Ray Conniff
Encyclopedia
Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader
and arranger
best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.
, and learned to play the trombone
from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.
After serving in the U.S. Army
in World War II
(where he worked under Walter Schumann
), he joined the Artie Shaw
big band and wrote many arrangements for him. After his stint with Shaw he was then hired by Mitch Miller
, then head of A&R
at Columbia Records
, as their home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney
, Marty Robbins
, Frankie Laine
, Johnny Mathis
, Guy Mitchell
and Johnnie Ray
. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry
's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.
Among the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine
" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain
" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are
" and "It's Not for Me to Say
" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat
" and "The Hanging Tree
" by Marty Robbins; "Moonlight Gambler" by Frankie Laine; "Up Above My Head
," a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray; and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums Tony by Tony Bennett
, Blue Swing by Eileen Rodgers
, Swingin' for Two by Don Cherry, and half the tracks of The Big Beat by Johnnie Ray.
In these early years he also produced similar-sounding records for Columbia's Epic
label under the name of Jay Raye (which stands for "Joseph Raymond") amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
, an American male vocal group.
Between 1957 and 1968, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966). He topped the album list in Britain
in 1969 with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound
, an album which was originally published to promote his European tour (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in 1969. He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russia
—in 1974 he recorded Ray Conniff in Moscow with the help of a local choir. His later albums like Exclusivamente Latino, Amor Amor and Latinisimo made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival
. In Brazil and Chile he was treated like a young pop superstar in the 1980s and 1990s when he was in his 70s and 80s. He even played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in Viña del Mar
.
Conniff commented, "One time I was recording an album with Mitch Miller - we had a big band and a small choir. I decided to have the choir sing along with the big band using wordless lyrics. The women were doubled with the trumpets and the men were doubled with the trombones. In the booth Mitch was totally surprised and excited at how well it worked." Because of the success of his backings Mitch Miller and the new sound Conniff created Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful S Wonderful, a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women). He released many more albums in the same vein, including Dance The Bop (1957) (a story follows about that album), S Marvelous (1957, gold album), S Awful Nice (1958), Concert in Rhythm (1958, gold album), Hollywood in Rhythm (1958), Broadway in Rhythm (1959), and Concert in Rhythm, Volume II (1959, gold album). The 1957 album Dance the Bop was an experiment by one of the brass at Columbia to cash in on a conceived dance step creation, but Ray didn't like it from the outset, and when it sold poorly, Ray had it pulled off the market.
In 1959 he started The Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men) and released the album It's the Talk of the Town. This group brought him the biggest hit he ever had in his career: Somewhere My Love (1966). The title track of the album was written to the music of "Lara's Theme
" from the film Doctor Zhivago
, and was a top 10 single in the US. The album also reached the US top 20 and went platinum, and Conniff won a Grammy. The single and album reached high positions in the international charts (a.o. Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan) as well. Also extraordinarily successful was the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, Christmas with Conniff (1959). Nearly fifty years after its release, in 2004, Conniff was posthumously awarded with a platinum album/CD. Other well-known releases by the Singers included Ray Conniff's Hawaiian album (1967), featuring the hit song "Pearly Shells"; and Bridge over troubled water (1970), which included Ray's original composition "Someone" and remakes of such hits as "All I have to do is dream", "I'll never fall in love again", and "Something".
Musically different highlights in Conniff's career are two albums he produced in cooperation with Billy Butterfield
, an old buddy from earlier swing days. Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959) featured Butterfield's solo trumpet and a small rhythm group; Just Kiddin' Around (after a Conniff original composition from the 1940s), released 1963, featured additional trombone solos by Ray himself. Both albums are pure light jazz and did not feature any vocals.
Conniff recorded in New York from 1955 through 1961 and mainly in Los Angeles from 1962 through 2000. Later in the 1960s he produced an average of two instrumental and one vocal album a year.
Conniff was a quiet, modest sympathetic artist. He sold about 70 million albums worldwide, and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.
He died in Escondido, California
, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles, California
. His grave marker bears a musical score with the first four notes of "Somewhere My Love."
