Loring Bruce Buzzell (October 3, 1927 – October 20, 1959) was an American music publisher and record label executive. Together with film producer

Harold Hecht Harold Adolphe Hecht (June 1, 1907 – May 26, 1985) was an American film producer, dance director and talent agent. He was also, though less noted for, a literary agent, a theatrical producer, a theatre director and a Broadway actor. He was a m ...

and actor

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, he formed a series of music publishing imprints in the middle and late 1950s. His music publishing companies,

Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Hecht-Lancaster-Buzzell Music Publishing, and later known as Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Inc.) was an American music publishing company founded by film producer H ...

Calyork Music Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Hecht-Lancaster-Buzzell Music Publishing, and later known as Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Inc.) was an American music publishing company founded by film producer H ...

, Leigh Music and Colby Music, were responsible for copyrighting, publishing and promoting the soundtracks and theme songs from such notable films as '' Marty'', ''Trapeze'', '' The Kentuckian'', ''

Sweet Smell of Success ''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from t ...

'', ''

Separate Tables ''Separate Tables'' is the collective name of two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. The first play, titled ''Table by the Window'', focuses on the ...

'', '' Cry Tough'', ''

Take a Giant Step ''Take a Giant Step'' is a 1959 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Philip Leacock. The plot concerns a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of ...

'' and '' The Unforgiven''. Buzzell's companies also published "

May You Always "May You Always" is a popular song by Larry Markes (lyrics) and Dick Charles (pseudonym of Richard Charles Krieg), published in 1958. The biggest hit version in the United States was by the McGuire Sisters where it peaked at No. 11 on the ''Bill ...

", the recordings of which by

The McGuire Sisters The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters: * Ruby Christine McGuire (July 30, 1926 – December 28, 2018) * Dorothy "Dottie" McGuire (February 13, 1928 – September 7, 2012) * Ph ...

for

Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head o ...

and

Joan Regan Joan Regan (born Joan Bethel or Siobhan Bethel; 19 January 1928 – 12 September 2013) was an English traditional pop music singer, popular during the 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Regan was born in either Romford, Essex, or West Ham, London ...

for

HMV Records His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

, became the top-selling records and the second-best-selling sheet music in the United States and the United Kingdom for 1959.

Calyork Records Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Hecht-Lancaster-Buzzell Music Publishing, and later known as Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Inc.) was an American Music publisher, music publishing company founded by ...

and

Maine Records Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Hecht-Lancaster-Buzzell Music Publishing, and later known as Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Inc.) was an American music publishing company founded by film producer Ha ...

were two independent record labels operated by Buzzell in partnership with Hecht and Lancaster. Prior to his association with Hecht and Lancaster, Buzzell was General Professional Manager of several

Howard Spencer Richmond Howard Spencer Richmond (18 January 1918 — 20 May 2012) was an American music publisher and music industry executive. He established The Richmond Organization, Inc. (TRO), one of the largest independent music publishing organizations in the worl ...

music publishing imprints, including Hollis Music,

Ludlow Music Howard Spencer Richmond (18 January 1918 — 20 May 2012) was an American music publisher and music industry executive. He established The Richmond Organization, Inc. (TRO), one of the largest independent music publishing organizations in the worl ...

Folkways Music Publishers Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

, Dartmouth Music and

Cromwell Music Howard Spencer Richmond (18 January 1918 — 20 May 2012) was an American music publisher and music industry executive. He established The Richmond Organization, Inc. (TRO), one of the largest independent music publishing organizations in the worl ...

. While working for Richmond, Buzzell published and promoted such hits as "

Early Autumn ''Early Autumn'' is a 1926 novel by Louis Bromfield. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1927. In 1956, producer Benedict Bogeaus announced that he was adapting the book into a film to be titled "Conquest," but the film was never made. ...

", written by

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Ralph Burns Ralph Joseph P. Burns (June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, where he began playing the piano as a child. In 1938, he attend ...

and

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

and recorded by

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

and

Paul Weston Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the F ...

for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

Georgie Auld Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Early years Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Auld ...

for

and

Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

and

Lita Roza Lilian Patricia Lita Roza (14 March 1926 – 14 August 2008) was an English singer best known for her 1953 recording " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. She was the first British woman to hav ...

for

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

; "

Longing for You Longing may refer to: Music * ''Longing'' (Bell Witch album) (2012) * ''Longing'' (Dusty Springfield album), an unreleased 1974 album * "Longing" (song), a 1994 song by X Japan * "Longing", a song by Gackt from '' Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantas ...

", written by Władysław Daniłowski and Bernard Jansen and recorded by

Les Baxter Leslie Thompson "Les" Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was a best-selling American musician and composer. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica ...

for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

for London Records,

George Cates George Cates (October 19, 1911 – May 10, 2002) was an American music arranger, conductor, songwriter and record executive known for his work with Lawrence Welk and his orchestra. Biography Born and raised in New York City, New York, United ...

for Coral Records,

Larry Clinton Larry Clinton (August 17, 1909 – May 2, 1985) was an American musician, best known as a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader and arranger. Biography Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He became a ver ...

for Broadway Records,

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit " You're Breaking My Heart", an ...

for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...

for Columbia Records,

Russ Morgan Russell Morgan (April 29, 1904 – August 7, 1969) was an American big band leader and arranger during the 1930s and 1940s. He was best known for being the one of the composers of the song "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", with Larry Stock ...

for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

and Tommy Tucker for M-G-M Records; " The Thing", written by

Charles Randolph Grean Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

and recorded by

Phil Harris Wonga Philip Harris (June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American actor, comedian, musician and songwriter. He was an orchestra leader and a pioneer in radio situation comedy, first with ''The Jack Benny Program'', then in '' The Phil Harr ...

for RCA-Victor Records; and "

A Guy Is a Guy "A Guy Is a Guy" is a popular song written by Oscar Brand. It was published in 1952. The song is reputed to have originated in a British song, "I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave)," dating from 1719. During World War II, soldiers sang ...

", written by

Oscar Brand Oscar Brand (February 7, 1920 – September 30, 2016) was a Canadian-born American folk singer-songwriter, radio host, and author. In his career, spanning 70 years, he composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Can ...

and recorded by

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

for Columbia Records,

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

for Decca Records and

Peggy Taylor Peggy Taylor (born Margaret Tague, October 12, 1927 – February 9, 2002) was an American singer and actress who later became a radio and television announcer. Early life On October 12, 1927, Taylor was born as Margaret Tague in Inglewood, Ca ...

for Mercury Records. Earlier in his career, Buzzell was a contact man for Jack Mills and

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was an American music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz artist promoter. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal Mills was ...

' music publishing company, Mills Music, and a field man for the

performance rights organization A performance rights organisation (PRO), also known as a performing rights society, provides intermediary functions, particularly collection of royalties, between copyright holders and parties who wish to use copyrighted works ''publicly'' in loc ...

the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

. Buzzell was married to popular singer

Lu Ann Simms Lu Ann Simms (born Lucille Anne Ciminelli; July 11, 1932 – September 21, 2003)Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. was an American singer well-known in the 1950s. A performer since the age of three, she became an ...

