William Stirrat
Encyclopedia
William Albert Stirrat was an imposter who claimed to use a pen name
, "Hy Zaret," as the lyricist
of the hit "Unchained Melody
." However, Unchained Melody
was written by a man really named Hy Zaret
, who was born in 1907 and published about 180 songs.
According to Stirrat, he wrote "Unchained Melody" in 1936, when he would have been 16, while at a Yaddo
summer camp where he claims Alex North
was on the staff (note that neither Stirrat nor North are listed as having been guests at Yaddo's). Stirrat also claimed to have "spoken to Bing Crosby
’s wife" about recording the song, "since he was a neighbor", and "I styled it for him, you know, his songs had a dip at the end." . It is not obvious how Bing Crosby could have ever been a neighbor of Stirrat or even a resident of Upstate New York
, since he was born and raised in Washington State and moved to Los Angeles
in 1925.
He also states "In 1979, I joined the Song Writers Guild, then I collected royalties. I joined them to collect royalties". However, one does not collect royalties from the Songwriters Guild. The Songwriters Guild
is a trade association, not a licensing organization like ASCAP or BMI
. ASCAP recognizes the real Hy Zaret as author of Unchained Melody. Parenthetically, George David Weiss
, the president of the Songwriters Guild awarded the real Hy Zaret
a song citation for Unchained Melody at the 1993 annual song writers hall of fame awards dinner.
The most revealing statement Stirrat makes involves MPL communications, the current owners of the copyright. In his claimed battle for royalties to the song, he said, "I’m doing very well with MPL. They do everything for me." However, as recently as 2006, MPL's website describes the real Hy Zaret
as the author of "Unchained Melody." They make no mention of William Stirrat there or in their biography of Zaret, which matches the background of the real Hy Zaret
.
registered a copyright (EP87371, EU382542) in 1955 for Unchained Melody. He was granted an extension in 1983 (RE-151-142, RE-153-688) to his original copyright . The real Hy Zaret
's copyrights were used in a 1995 copyright infringement case against CompuServe.
Stirrat filed for copyright to "Unchained Melody" (PAu-404-550) in 1982, as a claimant of an "unpublished work of art". This and another filing for "The Song--Unchained melody" (TXu-446-177, written in 1990) are the only two filings he made at the office under the pen name Hy Zaret (of over 80 applications he made). It's unclear why he would have waited until 1982. Even though Unchained Melody hit #1 on the billboard charts in 1955, Stirrat claims that "I didn't even know about it" because "In 1941," he "signed documents authorizing Alex to use the song in a motion picture." Stirrat alternately made the claim that Zaret was a "pen name," that "another Hy Zaret" claimed to have written the songs, that "there were five men claiming to be Hy Zaret," (only the real Hy Zaret is found on US Search ) and that the real Zaret simply stole Stirrat's copyrighted ideas.
in 1941. After claiming to do some postgraduate work, he joined General Electric
in Schenectady, New York
. In 1950 he went to work for the Army Electronics Command in Fort Monmouth
. He left in 1977 to become a principal engineer for Eagle Technologies, in Eatontown, New Jersey
. Eagle Technologies was acquired by Logicon during the 1980s which in turn was acquired by Northrop Grumman
in 1997. Stirrat retired in 1992.
He claimed to have "originated in 1964 the binomial pulse".
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
, "Hy Zaret," as the lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
of the hit "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
." However, Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
was written by a man really named Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
, who was born in 1907 and published about 180 songs.