In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, The Essential Ray Conniff, was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 was released on the Collectables label in 2005 and The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 was released in 2007. These collections also feature rare singles and previously unissued tracks.
His music is also featured prominently in the movie There's Something About Mary
.
Tenor
Bass and Baritone
Soprano
Alto
cigarettes, prior to the ban on TV advertising of tobacco products.
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....
and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.
Biography
Conniff was born in Attleboro, MassachusettsAttleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a population of 42,068 at the 2000 census, and a population of 43,645 as of...
, and learned to play the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
from his father. He studied music arranging from a course book.
After serving in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(where he worked under Walter Schumann
Walter Schumann
Walter Schumann was an American composer for film, television, and the theater. His notable works include the score for The Night of the Hunter and the Dragnet Theme...
), he joined the Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
big band and wrote many arrangements for him. After his stint with Shaw he was then hired by Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
, then head of A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
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...
, as their home arranger, working with several artists including Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
, Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
, 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...
, Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
and Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry
Don Cherry (singer/golfer)
Donald Ross Cherry is an American singer of traditional pop music, best known for his 1955 hit, "Band of Gold"; and a former amateur and professional golfer.-Biography:...
's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.
Among the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine
Yes Tonight Josephine
"Yes Tonight Josephine" was a popular music song from 1957. It was written by Winfield Scott and Dorothy Goodman, and was a hit single for Johnnie Ray.Ray's recording was produced by Mitch Miller, and gave him a #1 hit in the United Kingdom...
" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain
Just Walkin' in the Rain
"Just Walkin' in the Rain" is a popular song. It was written in 1952 by Johnny Bragg and Robert Riley, two prisoners at Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, after a comment made by Bragg as the pair crossed the courtyard while it was raining...
" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are
Chances Are (song)
"Chances Are" is a popular song with music by Robert Allen and lyrics by Al Stillman. It was published in 1957. The song was one of a large number of compositions by the Stillman-Allen team that were chart hits in the 1950s. It was listed on Billboards "Most Played by Jockeys" survey for Johnny...
" and "It's Not for Me to Say
It's Not for Me to Say
"It's Not for Me to Say" is a 1957 popular song with music by Robert Allen and lyrics by Al Stillman. It was written for the 1957 movie Lizzie , and was sung by Johnny Mathis....
" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat
A White Sport Coat
"A White Sport Coat " was a 1957 rock and roll song with words and music both written by Marty Robbins.Robbins is said to have had the inspiration for the song while driving from a motel to a venue in Ohio where he was due to perform that evening...
" and "The Hanging Tree
The Hanging Tree (song)
The Hanging Tree is a western ballad from the 1959 movie The Hanging Tree. It was scored by Max Steiner and written by Mack David and Jerry Livingston who received nominations for the Laurel Awards and the Academy Awards in 1960. The text is a short reference to the film's story...
" by Marty Robbins; "Moonlight Gambler" by Frankie Laine; "Up Above My Head
Up Above My Head
"Up Above My Head" is a Gospel song, originally recorded in the 1940s by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight as a duo.-Style:The song is formed in the traditional call and response format, with Tharpe singing a short line followed by Knight's "response" of the same line...
," a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray; and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums Tony by Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, Blue Swing by Eileen Rodgers
Eileen Rodgers
Eileen Rodgers was an American singer and Broadway performer.-Career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1930, she began her career as a nightclub performer, later singing as lead vocalist with Charlie Spivak's orchestra...
, Swingin' for Two by Don Cherry, and half the tracks of The Big Beat by Johnnie Ray.
In these early years he also produced similar-sounding records for Columbia's Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label under the name of Jay Raye (which stands for "Joseph Raymond") amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
Somethin' Smith and the Redheads were an American vocal group doing mostly pop standards in the 1950s. Their biggest hit single was "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached #7 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart....
, an American male vocal group.
Between 1957 and 1968, Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being Somewhere My Love (1966). He topped the album list in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1969 with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound
His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound
His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound is the only number one album in the UK for American bandleader and trombonist Ray Conniff. It spent 3 weeks at the top of the chart in 1969.-Tracklisting:#Memories Are Made Of This#I've Got You Under My Skin...