, whom he managed towards the end of his life. Buzzell died prematurely at the age of 32 in October 1959 from a heart attack.

Early life

Family

Loring Bruce Buzzell was born on October 3, 1927, in

Long Beach, New York Long Beach is an oceanfront Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County in New York (state), New York, United States. It takes up a central section of the Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the weste ...

to Samuel Jesse Buzzell (1891–1979) and Alma Virginia Wanner (1896–1974). He was of German, Irish, French and Jewish ancestry. Loring Buzzell had two siblings: an older sister Gloria Joyce Buzzell (born August 3, 1923) and a younger sister Barbara Ann Buzzell (born September 15, 1936). The Buzzell family of five lived in a Victorian house located at 607 Lafayette Boulevard in Long Beach, New York. They had a private tennis court and lived only a few properties away from the waterfront at the north-end of their street. Buzzell's father Samuel was an important figure in the New York music industry and entertainment community. He graduated from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

and was principally known in his profession as a theatrical, music patent and copyright counselor-at-law, and also served as a business incorporation agent. Samuel helped Jack Mills and

form their music publishing company, Jack Mills, Inc., in 1919; the company was renamed Mills Music, Inc. in 1921. Samuel was not only the Mills brothers' company attorney, he was also their partner, business manager and secretary of several of their enterprises, including Jack Mills, Inc., Mills Music, Inc.,"Marriages"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', November 5, 1947, p56 Mills Music Corporation, their

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

Mills Artists, Inc., and their British and European division Mills British, Ltd. Samuel was still one of the three company owners and share-holders (along with president Jack Mills and vice-president Irving Mills) when the Mills Music conglomerate was sold in early 1965, leading to his retirement. Some of the artists that were represented by Samuel include

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

and

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

. Buzzell's father was also on the board of directors, as President of Long Beach Hospital, from the summer of 1940 until he resigned from the post on November 20, 1941, to focus exclusively on the music business. Buzzell's paternal uncle (Samuel's brother) was

Edward Buzzell Edward Buzzell (November 13, 1895 – January 11, 1985) was an American film actor and director whose credits include ''Child of Manhattan (film), Child of Manhattan'' (1933); ''Honolulu (1939 film), Honolulu'' (1939); the Marx Brothers fil ...

(1985–1995), a noted stage actor and entertainer who moved to Hollywood and became a film and television director. Buzzell's older sister Gloria moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1940s and, through her uncle Edward Buzzell, secured employment as an executive assistant in

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

's story department. On November 1, 1947, she married talent agent and film producer

in Las Vegas, Nevada; they had three children. Gloria and Hecht separated on July 18, 1959"Divorce Granted"
''The Bee'', June 29, 1961, p17] and were officially divorced on June 28, 1961. Gloria was married a second time on July 12, 1963, to Franklin M. Desser, an attorney from New York City. She and Desser moved out of Beverly Hills, California and the couple took an apartment on the East Side in New York City. Buzzell's younger sister Barbara remained in New York and married Eugene S. Stein in 1959. She was married a second time in 1970 to George J. Tamaro, giving birth to a son named Loring Paul Tamaro, named in memory of her brother, on March 26, 1971.

Education

Buzzell first attended Central School, and later Long Beach Junior Senior High School in Long Beach, New York, before switching to the

Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United ...

, a college-preparatory school in

Cheshire, Connecticut Cheshire ( ), formerly known as New Cheshire Parish, is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Cheshire was 28,733. The center of population of Connecti ...

. In 1944, he enrolled at

Colby University Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

. "Buzz", as he was quickly nicknamed, played in Colby University's varsity football team, the White Mules, and was known for owning several Ford automobiles. He was an officer of the

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters and colonies in the United Stat ...

, Gamma Alpha Chapter fraternity, a member of the International Relations Club, and on the staff of the school's White Mule magazine. He graduated with the Class of 1948 earning a bachelor's degree in history.

Career

ASCAP and Mills Music (1948–1950)

After graduating from Colby University in 1948, Buzzell landed a job as a field man for

."Heart Attack Fells Buzzell"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', October 26, 1959. p. 16. In March 1949, he was hired by music publishing company Mills Music, Inc. as a contact man in their professional department. It is likely that his father helped him get the job, since he was an officer in the company. Buzzell worked at Mills Music for about twenty months. Some of his duties while working in the music publishing industry included finding new songs to publish and copyright, signing exclusive song-writing deals with songwriters, securing the recordings of the songs by notable musicians and record labels, and getting the songs out to the public through sheet music.

Richmond organization (1950–1955)

In late October 1950, Buzzell began working for music publisher

. The switch from Mills Music to Richmond's organization was a surprise to the press, who were well-acquainted with an ongoing lawsuit between to the two publishers over the public domain composition "

Tzena, Tzena, Tzena "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" (), sometimes "Tzena, Tzena", is a song, written in 1941 in Hebrew. Its music is by Issachar Miron (a.k.a. Stefan Michrovsky), a Polish emigrant in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel), and the lyrics ...

", emphasized by the fact that Buzzell's father, Samuel Jesse Buzzell, was legally representing the Mills Music company. The lawsuit wound up dragging out until August 1954. Richmond was well-established in the music business but had only acquired full ownership of his first music publishing company, Cromwell Music, Inc., earlier that year, in February 1950. Cromwell Music, affiliated with ASCAP, had originally been founded in June 1949 by several partners, including lyricist

Carl Sigman Carl Sigman (September 24, 1909 – September 26, 2000) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish-American family, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his bar exams to practice in ...

and disk jockey

Gene Rayburn Gene Rayburn (born Eugene Peter Jeljenic; December 22, 1917 – November 29, 1999) was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the American television game show '' Match Game'' for over t ...

. By the time that Richmond hired Buzzell in October 1950, he was launching his fourth music publishing imprint, Hollis Music, Inc., affiliated with

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

Buzzell was put to work as Professional Manager of Hollis Music, directly under Richmond who was Owner and General Professional Manager. On January 2, 1951, Al Brackman took position as the new General Professional Manager of Hollis Music. Some of the compositions published and recorded through Hollis Music with Buzzell on staff include " The Thing", written by

and recorded by

for RCA-Victor Records; "

Don't Cry "Don't Cry" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, two versions of which were released simultaneously on different albums. The version with the original lyrics is the fourth track on ''Use Your Illusion I'', while the version with ...

