moulin Rouge
"The Song from Moulin Rouge" is a popular song that first appeared in the 1952 film Moulin Rouge....
" (1953) and "Theme from A Summer Place
Theme from A Summer Place
The "Theme from A Summer Place" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film, A Summer Place, which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film by Hugo Winterhalter...
" (1960), which won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
in 1961. Faith remains the only artist to have the best selling single of the year during both the pop singer era ("Song from Moulin Rouge") and the rock era ("Theme from a Summer Place"); and he is one of only three artists, along with 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"....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, to have the best selling single of the year twice. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "Song from the Moulin Rouge" was "Swedish Rhapsody" by Hugo Alfvén
Hugo Alfvén
was a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter.- Violinist :Alfvén was born in Stockholm and studied at the Music Conservatory there from 1887 to 1891 with the violin as his main instrument, receiving lessons from Lars Zetterquist. He also took private composition lessons from Johan...
.
Though Faith initially mined the worlds of Broadway, Hollywood and Latin music for many of his top-selling 1950s recordings, he enjoyed popularity starting in 1962 with his orchestral versions of popular rock and pop hits of the day. His Themes for Young Lovers album was a top seller during this era and introduced the Faith sound to a younger generation of listeners. With the success of Columbia record-mate Ray Conniff
Ray Conniff
Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.-Biography:...
's chorus and orchestra during this same time, Faith began using a chorus (usually all female in the early recordings, later mixed) in several popular albums from the mid-1960s on. Faith's first single with a female chorus, "Yellow Days," was a substantial hit in the MOR (Middle of the Road) easy listening radio format of the mid-1960s. Faith continued to enjoy airplay and consistent album sales throughout the early 1970s, and received a second Grammy award in 1969 for his album Love Theme from 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Though best known for his recording career, Faith also occasionally scored motion pictures, and received an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of the song score for the Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
musical feature, Love Me or Leave Me
Love Me or Leave Me
Love Me or Leave Me may refer to:* "Love Me or Leave Me" , a popular 1920s song originally by Ruth Etting, later sung by Doris Day in the movie* Love Me or Leave Me , a 1955 biographical movie starring Doris Day playing the role of Ruth Etting...
. Several of his other original scores for dramatic features such as Tammy Tell Me True and The Oscar
The Oscar
Oscar Obligacion was a Filipino comedian. He was known as Pantarorong and Kumang.-Personal life:He was married to his wife, Myrna Anderson Quizon, lived in the States with their children.-Television shows:-Movies:...
contained popular theme songs. Faith also composed the popular theme for the long running NBC series The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
.
With the advent of harder rock sounds in the 1970s, Faith's elegant arrangements fell out of favor with the listening and record-buying public, although he continued to release albums as diverse and contemporary as Jesus Christ Superstar and Black Magic Woman. He released one album of country music and two albums of disco-oriented arrangements toward the end of his forty-year career, his very last recording being a disco-style reworking of "Theme from a Summer Place", titled "Summer Place '76", which was a minor and, sadly, posthumous hit. Faith died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Encino, California, and was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California, USA. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried here.-Notable interments:*Irving Aaronson, composer...
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
His wife, Mary (Palange) Faith, was born November 24, 1909 and died November 27, 1997 in Los Angeles. They married in 1928 and had 2 children, Marilyn and Peter.
