John Leslie McFarland (May 12, 1926 – January, 1971) was an American
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
composer and arranger.
Career
Early in his career McFarland wrote several songs for
Bill Haley and His Comets: "Rockin' Rollin' Rover", "You Hit The Wrong Note Billy Goat", co-writing "Teenager's Mother" with Curtis R. Lewis.
One of McFarland's earliest songs, co-written with
Billy Moore Jr., was "You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse". It was recorded by
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...
in 1950.
In 1959, he co-wrote "Wang Dang Taffy Apple Tango" with
Aaron Schroeder
Aaron Harold Schroeder (September 7, 1926 – December 2, 2009) was an American songwriter and music publisher.
Early years
Born in Brooklyn, Schroeder graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art ...
, and the song was recorded by
Pat Boone
Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...
.
In 1960 McFarland also co-wrote the hit "Dreamin'" for Johnny Burnette with Aaron Schroeder.
McFarland co-wrote the song "
Stuck On You" with Aaron Schroeder for
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. The song was Presley's first hit single after two years in the US Army, recorded March 1960. The single rose to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in late-April of that year, and became Presley's thirteenth hit overall.
"Stuck On You" was one of six Elvis Presley songs featured in the 2002 Disney movie ''
Lilo & Stitch''.
McFarland arranged the songs on
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
's debut album for Columbia Records ''
Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo'' and wrote six songs for the album: "
Won't Be Long", "Love Is The Only Thing", "Sweet Lover", "Right Now", "Maybe I'm A Fool", and "Blue By Myself".
In 1962, McFarland wrote four songs on Franklin's second studio album with Columbia, ''
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin''.
McFarland co-wrote the song "
Little Children" with
Mort Shuman for
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas.
The song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in March 1964, and number seven in the US Hot 100 singles chart later the same year.
''Chorus and Verse''.
In 1967 he co-wrote "Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)
"Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1967 MGM motion picture '' Double Trouble''. Background
The song was written by J. Leslie McFarland and Winfield Scott and p ...
" with Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
for Elvis Presley, and it reached #63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
McFarland struggled with alcohol addiction throughout much of his career.["The Brill Building". ]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarland, John Leslie
1926 births
1971 deaths