", written by

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

, with lyrics translated from French by

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

, and recorded by

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

for

; " The Roving Kind", written by Jessie Cavanaugh and Arnold Stanton and recorded by

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...

for Decca Records and

Guy Mitchell Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. In the fa ...

for

; " Botch-a-Me", written by Luigi Astore and Riccardo Morbelli, with lyrics translated from Italian by Eddie Y. Stanley, and recorded by

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

for Columbia Records; " Charlie Is My Darling", written by Fred Royal and Wellesley Roberts, and recorded by

Lisa Kirk Lisa Kirk (born Elsie Kirk, February 25, 1925 – November 11, 1990) was an American actress and singer noted for her comic talents and rich contralto (her voice was called a husky alto). Career Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, she was raise ...

for RCA-Victor Records and

for Decca Records; "Green Acres and Purple Mountains", written by Mack Wolfson and recorded by

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

for

; and "Until Yesterday", written by Giuseppe Fucilli and

William Engvick William Engvick (July 1, 1914 – September 4, 2012) was an American lyricist, many of whose compositions appear in films. Engvick graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1937. He is best known for his collaborations with co ...

and recorded by

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

for Columbia Records. In January 1951, only four months after joining Richmond's firm, Buzzell was appointed head of exploitation for Richmond's newly renamed imprint Ludlow Music, Inc. (formerly named Spencer Music, Inc.), as well as for Richmond's newly acquired Folkways Music Publishers, Inc. By March 1954, Buzzell had been promoted to General Professional Manager of Ludlow Music. Some of the compositions published and recorded through Ludlow Music and Folkways Music Publishers with Buzzell on staff include "

", written by

and recorded by

for Columbia Records,

for Decca Records and

for Mercury Records; "

", written by Władysław Daniłowski and Bernard Jansen and recorded by

for Capitol Records,

for

for Broadway Records,

for

for Columbia Records, Russ Morgan for Decca Records and Tommy Tucker for M-G-M Records; "

So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh" (originally titled "Dusty Old Dust") is a song by American folk musician Woody Guthrie first released in 1935, and part of his album ''Dust Bowl Ballads''. The composition is considered one of Guthrie's best s ...

", written by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

and recorded by

for Decca Records; "

On Top of Old Smoky "On Top of Old Smoky" (often spelled "Smokey") is a traditional folk song of the United States. As recorded by The Weavers, the song reached the pop music charts in 1951. It is catalogued as Roud Folk Song Index No. 414. History as folk song ...

", written by

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

and recorded by The Weavers and

Terry Gilkyson Terry Gilkyson (June 17, 1916 — October 15, 1999) was an American folk singer and songwriter. Biography Gilkyson was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1935. By his early ...

for Decca Records and

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

for Columbia Records; " Song of the Dreamer", written by Memphis Evans Curtis and recorded by

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

for RCA-Victor Records and

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

for Columbia Records; "

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox (1902–1957) and performed by Gayla Peevey (10 years old at the time) in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on '' Billboard'' magazine's pop chart in December ...

", written by John Rox and recorded by

Gayla Peevey Gayla Rienette Peevey (born March 8, 1943) is a former singer and child star from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is best known for her recording of " I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" ( Columbia 4-40106, 1953). Peevey recorded the novelty song w ...

for Columbia Records; "Oh, That'll be Joyful", written by

Jack McVea John Vivian McVea (November 5, 1914 – December 27, 2000) was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player and bandleader. He played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone. Career Born in Los Angeles, California, his fat ...

and

Jake Porter Jake Vernon Haven Porter (August 3, 1916 – March 25, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter and record producer. Born in Oakland, California, Porter started playing violin at age seven and switched to cornet at nine. He played locally in the ...

and recorded by

The Four Lads The Four Lads was a Canadian male singing quartet which, in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, earned many gold singles and albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include " Moments to Remember"; " Standing on the Corner"; " No, Not Much"; "Who Nee ...

for Columba Records, Jesse Stone for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

Morey Amsterdam Moritz "Morey" Amsterdam (December 14, 1908 – October 28, 1996) was an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. He played Buddy Sorrell on CBS's ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' from 1961 to 1966. Early life Amsterdam was born in Chicago ...

and Francey Lane for M-G-M Records and Bobby Wayne and Gene Baylos for Mercury Records; " Band of Gold", written by Jack Taylor and Bob Musel and recorded by

for Columbia Records; "O-Sho-Be-Do-Be", written by Joe Carroll and

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

and recorded by

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

for Dee-Gee Records; and "My Girl", written by Charles Freed and recorded by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

for Columbia Records and

Tommy Edwards Thomas Jefferson Edwards (October 15, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful gramophone record, record was the multi-million-selling song "It's All in the Game (song), It's All in the Game", becomin ...

for M-G-M Records. In March 1951, Richmond formed another imprint, Dartmouth Music, Inc. mainly for the purpose of accommodating foreign compositions to be published in the United States. Dartmouth was eventually linked to ASCAP in July 1951 and Richmond installed Buzzell as Professional Manager of the company. By March 1952, Buzzell had been promoted to General Professional Manager of Dartmouth Music. Some of the compositions published and recorded through Dartmouth Music with Buzzell on staff include "Christmas Roses", written by Joan Whitney,

Alex Kramer Alex J. Kramer (May 30, 1903 – February 10, 1998) was a Canadian songwriter. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents were Adolph and Freda Kramer. At age 17 he was hired as a pianist in a silent movie theater in Montreal. He tr ...

and

Hy Zaret Hy Zaret (born Hyman Harry Zaritsky, August 21, 1907 – July 2, 2007) was an American Tin Pan Alley lyricist and composer who wrote the lyrics of the 1955 hit " Unchained Melody," one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century. Person ...

and recorded by

and Frankie Lane for Columbia Records; " Swedish Rhapsody", written by

Hugo Alfvén Hugo Emil Alfvén (; 1 May 18728 May 1960) was a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter. Career Violinist Alfvén was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and studied at the Royal College of Music (Kungliga Musikhögskolan) from 1887 ...

and recorded by

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listenin ...

for Columbia Records; "This Too Shall Pass", written by

Ervin Drake Ervin Drake (born Ervin Maurice Druckman; April 3, 1919 – January 15, 2015) was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as " I Believe" and "It Was a Very Good Year". He wrote in a variety of styles and his w ...

and Jimmy Shirl and recorded by Doris Day for Columbia Records; "Nearer My Love to Me", written by Ervin Drake and Jimmy Shirl and recorded by Jo Stafford for Columbia Records; "I'm the King of Broken Hearts", written by

Fred Tobias Fred Tobias (March 25, 1928, New York City – May 20, 2021, Naples, Florida) was an American songwriter, who was most prominent in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Tobias' songs have been performed by numerous performers, including Elvis Presley, Bob ...

and Jerry Tobias and recorded by Tony Bennet for Columbia Records; and the theme song of the film ''

I Am a Camera ''I Am a Camera'' is a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel ''Goodbye to Berlin'', which is part of '' The Berlin Stories''. The title is a quotation taken from the novel's first page: "I am a cam ...