The Story
Stirrat made his claim to authoring "Unchained Melody" in an article in his hometown newspaper. He was the only source for this unchecked article. The inconsistencies of Stirrat's story were never noted or investigated by reporters, and like many internet hoaxes were just repeated without verification. Stirrat's fabrications were picked up by reputable Internet sites such as AMG,IMDB, Wikipedia, and others. It was even picked up by a New York Times reporter who attributed the real Zaret's 6-album set "Ballads for the Age of Science" as well as Unchained Melody to Stirrat writing under the Zaret nom de plume.According to Stirrat, he wrote "Unchained Melody" in 1936, when he would have been 16, while at a Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
summer camp where he claims Alex North
Alex North
Alex North was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood ....
was on the staff (note that neither Stirrat nor North are listed as having been guests at Yaddo's). Stirrat also claimed to have "spoken to Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
’s wife" about recording the song, "since he was a neighbor", and "I styled it for him, you know, his songs had a dip at the end." . It is not obvious how Bing Crosby could have ever been a neighbor of Stirrat or even a resident of 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...
, since he was born and raised in Washington State 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 1925.
He also states "In 1979, I joined the Song Writers Guild, then I collected royalties. I joined them to collect royalties". However, one does not collect royalties from the Songwriters Guild. The Songwriters Guild
Songwriters Guild of America
The Songwriters Guild of America is an organization founded in 1931, to help "advance, promote, and benefit" the profession of songwriters. It was founded as the "Songwriters Protective Association" by Billy Rose, George M. Meyer and Edgar Leslie...
is a trade association, not a licensing organization like ASCAP or BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
. ASCAP recognizes the real Hy Zaret as author of Unchained Melody. Parenthetically, George David Weiss
George David Weiss
George David Weiss was an American songwriter and former President of the Songwriters Guild of America.-Career:...
, the president of the Songwriters Guild awarded the real Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
a song citation for Unchained Melody at the 1993 annual song writers hall of fame awards dinner.
The most revealing statement Stirrat makes involves MPL communications, the current owners of the copyright. In his claimed battle for royalties to the song, he said, "I’m doing very well with MPL. They do everything for me." However, as recently as 2006, MPL's website describes the real Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
as the author of "Unchained Melody." They make no mention of William Stirrat there or in their biography of Zaret, which matches the background of the real Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
.
Copyright Claims
The real Hy ZaretHy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
registered a copyright (EP87371, EU382542) in 1955 for Unchained Melody. He was granted an extension in 1983 (RE-151-142, RE-153-688) to his original copyright . The real Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret
Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
's copyrights were used in a 1995 copyright infringement case against CompuServe.
Stirrat filed for copyright to "Unchained Melody" (PAu-404-550) in 1982, as a claimant of an "unpublished work of art". This and another filing for "The Song--Unchained melody" (TXu-446-177, written in 1990) are the only two filings he made at the office under the pen name Hy Zaret (of over 80 applications he made). It's unclear why he would have waited until 1982. Even though Unchained Melody hit #1 on the billboard charts in 1955, Stirrat claims that "I didn't even know about it" because "In 1941," he "signed documents authorizing Alex to use the song in a motion picture." Stirrat alternately made the claim that Zaret was a "pen name," that "another Hy Zaret" claimed to have written the songs, that "there were five men claiming to be Hy Zaret," (only the real Hy Zaret is found on US Search ) and that the real Zaret simply stole Stirrat's copyrighted ideas.
Biography
William Stirrat was an electrical engineer, graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in 1941. After claiming to do some postgraduate work, he joined General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. In 1950 he went to work for the Army Electronics Command in Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
. He left in 1977 to become a principal engineer for Eagle Technologies, in Eatontown, New Jersey
Eatontown, New Jersey
Eatontown is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 12,709.What is now Eatontown was originally incorporated as Eatontown Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1873, from portions of Ocean Township and...
. Eagle Technologies was acquired by Logicon during the 1980s which in turn was acquired by Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
in 1997. Stirrat retired in 1992.
He claimed to have "originated in 1964 the binomial pulse".
External links
- Unverified news article claiming Stirrat as Hy Zaret
- Freehold Paper Obituary
- RPI Obituary
- RPI Magazine Article, Fall 2006
- NY Times Article mentioning William Stirrat as composer of Unchained Melody
- ASCAP Foundation Living Video Archive interview of the real Hy Zaret
- US Copyright Search Page
- MPL Communications "Behind the Song" Unchained Melody
- MPL Communications biography of the real Hy Zaret