Artist:George Cates & His Orchestra f/The Stan Wrightsman Quartet
Song:Moonglow/Theme from Picnic
Album:Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals II
This 1956 medley recorded to promote the premiere of the film Picnic reached #4 on the pop charts and sold over a million copies. George Cates was musical director for Lawrence Welk and head of A&R at Decca's Coral label. So he was mostly a behind the scenes guy. This was his only hit single. Cates was born Oct. 19, 1911. After graduating from New York University, He worked on the Olsen and Johnson revue Hellzapoppin. He played sax in bands led by Henry Busse, Dick Stabile and Russ Morgan, After serving in the US Navy during WWII, Cates moved to Los Angeles and became Lawrence Welk's musical director in 1951. Cates worked for Welk for the entire run of his TV show until 1982. He was also made A&R director at Coral Records working with The Andrews Sisters, Teresa Brewer and Danny Kaye. This recording of Moonglow and the theme from the film Picnic looks like it was cooked up by Columbia Pictures to promote the film's premiere. They released an EP featuring The Tonight Show creator and jazz pianist Steve Allen playing George Duning's theme from the new film Picnic and Cates and his orchestra performing Moonglow and then the theme from Picnic. The quartet on Moonglow is led by pianist Stan Wrightsman with George Van Eps on guitar, Phil Stephens on bass and Nick Fatool on drums. The record reached #4 on the pop charts. You can get it on this various artists CD of instrumental versions of movie and TV themes from the reissue label Eric Records. Cates went into semi-retirement after the Welk show ended in 1982. He died on May 10, 2002 at age 90. Here's a video of Moonglow/Theme from Picnic by George Cates & His Orchestra.
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