'', "Why Do I?", written by

Ralph Siegel Ralph Siegel (born 30 September 1945) is a German record producer and songwriter. Siegel is one of the most notable figures at the Eurovision Song Contest, in which he has participated with 24 songs so far, among them the 1982 winner song Ein bi ...

and

. By July 1952, Buzzell had been named Professional Manager of Cromwell Music, Inc. and by September 1952, he was already promoted to General Professional Manager of the same imprint. Some of the compositions published and recorded through Cromwell Music with Buzzell on staff include "

", written by

and

and recorded by Jo Stafford and Paul Weston for Columbia Records, Woody Herman for Mars Records,

for Coral Records and

and

for London Records; " I Believe", written by

, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and

Al Stillman Al Stillman ''(né'' Albert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York) was an American lyricist. Biography Stillman was born to Jewish parents Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin ''(maiden).'' He a ...

and recorded by

Jane Froman Ellen Jane Froman (November 10, 1907 – April 22, 1980) was an American actress and singer. During her thirty-year career, she performed on stage, radio and television despite chronic health problems due to injuries sustained in a 1943 plane cra ...

for Capital Records and Frankie Lane for Columbia Records; " Carolina Moon", written by Joe Burke and

Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...

; "Honky Tonk Sweetheart", written by

Carmen Lombardo Carmen Lombardo (July 16, 1903 – April 17, 1971) was lead saxophonist and featured vocalist for his brother Guy Lombardo's orchestra. He was also a successful composer. In 1927, Carmen Lombardo was the vocalist of the hit record Charmaine, perf ...

and Sonny Clapp and recorded by

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...

for Decca Records; and the soundtrack to ''

Indiscretion of an American Wife ''Terminal Station'' ( it, Stazione Termini, released in the United States as ''Indiscretion of an American Wife'') is a 1953 romantic drama film directed and produced by Vittorio De Sica and starring Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, and Ric ...

'', composed by

Alessandro Cicognini Alessandro Cicognini (15 January 1906 – 9 November 1995) was an Italian composer who is chiefly remembered for his film scores. Biography Born in Pescara, Cicognini graduated with a degree in music composition from the Milan Conservatory in ...

and released as a 10" vinyl LP by Columbia Records. Buzzell also scooped a major signing when he inked his brother-in-law Harold Hecht's film production company,

Hecht-Lancaster Productions Hecht-Hill-Lancaster was a production company formed by the actor Burt Lancaster in association with his agent, Harold Hecht, and James Hill. In 1948 Lancaster and Hecht formed Norma Productions (named after his wife), which later became Hecht-L ...

, to a soundtrack publishing deal with Cromwell Music in December 1954. At the time, Hecht-Lancaster Productions, a subsidiary of Harold Hecht and

Norma Productions Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy * Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, La ...

, was the largest and most successful independent film production company in Hollywood. Cromwell Music published the soundtrack and theme songs to Hecht-Lancaster Productions' 1955 film '' Marty'', which went on to win an

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

. The film's first theme song, "Hey, Marty", was written by

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

and

Paddy Chayefsky Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. He was ...

and was recorded by The Naturals for M-G-M Records and The Chappaqua High School Kids for Columbia Records."Reviews of New Pop Records"
''Billboard'', June 4, 1955. p. 34. ''Marty'''s second theme song, "Saturday Night Mambo", was written by

Roy Webb Royden Denslow Webb (October 3, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American film music composer. Webb has hundreds of film music credits to his name, mainly with RKO Pictures. He is best known for film noir and horror film scores, in particular f ...

(the film's score composer) and recorded by the Dave "Tico" Robbins Quintette for M-G-M Records and Les Brown for Coral Records. Hecht-Lancaster Productions' next film soundtrack, for '' The Kentuckian'', was composed by

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely re ...

and originally published through

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

's music publishing company, Frank Music, Inc. Richmond later picked up the copyright renewals and re-issues of the soundtrack were published through Cromwell Music.

Managing Lu Ann Simms (1954–1959)

In October 1955, after exactly five years of working for Richmond, Buzzell left the music publishing firms to manage his wife Simms. Buzzell had slowly begun to manage his wife's business affairs in late 1954, helping with the promotion of her Columbia Records releases. During her maternity leave and pregnancy, from March to October 1955, he handled all of her music-related affairs, and when her doctor gave her the go-ahead to return to work, after the birth of their first daughter Cynthia, Buzzell decided to make take up the position full-time. Simms was still signed to her five-year recording contract with Columbia Records when Buzzell became her manager. Once that contract expired in 1957, he negotiated for her a three-year recording contract with

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the compan ...

. Jubilee Records released Simms' sole LP, ''At Separate Tables'', as well as six 45s and an EP.

Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell companies (1956–1959)

In the spring of 1956, Buzzell reunited with his brother-in-law, Harold Hecht, to discuss the score publishing of Hecht-Lancaster Productions' new film ''

Trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

''. It is likely that had Buzzell still been employed by Howard S. Richmond, Hecht-Lancaster Productions' future film soundtracks would have continued to be solely published through Cromwell Music, under the existing agreement. However, Hecht and Lancaster were trying to gain more independence and enjoyed the freedom of having their own companies. The press announced in June 1956 that Hecht, Lancaster and Buzzell had formed a new music publishing company named Leigh Music, Inc., tied to ASCAP. The company was named after Buzzell's daughter, Cynthia Leigh Buzzell, a trend well-used in the Hecht and Lancaster company structure. The partners would name several of their film production imprints after their own children: Hecht's Alma Productions, Steven Productions and Jeffrey Productions, and Lancaster's Norma Productions (after his wife), James Productions, Joanna Productions, Sheila Productions, Susan Productions and William Enterprises. The instrumental score to ''Trapeze'', composed by

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music ...

, had already been copyrighted and published earlier that month, solely through the established Cromwell Music deal, as Leigh Music had not yet been set up and equipped to handle the proper exploitation. The recording of the score, conducted by

Muir Mathieson James Muir Mathieson, OBE (24 January 19112 August 1975) was a Scottish conductor and composer. Mathieson was almost always described as a "Musical Director" on many British films. Career Mathieson was born in Stirling, Scotland, in 1911. A ...

, was the first Hecht-Lancaster Productions / Norma Productions film to have a soundtrack LP, released by Columbia Records in early June 1956. Columbia Records also issued a 45 single that same month, with the songs "Lola's Theme" and "Mike and Lola's Love Theme", taken straight from the LP. In July 1956, "Lola's Theme" was released on two more 45 singles; one from a recording by

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

's orchestra for

, the other from a recording by

Ralph Marterie Ralph Marterie (24 December 1914 – 10 October 1978) was an Italian big-band leader born in Acerra (near Naples), Italy. Life and career Marterie first played professionally at age 14 in Chicago. In the 1940s, he played trumpet for various ba ...