, an album which was originally published to promote his European tour (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) in 1969. He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
—in 1974 he recorded Ray Conniff in Moscow with the help of a local choir. His later albums like Exclusivamente Latino, Amor Amor and Latinisimo made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival is a music festival held annually during February since 1960 in Viña del Mar, Chile. It is considered the most important musical event in Latin America....
. In Brazil and Chile he was treated like a young pop superstar in the 1980s and 1990s when he was in his 70s and 80s. He even played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
.
Conniff commented, "One time I was recording an album with Mitch Miller - we had a big band and a small choir. I decided to have the choir sing along with the big band using wordless lyrics. The women were doubled with the trumpets and the men were doubled with the trombones. In the booth Mitch was totally surprised and excited at how well it worked." Because of the success of his backings Mitch Miller and the new sound Conniff created Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful S Wonderful, a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women). He released many more albums in the same vein, including Dance The Bop (1957) (a story follows about that album), S Marvelous (1957, gold album), S Awful Nice (1958), Concert in Rhythm (1958, gold album), Hollywood in Rhythm (1958), Broadway in Rhythm (1959), and Concert in Rhythm, Volume II (1959, gold album). The 1957 album Dance the Bop was an experiment by one of the brass at Columbia to cash in on a conceived dance step creation, but Ray didn't like it from the outset, and when it sold poorly, Ray had it pulled off the market.
In 1959 he started The Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men) and released the album It's the Talk of the Town. This group brought him the biggest hit he ever had in his career: Somewhere My Love (1966). The title track of the album was written to the music of "Lara's Theme
Lara's Theme
"Lara's Theme" is the generic name given to a leitmotif written for the film Doctor Zhivago by composer Maurice Jarre. Soon afterward, it became the basis of the song "Somewhere My Love."- Original composition :...
" from the film Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago (1965 film)
Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 epic drama-romance-war film directed by David Lean and loosely based on the famous novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak...
, and was a top 10 single in the US. The album also reached the US top 20 and went platinum, and Conniff won a Grammy. The single and album reached high positions in the international charts (a.o. Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan) as well. Also extraordinarily successful was the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, Christmas with Conniff (1959). Nearly fifty years after its release, in 2004, Conniff was posthumously awarded with a platinum album/CD. Other well-known releases by the Singers included Ray Conniff's Hawaiian album (1967), featuring the hit song "Pearly Shells"; and Bridge over troubled water (1970), which included Ray's original composition "Someone" and remakes of such hits as "All I have to do is dream", "I'll never fall in love again", and "Something".
Musically different highlights in Conniff's career are two albums he produced in cooperation with Billy Butterfield
Billy Butterfield
Billy Butterfield was a band leader, jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and cornetist.He studied cornet with Frank Simons, but later switched to studying medicine. He did not give up on music and quit medicine after finding success as a trumpeter. Early in his career he played in the band of Austin Wylie...
, an old buddy from earlier swing days. Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959) featured Butterfield's solo trumpet and a small rhythm group; Just Kiddin' Around (after a Conniff original composition from the 1940s), released 1963, featured additional trombone solos by Ray himself. Both albums are pure light jazz and did not feature any vocals.
Conniff recorded in New York from 1955 through 1961 and mainly in Los Angeles from 1962 through 2000. Later in the 1960s he produced an average of two instrumental and one vocal album a year.
Conniff was a quiet, modest sympathetic artist. He sold about 70 million albums worldwide, and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.
He died in Escondido, California
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. His grave marker bears a musical score with the first four notes of "Somewhere My Love."
In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, The Essential Ray Conniff, was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 was released on the Collectables label in 2005 and The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 was released in 2007. These collections also feature rare singles and previously unissued tracks.
His music is also featured prominently in the movie There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, and it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
.
Ray Conniff Singers
From 1962 through 1971, membership in the Ray Conniff Singers included:Tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- Dick Castle (also known as Dick Kent)
- Dick Cathcart (father of Betsy Cathcart, who provided the singing voice in the Don BluthDon BluthDonald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
film An American TailAn American TailAn American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must...
