Frank S. Perkins (April 21, 1908 in Salem, Massachusetts – March 15, 1988 in Los Angeles, California) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

song

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

best known for the song "

Stars Fell on Alabama "Stars Fell on Alabama" is a 1934 jazz standard composed by Frank Perkins with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. History The title of the song appears to have been borrowed from the title of the 1934 book of the same name by Carl Carmer. It refers t ...

" (with lyrics by Mitchell Parish) and his band classic, Fandango.

Career

Perkins earned his Ph.B from Brown University in Providence, RI in economics in 1929. Although he was an accomplished pianist, by graduation he could play organ, trombone, saxophone and all the percussion instruments. He studied with noted composer and educator

Tibor Serly Tibor Serly (; Losonc, Kingdom of Hungary, 25 November 1901 – London, 8 October 1978) was a Hungarian violist, violinist, and composer. Serly was the son of Lajos Serly, a pupil of Franz Liszt and a composer of songs and operettas in the ...

, who was a student of Zoltán Kodály and also worked with

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

. Upon graduation, Perkins toured Europe and returned to form his own dance band and become a songwriter. In 1934 he joined Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians and remained with them as arranger until 1938 when he joined Warner Brothers as a composer and conductor, where he remained for many years.From Premiere A Collection of Original Orchestral Novelties by Frank Perkins (extended play 45) liner notes

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 ...

called upon Perkins to record some of his own light compositions on LPs in the 1950s. Some of those he recorded were "Kentucky Trotter," "The Deserted Patio," "Barbara," "Pop-Gun Patrol," "Fandango," "Feliciana," "Escapade," and "The Frustrated Floorwalker". These were all from his first album which was released. Perkins also worked in film music. He was the composer of the score for ''

The Incredible Mr. Limpet ''The Incredible Mr. Limpet'' is a 1964 American live-action/animated comedy film produced by Warner Bros.''Variety'' film review; January 22, 1964, page 6. and based on the 1942 novel ''Mr. Limpet'' by Theodore Pratt. It is about a man named He ...

'' (1964) and conducted orchestras for films, including the

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

adaptation of ''Gypsy'' and the 1963 spring break film '' Palm Springs Weekend''. In the TV genre, he did music scoring and arrangements for '' 77 Sunset Strip'' (WB-TV).

References

External links

* 1908 births 1988 deaths American film score composers American television composers 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American composers {{US-composer-20thC-stub