's orchestra for

. Leigh Music's proper debut was the co-publishing (with Cromwell Music) and copyrighting of an adaptation of the film's theme song, "Trapeze", composed by Paul Elie with lyrics by Johnny Burke, dated July 6, 1956. When the company filled the paperwork for their second publishing, on August 24, 1956, for a new version of Arnold's "Lola's Theme" with lyrics by

, Leigh Music, Inc.'s name had been quietly changed to

, Inc. Calatog of Copyright Entries, Music, 1956 Leigh Music and Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music setup its office at 151 West 46th Street in New York City, where the Richmond companies were also based. Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music remained relatively quiet for the next six months. It was not until a press release went out in March 1957 that Leigh Music's new name, Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, was announced to the public, along with news of the creation of their second imprint, Calyork Music, Inc., to be tied with BMI. Two months before, Hecht-Lancaster Productions had officially been renamed

Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions Hecht-Hill-Lancaster was a production company formed by the actor Burt Lancaster in association with his agent, Harold Hecht, and James Hill. In 1948 Lancaster and Hecht formed Norma Productions (named after his wife), which later became Hecht-L ...

, welcoming screenwriter and producer James Hill as a partner; Hill was nevertheless not included in the pair's music industry ventures. The music companies setup their new offices at 729 7th Avenue in New York City, where several companies linked to Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions were also headquartered; United Artists, which was exclusively financing and distributing all Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions films, took up six floors in the building, which included their United Artists Television and United Artists Records divisions. Bernard M. Kamber, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' New York Office Executive Assistant, Director of Public Relations, and National Director of Advertising and Publicity, also had an office in the building. Without Richmond and Cromwell Music, Buzzell took charge of nearly everything related to Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music and Calyork Music. The next order of business, in early 1957, was the copyrighting and publishing of ''

The Bachelor Party "The Bachelor Party" is a 1953 television play by Paddy Chayefsky which was adapted by Chayefsky for a 1957 film. The play premiered to critical acclaim. Plot Charlie Samson is a hard-working married bookkeeper in Manhattan, struggling to advanc ...

''s score, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' new film. The score was composed by

Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer, December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), '' Viva Zapata!'', '' S ...

and published by Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music. RCA-Victor Records issued a 45 single featuring "Theme from The Bachelor Party" in April 1957. Buzzell next took care of the music from ''

'', a film co-produced by Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and Curtleigh Productions (

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

and

Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...

's film production company). The film fared poorly at the box office when initially released, but later became a cult classic. The film's soundtrack, however, was immediately well-received and was a landmark in the soundtrack industry; it was the first film to have two separate soundtracks, each featuring completely different music. All of the music from ''Sweet Smell of Success'' was published and copyrighted by Calyork Music, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' only film soundtrack to be affiliated with BMI, and was released through a promotional tie-in with

in June 1957. The first soundtrack LP featured the jazz score composed by

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

, while the second soundtrack LP featured the music composed and performed by the

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, ...

Quintet, a band which appears in the film. Decca Records also issued two 45s in promotion of the LPs: the first featured the songs "The Street" and "Toots Shor's Blues", taken straight from Bernstein's soundtrack; the second featured the song "Goodbye Baby", composed by

and Fred Katz, with lyrics by

, and recorded by Mark Murphy. Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' next film soundtrack, '' Run Silent, Dun Deep'', was composed by

Franz Waxman Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''Rebecca'', ' ...

and published by Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music. A tie-in theme song (not featured in the film) was composed by Kenny Jacobson and recorded by

Jack Pleis Jack K. Pleis (May 11, 1917 – December 5, 1990) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer. He recorded on London and Decca Records in the 1950s, and Columbia Records in the 1960s. During the course of his career, ...

and his orchestra for release by Decca Records in April 1958. Also in 1958, Buzzell published one of Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music's most successful songs, "Separate Tables", written by

and

Harold Adamson Harold Campbell Adamson (December 10, 1906 – August 17, 1980) was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life Adamson, the son of building contractor Harold Adamson and Marion "Minnie" Campbell Adamson, was born and raised in ...

and tied to Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' film ''

''. This one did appear in the film, alongside

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

's score, the later of which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture at the

31st Academy Awards The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959, to honor the best films of 1958. The show's producer, Jerry Wald, started cutting numbers from the show to make sure it ran on time. He cut too much material and the ceremony ended 20 ...

ceremony on April 6, 1959. Recordings of Warren and Adamson's title song were made by

(which became Damone's best-selling record),

Victor Silvester Victor Marlborough Silvester OBE (25 February 190014 August 1978) was an English dancer, writer, musician and bandleader from the British dance band era. He was a significant figure in the development of ballroom dance during the first hal ...

and

Jacqueline Boyer Jacqueline Boyer (, born Eliane Ducos, 23 April 1941) is a French singer and actress. She is also the daughter of performers Jacques Pills and Lucienne Boyer. In 1960, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for France singing "Tom Pillibi", with m ...

, all three for Columbia Records,"Music as Written"
''

'', October 27, 1958. p. 13.

Eydie Gormé Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who had hits on the pop and Latin pop charts. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and telev ...

for

ABC-Paramount Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

Mantovani Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (; 15 November 1905 – 29 March 1980) was an Anglo-Italian conductor, composer and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' stat ...

for London Records, Lilian Terry for

Compagnia Generale del Disco Compagnia Generale del Disco (CGD) was an Italian record label. History CGD was founded in 1948 by singer Teddy Reno. At that time it was established in Milan in Via Passarella 4. As artistic director Reno called fellow musician Lelio Luttazzi, w ...

, The Clebanoff Strings for Mercury Records, Len Mercer for Discografica Editrice Tirrena, the Everest Concert Orchestra for

Everest Records Everest Records was a record label based in Bayside, Long Island, started by Harry D. Belock and Bert Whyte in May 1958. It was devoted mainly to classical music. History The idea for starting a label was related by electronics inventor Harr ...

, Golden Guinea Strings for Pye Records, and Lu Ann Simms for Jubilee Records. Simms also named her sole full-length album ''At Separate Tables''."Music as Written"
''Billboard'', October 27, 1958. p. 13. Another successful soundtrack album published by Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music was '' Cry Tough'', a Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions subsidiary picture, produced through Cannon Productions and Anne Productions. The score was composed and performed by Brazilian guitarist

Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He and Bud Shank were pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Gra ...

and received a twelve-song LP treatment from Capitol Records in November 1959, under the title ''Happy Cha Cha Cha''.

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

composed the soundtrack to two Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' films, ''

The Rabbit Trap ''The Rabbit Trap'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Philip Leacock based on a 1955 ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' teleplay by JP Miller Take a Giant Step ''Take a Giant Step'' is a 1959 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Philip Leacock. The plot concerns a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of ...

'', both published through Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music. The later had a theme song written by

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans t ...

and

Ray Evans Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and song-writing duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Evans wrote the lyrics and Living ...

, which was performed by the film's star

Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists ...

for an

45 single. Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music also published and copyrighted the film scores from Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Proprietary Limited's ''

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' is an Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne on 28 November 1955. The play is considered to be the most significant in Australian theatre history, and a " ...

'', composed by

Benjamin Frankel Benjamin Frankel (31 January 190612 February 1973) was a British composer. His best known pieces include a cycle of five string quartets, eight symphonies, and concertos for violin and viola. He was also notable for writing over 100 film scores ...

