Nelson Riddle Biography Page
by Patrick McAndrews:
Nelson Riddle
In the 1940's, as a young man Nelson Riddle started out as a
trombonist and began arranging for the orchestras of Charlie Spivak,
Tommy Dorsey and Jerry Wald and he later became a staff arranger for
NBC radio. As his reputation grew, he became more in demand during
the early '50s. Riddle was the arranger and conductor for Judy Garland,
Nat King Cole, Jimmy Wakely, Betty Hutton, Ella Mae Morse among
many others. It was through his work with Frank Sinatra, beginning in
1953, that he was recognized as Hollywood's top arranger. Riddle
could piece together a song like a jigsaw puzzle, using top-notch
jazz musicians to perfectly accompany Sinatra's voice. His keen
understanding of how to use the various instruments helped the singer's
lyrics without stepping on them. His instrumental breaks between lyrics
became his trademark, with careful and intelligent use of horns and
strings and knowing when to highlight an instrument and for just how
long. His introductions, instrumental breaks and endings often became
records within records, giving his recordings a unique polish.
As a solo artist, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra enjoyed some success
during the '50s, with a #1 pop hit, "Lisbon Antigua" in 1955 and a
Grammy award in 1958 for "Cross Country Suite". As well as top
charted hits with Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Rosemary Clooney
and Johnny Mathis. At the same time The Riddle Orchestra was in
demand in Hollywood, arranging, composing, and conducting movie
soundtracks as well. Among his soundtracks were "The St. Louis
Blues" and "Pajama Game" along with television theme music. TV
themes for "Route 66", "The Untouchables" and "Batman" ended up
being The Nelson Riddle Orchestra's most recognizable instrumental
recordings. In the 1970's, he was the musical director for Julie
Andrews' variety show before cutting back his workload due to health
problems. In the 1980's he made a comeback, arranging and
conducting for Linda Ronstadt's Grammy-winning albums. His last
work was an arrangement for opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa in 1985.
A partial list of Nelson Riddle Songs with Frank Sinatra on vocals
Born June 1, 1921 in Oradell, NJ
Died October 6, 1985 in Los Angeles, CA
Back to the Frank Sinatra page
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