Borney Bergantine
Encyclopedia
Borney Bergantine was the composer
of "My Happiness," a music hit from the late 1940s that endures as an American love tune.
, Biagio Bergantino, became Americanized over time to Borney Bergantine. He was the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Kansas City
from New York City
two years before he was born. Bergantine attended Central Business College and was a graduate of Manuel High School. He was active in Italian-American
affairs as editor of The American Tribune, a newspaper devoted to the interests of that community.
Bergantine was blind in the right eye, the result of a play injury with a toy umbrella as a toddler. A fall in a tree while in Italy as a boy caused one of his legs not to thrive. The limp that developed was offset by a cane which Bergantine came to rely on to get around. He was married in 1935.
Bergantine was granted membership into ASCAP
, the American Society of Composers and Publishers. Bergantine’s songwriting included other original works such as "Why Am I Losing You" and "Forever With You." These were recorded following the success of "My Happiness." Bergantine also collaborated locally to write "Watch Your Step," which became a national safety song.
Bergantine died July 4, 1952 at the age of 42. He was a lifelong Kansas City resident except for six years in Italy
as a youngster. His last home, shared with his wife, Vita, and their two children, Patty and Billy, was at 4234 Grand Avenue North. "My Happiness," was played at Bergantine’s funeral.
. "My Happiness" was played by "The Happiness Boys" wherever they performed. It was several years before the song itself, which Bergantine wrote about 1931, was recorded on an independent label
. "My Happiness" was selected for the flip side
of a record for a hit song. It was recorded by Jon and Sondra Steele on Damon Records
and released in January 1948. Bergantine shared musical credits with Betty Peterson. He was credited for melody. Peterson, the wife of music publisher Louis Blasco, was credited for lyrics. The flip side, which was "My Happiness," was the side people wanted to hear. The listening public fell in love with it. "My Happiness" swept the record stores. It became a top song, winding up #2 on the charts.
"My Happiness" also has the fame of being the first song Elvis Presley
ever recorded. Presley recorded the then five-year-old song at Sun Studio
s in Memphis on July 18, 1953—a year after Bergantine's death. Elvis's Sun recordings, made over a three-year period beginning with "My Happiness," were inducted into the US Congress National Recording Registry
in 2002.
Jon & Sondra Steele who recorded the first version remade the song in 1970 and it was produced by Paul Marshall, a former member of the psychedelic band of the 60s-the Strawberry Alarm Clock
.The first cover was by the Pied Pipers
which featured Jo Stafford
.
Connie Francis
successfully recorded "My Happiness" for MGM in 1959. "My Happiness" has been sung by many other artists including Ella Fitzgerald
, Jim Reeves
, Frank Sinatra
, Andy Williams
and Pat Boone
.
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 "My Happiness," a music hit from the late 1940s that endures as an American love tune.
Career
Bergantine was born October 3, 1909. His birth nameName at birth
The name at birth is the name a child is given by his or her parents, according to a generally universal custom, and legal requirement. What happens subsequently about this name has a substantial cultural component....
, Biagio Bergantino, became Americanized over time to Borney Bergantine. He was the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
from 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...
two years before he was born. Bergantine attended Central Business College and was a graduate of Manuel High School. He was active in Italian-American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
affairs as editor of The American Tribune, a newspaper devoted to the interests of that community.
Bergantine was blind in the right eye, the result of a play injury with a toy umbrella as a toddler. A fall in a tree while in Italy as a boy caused one of his legs not to thrive. The limp that developed was offset by a cane which Bergantine came to rely on to get around. He was married in 1935.
Bergantine was granted membership into ASCAP
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization that protects its members' musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and compensating them...
, the American Society of Composers and Publishers. Bergantine’s songwriting included other original works such as "Why Am I Losing You" and "Forever With You." These were recorded following the success of "My Happiness." Bergantine also collaborated locally to write "Watch Your Step," which became a national safety song.
Bergantine died July 4, 1952 at the age of 42. He was a lifelong Kansas City resident except for six years in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as a youngster. His last home, shared with his wife, Vita, and their two children, Patty and Billy, was at 4234 Grand Avenue North. "My Happiness," was played at Bergantine’s funeral.
"My Happiness"
Bergantine was orchestra leader of "The Happiness Boys", a Kansas City band of the 1930s. This was the time of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. "My Happiness" was played by "The Happiness Boys" wherever they performed. It was several years before the song itself, which Bergantine wrote about 1931, was recorded on an independent label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
. "My Happiness" was selected for the flip side
Flipside
Flipside, flip side, or flipsyde may refer to:* The B-side of a gramophone record.* An opposite, reverse, or sharply contrasted side or aspect of something or someone.-Print:...
of a record for a hit song. It was recorded by Jon and Sondra Steele on Damon Records
Damon Records
- Original :Damon was headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Damon used musicians and singers who were not members of the American Federation of Musicians labor union to make recordings during the ban on Union recordings ordered by James Petrillo....
and released in January 1948. Bergantine shared musical credits with Betty Peterson. He was credited for melody. Peterson, the wife of music publisher Louis Blasco, was credited for lyrics. The flip side, which was "My Happiness," was the side people wanted to hear. The listening public fell in love with it. "My Happiness" swept the record stores. It became a top song, winding up #2 on the charts.
"My Happiness" also has the fame of being the first song 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"....
ever recorded. Presley recorded the then five-year-old song at Sun Studio
Sun Studio
Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business...
s in Memphis on July 18, 1953—a year after Bergantine's death. Elvis's Sun recordings, made over a three-year period beginning with "My Happiness," were inducted into the US Congress National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
in 2002.
Jon & Sondra Steele who recorded the first version remade the song in 1970 and it was produced by Paul Marshall, a former member of the psychedelic band of the 60s-the Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
.The first cover was by the Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers
The Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s. Originally they consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody...
which featured Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
.
Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
successfully recorded "My Happiness" for MGM in 1959. "My Happiness" has been sung by many other artists including Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
, 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...
, Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
and Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
.