, and Hecht-Hill Lancaster Films' '' The Devil's Disciple'', composed by

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.Zachary Woo ...

; neither soundtrack received general releases outside the film. The final film score which Buzzell worked on prior to his death was Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions' last movie, '' The Unforgiven''. Because the film was released six months after his passing, the publishing and copyrights were done through Hecht & Buzzell Music, which was overseen by Lu Ann Simms. The film's score was composed by

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

and given an LP treatment by United Artists Records in March 1960. A theme song, "The Unforgiven – The Need for Love", was composed by Tiomkin with lyrics by

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

and was very successful with many recordings by popular artists. It was recorded by

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including ''Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way''. ...

Tito Rodríguez Pablo Rodríguez Lozada (January 4, 1923 – February 28, 1973), better known as Tito Rodríguez, was a Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He started his career singing under the tutelage of his brother, Johnny Rodríguez. In the 1940s, both m ...

and Roy Liberto, all three for United Artists Records,

for Coral Records,

Clyde Otis Clyde Lovern Otis (September 11, 1924 – January 8, 2008), was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaboration with singer Brook Benton, and for being one of the first African-American A&R executives at a major label ...

for Mercury Records,

Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton (born Adrian Hill; 26 January 1926 – 21 February 2001) was an English singer and radio presenter. According to his obituary in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, "For a time Hilton was a star – strictly for home consumption – with ...

and

Gloria Lasso Rosa Vicenta Montserrat Coscolín Figueras (28 October 1922 – 4 December 2005) known professionally as Gloria Lasso was a Spanish-born canción melódica singer, long based in France. In the 1950s, she was one of the major competitors to Dali ...

, both for HMV Records, The Wally Stott Orchestra And Chorus for

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

Ron Goodwin Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 19258 January 2003) was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included ''Where Eagles Dare'', ''Battle ...

and His Orchestra for

Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

for Capitol Records,

Earl Bostic Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, which h ...

and Leon Pops Orchestra, both for King Records,

Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Marseille, France, Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later, ...

for

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

, Robert Jeantal and Michel Clement, both for

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...

, François Deguelt,

Max Jaffa Max Jaffa OBE (28 December 1911 – 30 July 1991) was a British light orchestral violinist and bandleader. He is best remembered as the leader of the Palm Court Orchestra and trio, with Jack Byfield (piano) and Reginald Kilbey (cello), which br ...

and

Norrie Paramor Norman William Paramor (15 May 1914 – 9 September 1979), known professionally as Norrie Paramor, was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff Ri ...

, both for Columbia Records,

Helmut Zacharias Helmut Zacharias (27 January 192028 February 2002) was a German violinist and composer who created over 400 works and sold 14 million records. He also appeared in a number of films, usually playing musicians. Early life Helmut Zacharias was bo ...

for Polydor Records, The Clebanoff Strings for Mercury Records,

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

for Disques Vogue,

Frank Chacksfield Francis Charles Chacksfield (9 May 1914 – 9 June 1995) was an English pianist, organist, composer, arranger, and conductor of popular light orchestral easy listening music, who had great success in Britain and internationally in the 1950s and e ...

for

Ace of Clubs Records Ace of Clubs was a record label founded by British Decca in 1959 for reissuing low-priced, classical, early jazz and popular music in Europe. Its partner label, Ace of Hearts Records, issued music from the U.S. References See also * List of reco ...

, Lew Douglas for Carlton Records, The Medallion Strings for

Medallion Records Medallion Records was a record label (1919–late 1921 or early 1922) owned by the Baldwin Piano Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio. Most Medallion issues were pressed from masters leased from Emerson Records, whose catalogue included early jazz re ...

Jesse Crawford Jesse Crawford (December 2, 1895 – May 28, 1962) was an American pianist and organist. He was well known in the 1920s as a theatre organist for silent films and as a popular recording artist. In the 1930s, he switched to the Hammond organ and b ...

for Decca Records, and Gino Mescoli for Vesuvius Records. Costa's version peaked to number 27 on ''

'''s ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

'' chart on July 4, 1960, and was number 22 on ''Billboard'''s ''Honor Roll of Hits'' chart on July 11, 1960. Buzzell originally negotiated a licensing deal with Howard S. Richmond's company Essex Music, Ltd. to handle the Hecht and Lancaster soundtracks, as well as other Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music compositions in the United Kingdom. But by 1959, he had set up his own imprint, Colby Music, Ltd. The new company was named after Buzzell's alma mater, Colby University. After Buzzell's death, Simms renamed Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. to Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc., in 1960, and then again later, in 1965, to Colby Music, Inc. Calyork Music, Inc. did not change name. Some of the non film-related compositions that Buzzell published and had recorded through Calyork Music include fifteen songs composed by jazz pianist Anthony Tamburello, most of which were recorded and released on the

LP ''Music Tailored To Your Taste...'' in January 1959, five songs written by Steve Karmen, two of which were recorded by Karmen for the Mercury Records 45 single "Watchin' and Walkin'" / "Oh! Oh!" in November 1958, "Just About", written by Don Marsh and Nancy Lee March and recorded by Lu Ann Simms for Jubilee Records,"Reviews of New Pop Records"
''Billboard'', February 22, 1960. p. 45. "Who Can I Believe", written by

Vance Packard Vance Oakley Packard (May 22, 1914 – December 12, 1996) was an American journalist and social critic. He was the author of several books, including ''The Hidden Persuaders'' and '' The Naked Society''. He was a critic of consumerism. Early lif ...

, "Chum-Bam-Bele", written by Fred Elton and Clint Ballard Jr. and recorded by Enid Mosier for Decca Records, and "Anxiously Waiting" and "She Flipped Me", written by Lou Bartel and recorded by The Flipteens for

– Hecht, Lancaster and Buzzell's own independent record label. Calyork Records was briefly operated by the team as a way to shop releases hoping to get picked up for repress by major record labels. The records were manufactured in-house by United Artists Records, located in the same building. The most notable non film-related compositions that Buzzell published and had recorded through Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music was "

", in the fall of 1958, composed by

Dick Charles Dick Charles (born Richard Charles Krieg; February 24, 1919 in Newark, New Jersey – July 17, 1998) was an American songwriter. Career His education ended with high school graduation, after which he worked in a Newark photography store as a cler ...

with lyrics by

Larry Markes Lawrence Wolcott Markes (September 24, 1921 – May 19, 1999) was an American comedian, singer and screenwriter. Markes was born in Brooklyn, New York, and decided at an early age to become a writer. Soon after graduating from the University ...

. It was first recorded by

, who were close friends of Buzzell and Simms,"New York Church Crowded for Lu Ann Simms Wedding"
Reading ''Eagle'', July 25, 1954. p. 2. for Coral Records and

for HMV Records. The McGuire Sisters version peaked to number 11 on ''

'''s ''

'' chart on January 26, 1959, number 15 on the

UK Singles The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

chart on July 5, 1959, and became the best-selling record of 1959, while the Joan Regan version peaked to number 9 on the

chart on July 5, 1959. The song also became the second-best-selling sheet music in the United States and a top ten best-seller sheet music in Britain for 1959. Other artists who have recorded the song include

Vince Hill Vincent Hill (born 16 April 1934) is an English traditional pop music singer and songwriter who is best known for his recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (staying ...

and

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A life ...