) - Jack HalloranJack HalloranJack Halloran was an American composer and choral director. He died at 81 of a stroke.-Early life:Born in Rock Rapids, Iowa in 1916, Halloran earned degrees in music from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and Northwestern University.-Choral and pop culture involvement:He sang with a male...
(as in Jack Halloran Singers) - Jay Meyer
- Verne Rowe
- Bob Shepard
- Bill Stephens
Bass and Baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Wayne Dunstan
- Jimmy Joyce (as in Children's Choir, featured on "Sing" (The Carpenters song))
- Bill Kanady
- Bob Tebow
- Dick Wessler
- Ted Wills
Soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
- Jackie Allen
- Sally Castle (wife of Dick above)
- Pat Collier
- Betty Joyce (wife of Jimmy, above)
- Loulie Jean NormanLoulie Jean NormanLoulie Jean Norman was a famous coloratura soprano who worked with famed arranger Gordon Jenkins. Jenkins and Norman collaborated on a number of albums...
- Myra Stephens
- Laura Savitz
- Lisa Semko
Alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
- B.J. Baker
- Vangie Carmichael
- Rica Moore (the Disney narrator)
- Marge Stafford
- Doreen Tryden
- Karen Wessler
Original albums
- 'S Wonderful (1956)
- Dance the Bop! (1957) http://comcast.rayconniff.info/original/albums/bop.html
- S Marvelous (1957)
- S Awful Nice (1958)
- Concert in Rhythm, Vol.1 (1958)
- Broadway in Rhythm (1958)
- Hollywood in Rhythm (1958)
- It's The Talk of the Town (1959)
- Conniff Meets Butterfield (1959)
- Christmas with ConniffChristmas with ConniffChristmas with Conniff is a twelve-track album in which Ray Conniff keeps it mostly secular. The lone exception is the inclusion of "Greensleeves," also one of the few ballads on this album. For the most part, Conniff keeps it cheery and bright with songs like "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Frosty...
(1959) - Concert in Rhythm, Vol.2 (1959)
- Young at Heart (1960)
- Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin) (1960)
- Memories Are Made of This (1960, gold album)
- Somebody Loves Me (1961)
- S Continental (1961)
- So Much in Love (1962, gold album)
- Rhapsody in Rhythm (1962)
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1962, gold album)
- The Happy Beat (1962)
- Just Foolin'Around (1962), also with Butterfield
- You Make Me Feel So Young (1963)
- Speak to Me of Love (1963)
- Friendly Persuasion (1964)
- Invisible Tears (1964)
- Love Affair (1965)
- Music From 'Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (film)Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by...
', 'The Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music (film)Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
', 'My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady (film)My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical, of the same name, based on the 1938 film adaptation of the original stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The ballroom scene and the ending were taken from the previous film adaptation , rather than from...
' & Other Great Movie Themes (1965) - Christmas Album: Here We Come A-CarolingChristmas Album: Here We Come A-CarolingHere We Come A-Caroling is a 1965 album by Ray Conniff.-Track listing:...
