Dudley Brooks (December 22, 1913 – July 17, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer.

Biography

Brooks was born on December 22, 1913, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

."Dudley Brooks"
Internet Movie Database (IMDb). While under contract to Paramount Studios, Brooks spent considerable time working as a session piano player at the Radio Recorders studio in Los Angeles.Jorgensen, Ernst (1998), ''Elvis Presley: A Life in Music.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, pp. 84, 86, 89, 95, 99, 101, 104-105, 130, 133, 136. For many years, Radio Recorders was one of the best known recording studios in the country and hosted performers such as

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

, and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. Presley was also under contract to Paramount Studios where he was filming movies to include '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' and ''

Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Americ ...

''. Paramount, to ensure Presley's recordings and movies stayed on schedule, regularly provided studio musicians to Radio Recorders. As a result, Brooks developed a professional relationship with Presley that spanned decades. Together, they collaborated on many albums and movies to include: * '' A Date with Elvis'' * ''

'' * '' Elvis for Everyone'' * '' Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4'' * '' Elvis Sings Flaming Star'' * '' Elvis' Christmas Album'' * ''

Fun in Acapulco ''Fun in Acapulco'' is a 1963 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress. The film featured the Top 10 ''Billboard'' hit "Bossa Nova Baby" and reached No. 1 on the national weekly box office charts a week after the ass ...

'' * ''

G.I. Blues ''G.I. Blues'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley and Juliet Prowse. The movie was filmed at Paramount Pictures studio, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Pr ...

'' * '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' * ''

It Happened at the World's Fair ''It Happened at the World's Fair'' is a 1963 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a crop-dusting pilot. It was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, ...

'' * ''

Kid Galahad ''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. ''Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of 19 ...

'' (movie soundtrack) * '' Jailhouse Rock'' * ''

Let's Be Friends ''Let's Be Friends'' is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records CAS 2408, in April 1970. It is the second Presley budget album to appear on the low-priced RCA Camden label. It peaked at number ...

'' * '' Loving You'' * ''

Peace in the Valley "There'll Be Peace in the Valley for Me" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. It was copyrighted by Dorsey under this title on January 25, 1939, though it often appears informally as "Peace in the Valley". ...

'' * '' Pot Luck'' * '' Roustabout'' * ''

Something for Everybody ''Something for Everybody'' is the sixth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2370, in June 17, 1961. Recording sessions took place on November 8, 1960, at Radio Re ...

'' * ''

Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry b ...

'' (movie soundtrack) * '' Wild in the Country'' (movie soundtrack) Brooks, one of several African Americans who worked with Presley, downplayed allegations that Presley was a racist. During his career, Brooks also composed a number of songs often in collaboration with other songwriters. Among his works is the well-known Christmas song " (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man with the Bag". Made popular by

Kay Starr Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...

in 1950, the song has been covered by many artists to include the Brian Setzer Orchestra and

Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, music director and actress. She appeared as a regular in the television show '' Ally McBeal'', as a resident performer in the bar where the show's characters drank, danced and c ...

. Brooks died in his hometown of Los Angeles in 1989.Dudley A Brooks: Los Angeles, California
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Dudley 1913 births 1989 deaths Musicians from Los Angeles 20th-century jazz composers African-American jazz composers American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians Jazz arrangers 20th-century American composers 20th-century African-American musicians

Biography

See also

References