, both for

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, The Kays for Gala Records,

Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' ( ...

for

DRG Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

John Warren John Warren may refer to: Medicine * John Warren (surgeon) (1753–1815), American surgeon during the Revolutionary War * John Collins Warren (1778–1856), American surgeon * John Collins Warren Jr. (1842–1927), American surgeon, son of John C ...

, Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson and The Jean-Ettes, all for

Maureen Evans Maureen Evans (born 23 March 1940, Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh pop singer who achieved fame in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Evans career began as a singer with Waldini's Gypsy Band in the mid-1950s, mainly doing summer seasons at UK holiday re ...

for

Embassy Records Embassy Records was a UK budget record label that produced cover versions of current hit songs, which were sold exclusively in Woolworths shops at a lower price than the original recordings. The original label was active between 1954 and 1965, a ...

, Carol Williams for Melcot Music,

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...

for Columbia Records,

Tammy Jones Tammy Jones (born Helen Wyn Jones, 12 March 1944), is a singer from Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, North Wales. Musical career Jones began singing at an early age, winning many Eisteddfod competitions, and was soon established as a regular on both radio ...

and

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

, both for

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, Page Morton for M-G-M Records,

Dave Garroway David Cunningham Garroway (July 13, 1913 – July 21, 1982) was an American television personality. He was the founding host and anchor of NBC's ''Today'' from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing and relaxing style belied a lifelong battle with depressi ...

and Sandy Stewart for Dick Charles Recording, Harry Harrison for Amy Records, The Gatlin Brother for Branson Entertainment,

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

for RCA-Victor Records,

Ian McNabb Robert Ian McNabb (born 3 November 1960) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Previously the frontman of The Icicle Works, McNabb has since embarked on a solo career and performed with Ringo Starr, Neil Young/Crazy Horse, Mike Scott ...

for This Way Up,

The Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies an ...

for

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

Johnny Gilbert John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...

for Janel Records,

Deep River Boys The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid-1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B. Members The original group consisted of Harry Douglass ( baritone), Vernon Gardner (first t ...

for

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...

, Jack Scott for

Jade Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases ...

, and

Dorothy Squires Dorothy Squires (born Edna May Squires, 25 March 1915 – 14 April 1998) was a Welsh singer. Her early successes were achieved with " The Gypsy", " A Tree in the Meadow" and " I'm Walking Behind You" by her partner Billy Reid, and " Say It w ...

for Esban Records. Charles and Markes later composed the song "After" especially for Lu Ann Simms, who recorded it for Jubilee Records. Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music also had a fruitful collaboration with songwriters Kenny Jacobson and Rhoda Roberts, from whom they published and copyrighted over thirty songs. Some of these included "Just for Two" and "Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins", both recorded by

Jaye P. Morgan Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan) is a retired American popular music singer, actress, and game show panelist. Early life Morgan was born in Mancos in Montezuma County in far southwestern Colorado. Her family moved to California by t ...

for M-G-M Records, "Run, Don't Walk", "The Mooch" and "Bye Um Bye", all three recorded by Lu Ann Simms for Columbia Records and Jubilee Records, "Baby, Je Vous Aime", "Crazy Dreamer", "That's All That Matters" and "The Wonder of It All", all four recorded by Bobby Miller for Jubilee Records and Apollo Records, "Midnight Blue" and "This Could Be the Night", both recorded by Herb Corey for

Top Rank Records The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribut ...

, "Easy Does It", recorded by

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

for Columbia Records, "I'll Be Waitin'", recorded by

Kenny Rankin Kenneth Joseph Rankin (February 10, 1940 – June 7, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter in the folk rock and singer-songwriter genres; he was influenced by jazz. Rankin would often sing notes in a high range to express emotion. Biogr ...

for Decca Records, "Didja Mean Whatcha Said?", recorded by Steve Karmen for Mercury Records, "Made for Each Other", recorded by Don Rondo for Jubilee Records, "Lovable", recorded by

Jill Corey Jill Corey (born Norma Jean Speranza; September 30, 1935 – April 3, 2021) was an American popular standards singer. She was discovered and signed on one day when she was 17. She went on to have her own radio shows and to star in a feature film ...

for Columbia Records, "Have Another", recorded by

Lou Monte Lou Monte (born Louis Scaglione; April 2, 1917 – June 12, 1989) was an Italian American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Victor and Reprise Records in the late 1950 ...

for RCA-Victor Records, "Bye Um Bye" recorded by Margaret Imlau for Decca Records, "This Could be the Night", recorded by The Arena Twins for

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

, and "Cafe of Blue Mirrors" and "Ragamuffin's Holiday", both recorded by Ken Colby for Maine Records – another of Hecht, Lancaster and Buzzell's independent record labels."Reviews of New Pop Records"
''Billboard'', April 6, 1959. Maine Records, sometimes credited as Maine Record Company, was named after the State of Maine, where Buzzell attended university. Records released by Maine Records were manufactured and distributed by Jubilee Records. Other notable songs that Buzzell published through his company include "The Way I Am", written by Gloria Shayne and recorded by

Tommy Sands Thomas Adrian Sands (born August 27, 1937) is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on ''Kraft Television Theater'' in January 19 ...

for Capitol Records, four songs co-written by Lu Ann Simms and Jay P. Morgan: "I Care", "If Something's Gonna Happen Let It Happen", "Love Has Gone" and "Somewhere There's a Rainbow", half a dozen songs written by Fred Elton, including "Smile for the People", recorded by

Lillian Briggs Lillian Briggs ( Biggs; June 3, 1932 April 11, 1998) was an American rock 'n roll performer and musician. Briggs was the first woman to achieve star status at the dawn of rock 'n roll in the early 1950s; soon after embarking upon her career, a ...

for Coral Records, and "Good Time Charlie", recorded by The Ja Da Quartte for

Warner Brothers Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, "Green Silk Pajamas", written by

Joe Marsala Joseph Francis Marsala (January 4, 1907 – March 4, 1978) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist and songwriter. His younger brother was trumpeter Marty Marsala and he was married to jazz harpist Adele Girard. Music career He was born in C ...

and

Guy Wood Guy B. Wood (24 July 1911 – 23 February 2001) was a musician and songwriter born in Manchester, England. Wood started his career in music playing saxophone in dance bands in England. He moved to the United States in the 1930s, where he worked f ...

and "Motherless Child", written by

Jerry Fielding Jerry Fielding (born Joshua Itzhak Feldman; June 17, 1922 – February 17, 1980)Redman, Nick"Fielding, Jerry" Jackson, Kenneth T.; Markoe, Karen E.; Markoe, Arnold (1995). ''Dictionary of American Biography; Supplement 10: 1976–1980''. New ...