Albums
- Continental Music (1953)
- Delicado (1953)
- Kismet (1954)
- Music from Hollywood (1954)
- Music of Christmas (1954)
- Music Until Midnight (1954)
- Percy Faith Plays Romantic Music (1954)
- Amour, Amor, Amore (1955)
- Girl Meets Boy (1955)
- Music for Her (1955)
- Wish Upon a Star (1955)
- It's So Peaceful in the Country (with Mitch Miller) (1956)
- The Most Happy Fella (1956)
- My Fair Lady (1956)
- Passport to Romance (1956)
- Swing Low in Hi-Fi (1956)
- Adventure in the Sun (1957)
- The CBS Album of George Gershwin (1957)
- Li'l Abner (1957)
- Viva: The Music of Mexico (1957)
- The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert (1958)
- Hallelujah! (1958)
- South Pacific (1958)
- Touchdown! (1958)
- North and South of the Border (1958)
- Bouquet (1959)
- Malagueña: Music of Cuba (1959)
- A Night with Sigmund Romberg (1959)
- Porgy and Bess (1959)
- Bon Voyage!: Continental Souvenirs (1960)
- Jealousy (1960)
- A Night with Jerome Kern (1960)
- Greatest Hits (1960)
- The Sound of Music (1960)
- Camelot (1961)
- Carefree (1961)
- Mucho Gusto! More Music of Mexico (1961)
- Subways Are for Sleeping (1961)
- Tara's Theme from Gone With The Wind (1961)
- This Fling Called Love (with Eileen Farrell) (1961)
- Bouquet of Love (1962)
- Exotic Strings (1962)
- Hollywood's Great Themes (1962)
- The Music of Brazil! (1962)
- American Serenade (1963)
- A Look at Monaco (1963)
- Shangri-La! (1963)
- Themes for Young Lovers (1963)
- Great Folk Themes (1964)
- The Love Goddesses (1964)
- More Themes for Young Lovers (1964)
- Broadway Bouquet (1965)
- Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965)
- Latin Themes for Young Lovers (1965)
- Bim! Bam!! Boom!!! (1966)
- Christmas Is... (1966)
- The Oscar (1966)
- Themes for the "In" Crowd (1966)
- Born Free and Other Great Movie Themes (1967)
- Today's Themes for Young Lovers (1967)
- Angel of the Morning (1968)
- For Those in Love (1968)
- Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" (1969)
- Those Were the Days (1969)
- Windmills of Your Mind (1969)
- The Beatles Album (1970)
- Held Over! Today's Great Movie Themes (1970)
- Leaving on a Jet Plane (1970)
- Younger Than Springtime (1970)
- Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (1971)
- Black Magic Woman (1971)
- I Think I Love You (1971)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)
- Day By Day (1972)
- Joy (1972)
- All-Time Greatest Hits (1972)
- Clair (1973)
- Corazon (1973)
- My Love (1973)
- Chinatown Featuring the Entertainer (1974)
- Clair (1974)
- Country Bouquet (1974)
- The Great Concert (1974)
- New Thing (1974)
- Disco PartyDisco Party (Percy Faith album)Disco Party is an album released by Percy Faith and his Orchestra in 1975 on Columbia LP record AS 33549.- Track listing :# "Cherry, Cherry" – 4:20# "El Bimbo" – 2:40# "The King is Dead" - 2:30...
(1975) - Viva!/Mucho Gusto! (1975)
- Summer Place '76 (1976)
Singles
- I Cross My Fingers {Vocal: Russ Emery} US # 20, 1950
- All My Love { US # 7, 1950 }
- Christmas In Killarney {Vocals: Shillelagh Singers} US # 28 - December 1950
- On Top Of Old Smokey {Vocals: Burl Ives} US # 10, 1951
- When The Saints Go Marching In / { US # 29 - September 1951 }
- I Want To Be Near You { US # 30 - September 1951 }
- Delicado { US # 1, 1952 }
- Swedish Rhapsody (Midssummer Vigil)/ { US # 21, 1953 }
- Moulin Rouge Theme { US # 1, 1953 }
- Return To Paradise { US # 19 - June 1953 }
- Many Times { US # 30 - December 1953 }
- Dream, Dream, Dream { US # 25 - May 1954 }
- The Bandit { US # 25 - October 1954 }
- Valley Valparaiso { US # 53, 1956 }
- We All Need Love { US # 67, 1956 }
- With A Little Bit Of Luck { US # 82, 1956 }
- Till { US # 63, 1957 }
- Theme From A Summer Place { US # 1, 1960 }
- Theme For Young Lovers { US # 35, 1960 }
- Sons And Lovers { US # 111 - September 1963 }
- Theme From "The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs" { US # 101 - November 1960 }
- The Sound Of Surf { US # 111 - September 1963 }
- Yellow Days { AC # 13, 1967 }
- Can't Take My Eyes Off You { AC # 24, 1967 }
- For Those In Love (1968)
- Zorba { AC # 36, 1969 }
- Theme From A Summer Place (Choral Version) US # 111 - July 1969 - AC # 26, 1969
- The April Fools (1969)
- Airport Love Theme (1970)
- Everything's All Right { AC # 31 - February 1971 }
- Theme From Summer Of '42 (1971)
- Bach's Lunch (1972)
- Crunchy Granola Suite { AC # 16, 1973 ]
- Hill Where The Lord Hides { AC # 44, 1974 }
- Theme From "Chinatown" { AC # 35, 1974 }
- Summer Place '76 { AC # 13, 1976 }
Sources: Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 - Billboard Top Adult Songs 1961-2006
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- List of Canadian composers