(1965) - Happiness Is (1965)
- Somewhere My Love (1966)Columbia Records CS9319 CL2519
- Ray Conniff's World of Hits (1966)
- En Español (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish) (1966)
- This Is My Song (1967)
- Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album (1967)
- It Must Be Him (1967, gold album)
- Honey (1968, gold album)
- Turn Around Look at Me (1968)
- I Love How You Love Me (1969)
- Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo (1969)
- Jean (1969)
- Concert In Stereo: Live At 'The Sahara Tahoe (1969)
- Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
- We've Only Just Begun (1970)
- Love Story (1970)
- Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits (1971)
- I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1971)
- Love Theme from "The GodfatherThe GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
" (1972)
- Alone Again (Naturally) (1972)
- I Can See Clearly Now (1972)
- Ray Conniff in Britain (1973)
- You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1973)
- Harmony (1973)
- The Way We Were (1973)
- The Happy Sound of Ray Conniff (1974)
- Ray Conniff In Moscow (1974)
- Laughter in the Rain (1975)
- Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (1975)
- Love Will Keep Us Together (1975)
- I Write the Songs (1975)
- Live in Japan (1975)
- Send in the Clowns (1976)
- Theme from 'SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
' and Other TV Themes (1976) - After the Lovin (1976)
- Exitos Latinos (1977)
- Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits (1978)
- I Will Survive (1979)
- The Perfect '10' Classics (1980)
- Exclusivamente Latino (1980)
- Siempre Latino (1981)
- The Nashville Connection (1982)
- Musik für Millionen (partly produced for a German TV show in 1982)
- Amor Amor (1982)
- Fantastico (1983)
- Supersonico (1984)
- Campeones (1985)
- Say You Say Me (1986)
- 30th Anniversary Edition (1986)
- Always in My Heart (1987)
- Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro (1988)
- Ray Conniff Plays Broadway (1990)
- S Always Conniff (1991)
- Latinisimo (1993)
- 40th Anniversary (1995)
- Live in Rio (aka Mi Historia) (1997)
- I Love Movies (1997)
- My Way (1998)
- S Country (1999)
- S Christmas (1999)
- Do Ray Para O Rei (2000).
Spinoffs
A special version of the song "Happiness Is" was recorded for use in a TV commercial for KentKent (cigarette)
Kent is a brand of cigarettes. Kent's Micronite filter was introduced shortly after the publication of a series of articles in Reader's Digest in 1952 entitled "Cancer by the Carton", that scared American consumers into seeking out a filter brand at a time when most brands were filterless...
cigarettes, prior to the ban on TV advertising of tobacco products.
Songs composed by Ray Conniff
- "I Don't Love Nobody but You" (1956)
- "Unwanted Heart" (1956)
- "A Girl Without a Fella" (1956)
- "Please Write While I'm Away" (1956)
- "Love Her in the Morning" (1956)
- "No Wedding Today" (1956; under pseudonym, "Engberg")
- "There's a Place Called Heaven" (1956; under pseudonym, "Engberg")
- "Three Way Love" (1957)
- "Walkin' and Whistlin" (1957)
- "Grown Up Tears" (1957)
- "Steel Guitar Rock" (1957)
- LP Dance the Bop! (1957; all titles)
- "Ann's Theme" (1957; under pseudonym, "Engberg")
- "(If 'n' You Don't) Somebody Else Will" (1957)
- "Just a Beginner in Love" (1957)
- "Window Shopping" (1957)
- "Soliloquy of a Fool" (1957; co-written)
- "When We're All Through School" (1957)
- "Make It Baby" (1957/58)
- "Let's Walk" (1957/58)
- "Lonely for a Letter" (1958)
- "Early Evening (Theme from the Ray Conniff Suite)" (1958)
- "Let's Be Grown Up Too" (1958)
- "Pacific Sunset" (1958)
- "A Love is Born" (1959)
- "Stay" (1959; co-written)
- "Will You Love Me" (1959; co-written)
- "African Safari" (1961)
- "To my Love" (1962)
- "Just Kiddin' Around" (1963; composed in the 1930s)
- "Scarlet" (1963)
- "Love Has no Rules" (1963)
- "The Real Meaning of Christmas" (1965)
- "Midsummer in Sweden" (1966)
- "The Power of Love" (1969)
- "Everybody Knows" (1970)
- "Someone" (1970)
- "Someone" (1970)
- "With Every Beat of my Heart" (1971)
- "A Man Without a Vision" (1972; co-written with Robert Pickett and Fred Sadoff)
- "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" (1973)
- "Frost Festival" (1973)
- "Ecstasy" (1974)
- "Ray Conniff In Moscow" (1974)
- "I Need You Baby" (1975)
- "Theme from an X-Rated Movie" (1975)
- "Vera's Theme" (1976)
- "Dama Latina" (1977)
- "The 23rd Psalm" (1979)
- "Exclusivamente Latino" (1980)
- "Fantastico" (1983; co-written)
- "Supersonico" (1984)
- "Campeones" (1985)
- "The Lord's Prayer" (1985)
- "I Can Do All Things" (1986)