Personal life

Marriage to Lu Ann Simms

Buzzell first met

(née Lucille Ann Ciminelli on July 11, 1932) in late 1952, after being introduced by a mutual friend in the hallway of a production studio. About six months earlier, on April 21, 1952, Simms, a department store music counter sales girl from

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, had won a singing contest on

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...

's radio and television program ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts''. She was quickly signed to a seven-year contract with

Columbia Broadcasting System CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

for television, radio and their record label division

. Buzzell and Simms met just when Columbia Records was releasing her first single in September 1952, featuring the songs "When It's Just About September" and "Puppy Love", and she began appearing as a regular on Godfrey's radio and television programs on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

every week. The two of them originally exchanged casual pleasantries but it was not until the winter of 1953 that an interest of attraction sparked. Simms mentioned wanting to see Broadway's new play ''Kismet'' at the Ziegfeld Theatre and Buzzell showed up a few days later with a pair of tickets. The couple became engaged on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1954, and were hoping for a simple, quiet wedding at St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church in New York City. The following day, April 19, 1954, after Simms had appeared on her weekday morning show, ''Arthur Godfrey Time'', she and Buzzell drove out to

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

to have their Monday afternoon lunch – hot dogs at

Nathan's Famous Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of the B ...

. They then spent the rest of the evening together driving around the country. Meanwhile, the news of their engagement was revealed to the public by Godfrey on his Monday night program, ''Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a'' coast-to-coast program broadcast on both radio and television. Buzzell and Simms were bombarded with phone calls, telegrams and letters from fans congratulating them, and by April 20, 1954, every newspaper in the country was carrying the news. The wedding took place on July 24, 1954, from 11 to 11:15 A.M., at St. Raphael's Church in New York City with

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

Father Reverend Robert Perrella performing the ceremony. Although Buzzell was Jewish, the wedding ceremony was held in Catholic faith in order to please the Italian-American Ciminelli family. 1,500 friends and relatives overfilled the church, with such notable guests as Merv Griffin,

and Frank Parker (singer), Frank Parker. Griffin later claimed in interviews that he was Best man, best-man at the couple's wedding, but he was in fact one of the four ushers; the best man was Buzzell's childhood friend Alan Peppe, while Griffin ushered with Buzzell's other friend Frank Rohr and Simms' brothers Donald and John Ciminelli. The maid of honor was Buzzell's sister Barbara Ann. Buzzell and Simms' wedding was highly publicized, with newspaper, radio and television coverage spanning roughly three weeks, from the week prior to the week following. The event was so anticipated by fans, who gathered to fill the street, that a police detail was called to keep the crowds back from the church and allow the married couple's limousine to drive away after he ceremony. The wedding was professionally photographed in 3-D color pictures by Norman Shaver and Glenn Conrad of the Shaver Photography Studio. The newlyweds delayed their honeymoon to Hawaii until September 1954 in order to accommodate Simms' appearances on Godfrey's program.

Children

Buzzell and Simms had two children: Cynthia "Cindy" Leigh Buzzell (born September 11, 1955) and Lauren Beth Buzzell (born January 14, 1960). When Simms announced the expectancy of her first child in January 1955, the news was immediately picked up by newspapers, radio stations and television broadcasts from coast to coast. She went on maternity leave from the Godfrey show in March 1955, planning to return by the end of the year. In September 1955, when Cynthia was born at the Doctors Hospital (Manhattan), Doctors Hospital in New York City, pictures and news of the parents and baby were again circulated everywhere. Merv Griffin was appointed Cynthia's godfather. In the late 1970s, Cynthia married Geoffrey Charles Kielas. Lauren was also born at the Doctors Hospital in New York City, but three months after Buzzell's death. Her birth was also covered by the media from coast to coast. Lauren died at 24 years, only a week before her 25th birthday, on January 6, 1985. The funeral services were held on January 8, 1985, at the Westwood Village Mortuary Chapel in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Lauren was cremated and her ashes are held in a columbarium at Westwood Memorial Park; Simms' ashes were later rested in the same plot.

Friendship with Merv Griffin

In the summer of 1954, Buzzell became acquainted with singer and actor Merv Griffin. Griffin had been living in California for several years but decided to spend the summer of 1954 in New York City. He landed a job as the host of a television show titled ''Summer Holiday'' for CBS-TV; a summer replacement for

's ''The Jane Froman Show, U.S.A. Canteen'' and

's ''The Jo Stafford Show (1954 TV series), The Jo Stafford Show''. Griffin needed a place to stay and wound up moving in with Buzzell as his new roommate. The two had a lot in common and became instant friends, and Buzzell introduced Griffin to all of New York City's popular musicians and music executives. Buzzell was already engaged to Lu Ann Simms at the time, with a wedding date set for July 24, 1954. Griffin later claimed in interviews that he was best man at their wedding, but was in fact one of the four ushers. After the wedding, and roughly two months following his arrival in the city, Griffin moved into a different apartment in the same building, but remained life-long friends with Buzzell and Simms. When the couple had their first child, Cynthia Leigh Buzzell, born September 11, 1955, Griffin was named her godfather.

Death

Buzzell had been complaining of chest pains but assumed that they were due to a stomach ulcer, for which he had been hospitalized two years prior. He awoke just before dawn on the morning of October 20, 1959, in severe pain, whereupon Simms called his physician. Buzzell died in his Manhattan apartment from a myocardial infarction at 5 A.M. that day, only two weeks after his 32nd birthday. Newspapers erroneously reported that he was 37 years old in that day's news, but later obituaries carried his correct age. The funeral services were held on October 22, 1959, at the Universal Funeral Chapel in New York City. Although he was married in a Catholic ceremony, Buzzell was interred in his family plot at the Jewish Mount Ararat Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York. Simms continued looking after Buzzell's music publishing companies after his death. Calyork Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Ltd. remained intact but Simms renamed Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. to Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc., and later to Colby Music, Inc. Buzzell was survived by his mother, Alma Virginia Wanner, who died at 78 years on November 27, 1974, and his father, Samuel Jesse Buzzell, who died at 87 years on July 9, 1979. His second daughter, Lauren Beth Buzzell, died at 24 years, a week before her 25th birthday, on January 6, 1985. His widow, Lu Ann Simms, remarried on October 15, 1961, to Casper Stolt, a liquor salesman from Rochester, New York, and later died at 71 years on September 21, 2003. His older sister, Gloria Joyce Buzzell Hecht Desser, died at 82 years on December 12, 2004, while his younger sister, Barbara Ann Buzzell Stein Tamaro, died at 82 years on May 16, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buzzell, Loring 1927 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American chief executives American company founders American music industry executives American music publishers (people) American people of European-Jewish descent American people of French descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent Businesspeople from New York City Colby College alumni Norma Productions people People from Long Beach, New York Sheet music publishers (people)