Louis Isidore "Buddy" Bregman (July 9, 1930 – January 8, 2017) was an American arranger and conductor.

Biography

Bregman was born in Chicago. His father was an executive in the steel industry. His uncle was songwriter

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also becam ...

. He spent summers in Hollywood with Styne, observing him compose music. Bregman wrote his first arrangement when he was eleven years old. After two years at the University of California in Los Angeles, he left to pursue a career in music. He wrote an arrangement for the song "Bazoom I Need Your Lovin'" (1954) by

The Cheers The Cheers were an American vocal group, that had a string of novelty hits for Capitol Records in the mid-1950s starting with "(Bazoom) I Need Your Lovin'" which hit number fifteen on the U.S. chart in 1954. This was the first hit written by Jerry ...

, written by

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...

. In 1955 he was appointed orchestra leader for the ''Gary Crosby Show'' on CBS radio. At the age of 25 Bregman became head of artists and repertoire (A&R) at

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

, founded and run by

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was acknowledged as "the most successful impres ...

, after meeting with Granz at the home of

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" ...

and José Ferrer. He arranged and conducted Verve's first single ("I'm With You"/"The Rock and Roll Waltz") and first album, ''Anita'', both featuring vocals by

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band app ...

. In 1956 Bregman arranged and conducted three albums which were certified platinum by the RIAA. The first two recordings in Ella Fitzgerald's '' Songbooks'' were arranged by Bregman: the Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers entries. He also arranged several of Fitzgerald's early Verve singles. Learning that

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

was out of his exclusive contract at

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

, in 1956 Bregman conceived, arranged and conducted ''

Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings ''Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings'' was Bing Crosby's sixth LP, his first album for Verve, recorded and released in a mono format in 1956. ''Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings'' was a stylistic departure for Crosby, marking the first time he re ...

'', which was certified platinum. During the same year, he was arranger and conductor for ''The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards''. Bregman arranged and conducted on albums for

Toni Harper Toni Harper (born June 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, California), also known as Toni Dunlap, is an American former child singer who retired from performing at the age of 29. After learning dance under Maceo Anderson, Harper was cast by the choreograp ...

, Jane Powell,

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

, and for his friend

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

, including several of Astaire's own songs. Bregman arranged and conducted tracks such as "Let There Be Love" ( Trend) for

Bobby Shaw Bobby T. Shaw II (born April 23, 1975 in San Francisco, California) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Shaw has played for five NFL teams: Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars ...

, "

Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" is a popular song written by Jean Schwartz, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. The song was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway musical '' Sinbad'' and published in 1918. Probably the best- ...

" (

) for

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

, and " The Wayward Wind" ( Era) for Gogi Grant. In addition, he produced a selection of his own instrumental albums, such as ''The Gershwin Anniversary Album'', ''Funny Face & Other Gershwin Tunes'', ''Swinging Kicks'', ''Swingin' Standards'', ''Dig Buddy in Hi-Fi'', ''Symphony of the Golden West'', ''Anita O'Day – Rules of the Road'', and ''That Swing''. After leaving Verve, he became music director for '' The Eddie Fisher Show'', then his own show, '' The Music Shop''. He was involved in creating the scores or orchestrations for several motion pictures in this period: '' Five Guns West'' (1955), ''

Crime in the Streets ''Crime in the Streets'' is a 1956 film about juvenile delinquency, directed by Don Siegel and based on a television play written by Reginald Rose. The play first appeared on the Elgin Hour and was directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, starring J ...

'' and '' The Wild Party'' (both 1956), ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in hi ...

'' (1957), including scoring all of the

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

dance numbers, ''The Delicate Delinquent'', '' Born Reckless'' (1958), ''Secret of the Purple Reef'' (1960), and '' The Cat Burglar'' (1961). In the early 1960s Bregman became a television producer and director. After producing several TV specials in Europe, he was hired by

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histo ...

for

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

in 1964. In 1966, he was appointed head of light entertainment for the weekday ITV company

Rediffusion London Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

. Bregman wrote ''

Jump Jim Crow "Jump Jim Crow" or "Jim Crow" is a song and dance from 1828 that was done in blackface by white minstrel performer Thomas Dartmouth (T. D.) "Daddy" Rice. The song is speculated to have been taken from Jim Crow (sometimes called Jim Cuff or Uncl ...

'' – a musical for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

– and moved into London-based independent TV and film production. He produced and directed ''The New-Fangled Wandering Minstrel Show'', a TV special starring

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

and

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

. After returning to the United States, Bregman worked as a producer and director on television programs. In late 2004, Bregman was tasked with arranging and conducting a 16-track vocal album of old and newer pop/jazz standards. It features an 18-piece big band of West Coast sidemen

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

, Ricky Woodard, Charles Owens, George Bohannon, Bobby Rodriguez,

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

, Roberto Miranda, and others. These sessions were recorded over two days in May 2006 at the Quincy Jones / Michael Jackson designed signature studio, 'D', at

Westlake Recording Studios Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experienc ...

, with the UCLA's and CJO's Charley Harrison serving as MD. The album was conceived and self-produced by actor and amateur baritone, Tom Mark. Vocals were recorded by Mark at Westlake Recording Studios in May and November 2006. Bregman also recorded 'scratch' vocals against each and every one of his own session-tracks during studio downtime at Westlake. Bregman was married to actress Suzanne Lloyd from 1961 to 1988; the couple had a daughter,

Tracey E. Bregman Tracey Elizabeth Bregman is an American soap opera actress. She is best known for the role of Lauren Fenmore on ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Early life Bregman was born May 29, 1963, in Munich, Germany to A ...

, an actress on television soap operas. On January 8, 2017, she confirmed that Bregman had died from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

, which he had suffered from for many years.

References

External links

Buddy Bregman at Haines His Way
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bregman, Buddy 1930 births 2017 deaths Film producers from Illinois American film score composers American male film score composers American jazz composers American male jazz composers American music arrangers Television producers from Illinois Big band bandleaders Era Records artists Musicians from Chicago RCA Victor artists American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in California Verve Records artists Jazz musicians from Illinois Classical musicians from Illinois