Sonny Burke

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78er "Blues Stay Away from Me" - Sonny Burke & His Orchestra

Sonny Burke (* 22. March 1914 in Scranton (Pennsylvania) as Joseph Francis Burke , † 31 May 1980 in Santa Monica ) was an American jazz - pianist , keyboardist , bandleader, arranger and composer .

Live and act

Sonny Burke graduated from Duke University in 1937 , where he directed a campus band. After his studies he worked with an ensemble on an ocean liner. He then worked as an arranger for various orchestras, including a. for Xavier Cugat , Buddy Rogers and Joe Venuti . In 1938 he took over the band from Sam Donahue in New York City , with whom he toured in 1939 and 1940; in the 1940s he had different big bands several times. He also worked as an arranger for Charlie Spivak , Sam Donahue, Jimmy Dorsey (1942–1945).

In the mid-1940s, he went to Hollywood, where he worked as a unit manager for Decca Records . There were also recordings with their own band, which also performed at the Hollywood Palladium. He had a hit success in California with Mambo Jambo . In his orchestras u. a. Musicians like Milt Bernhart , Pete Candoli , Ray Conniff , Sam Donahue , Charlie Shavers and Si Zentner ; his band singer was Jo Ann Greer .

In 1953 he wrote the title track of their album Black Coffee for Peggy Lee with Paul Francis Webster ; In 1955 he wrote the songs for the Disney film Lady and the Tramp with Peggy Lee . He was also involved in the composition of the Lionel Hampton title "Midnight Sun", for which Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics. In the 1950s he worked as an arranger and band leader on many of the Decca studio recordings with Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald , among others . Burke was then musical director of the Reprise Records label and as such was responsible for numerous Frank Sinatra albums . He was also the orchestra leader for recordings by Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé .

Sonny Burke should not be confused with keyboardist Reginald "Sonny" Burke, who was involved in recordings by Stanley Turrentine , John Handy and Dizzy Gillespie in the 1970s .

Discographic notes

  • Sonny Burke plays Mambos (1951)
  • Sonny Burke and his Orchestra I & II (1951)
  • The Sonny Burke- Don Elliott Six ( ca.1960 )

Lexigraphic entries

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Burke, Sonny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Burke, Joseph Francis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz band leader and composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 22, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Scranton, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH May 31, 1980
Place of death Santa Monica