Forgotten Arrangers — Sonny Burke (Part 4)
Read part 1, part 2, and part 3.
As has been previously discussed in these articles, Burke wrote several songs that became popular. Black Coffee and Midnight Sun (listed in part 2) have been previously listed, but he also wrote “Somebody Bigger than You and I and How it Lies, How it Lies, How it Lies.
In 1953, he wrote the music for Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Walt Disney’s first cartoon in CinemaScope. Happily, it is posted on YouTube in its full aspect ratio and stereophonic sound.
Peggy Lee had been a Capitol Records artist practically from the label’s founding, and made many wonderful records which sold well. But when she wanted to record her version of Rodgers and Hart’s “Lover,” which had been very successful in her nightclub act, management turned this down; their reasoning was that they’d previously had a hit with Les Paul’s recording some years prior, and didn’t think a new version of the standard would sell. Her contract with Capitol was up for renewal, and Burke and A&R director Morty Palitz were eager to sign her to Decca, and agreed to record it; Gordon Jenkins called in a large group and based his arrangement on hers. “Lover” was a huge hit. Burke subsequently arranged and conducted for her radio show.
This led to Lee and Burke co-writing the songs for “Lady and the Tramp,” Disney’s first feature in CinemaScope. Happily, Disney had a television show broadcast in color (still very new during that time), and he publicized his productions. While this film is certainly staged, it gives us both Burke and Peggy Lee working on the songs, including The Siamese Cat Song and He’s a Tramp.
This clip includes Lee and Burke performing one the songs. Sonny plays marimba (when he led his 1940 big band, he played vibes).
“Lady and the Tramp” was a huge box office hit, (reportedly the biggest grossing animated Disney movie since “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”) and was a further boost for Burke. It sold in big numbers when it was issued on home video, which prompted a lawsuit instituted by Lee for a piece of these profits and televisions showings. She won!!!
Burke had previously been an orchestrator on such films as “Who Done It,” “Lost in a Harem,” “Do You Love Me” and “A Song is Born,” and began working in television in the early ‘60s. He wrote the theme for the show Hennesey (1959) starring Jackie Cooper.
And the gorgeous theme for the long-forgotten show Follow the Sun (1961) and is listed as one of the orchestrators for the show National Velvet (1960); the music was composed by Alexander (Sandy) Courage.
Our next chapter covers his work with Frank Sinatra, Reprise Records, and his own record label, Daybreak.
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