A versatile and commercially successful composer, arranger, and producer, Alan Lorber has had a hand in thousands of recordings, ranging from pop (Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," Mike Clifford's "Close to Cathy") to R&B (Chuck Jackson's "I Wake Up Crying," Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout") to psychedelic rock (Ultimate Spinach,... [+] Read More

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Composers and synth players Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause were among the most high-profile electronic music acts of the late '60s, recording a series of LPs distinguished not only by their groundbreaking studio advances but also by the presence of notables including Gerry Mulligan and Mike Bloomfield. Krause -- a onetime member of the legendary... [+] Read More

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Conductor and arranger Henri Rene was born and raised in Germany, where he studied at Berlin's Royal Academy of Music; he emigrated to the U.S. during the mid-1920s, appearing with a series of orchestras before returning to Berlin a few years later to serve as an arranger with a German record label. Rene came back to the States in 1936 to accept... [+] Read More

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Martin Denny was born April 10, 1911 in New York City. A child prodigy, at age ten he studied piano under Lester Spitz and Isadore Gorn. For four years he toured South America with the Don Dean Orchestra, followed by a 43-month stint in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Following his December 1945 discharge, Denny settled in Los Angeles,... [+] Read More

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      Guitar amps ooze distortion and heterogeneity. Drumsticks tap the Morse code for change on the cymbals. Basslines that resemble rolling green fields find themselves sandwiched between metal fortified bastions of speed rock. And somewhere in there you could swear you heard a crooning sax that had you swaying unconsciously. Live or via... [+] Read More

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Universally known as the King of the Mambo, Pérez Prado was the single most important musician involved in the hugely popular Latin dance craze. Whether he actually created the rhythm is somewhat disputed, but it's abundantly clear that Prado developed it into a bright, swinging style with massive appeal for dancers of all backgrounds and... [+] Read More

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Harpist Robert Maxwell's popularity surpassed that of Harpo Marx (at least as a harpist), and for good reason. He made many a great pop record without getting swallowed up by his classical training and performances. He was born in New York City, the son of unmusical parents. Taking up the harp at age ten, he won a Lincoln High School scholarship... [+] Read More

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Russ Case was already an in-demand studio trumpeter and arranger in the mid '30s, when he was still less than 25 years old. In the '40s he was the orchestra director for Perry Como on some of that artist's most classic recordings; considered such an essential part of Como knowledge, in fact, that a record label reissued two volumes of material... [+] Read More

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The postwar-era pop trio the Three Suns comprised vocalist/organist Artie Dunn, guitarist Al Nevins and accordionist Morty Nevins. Although formed in 1939, the group did not achieve widespread success until their 1944 Top 20 rendition of "Twilight Time," co-written by the trio with Buck Ram, sold over a million copies. In 1947 the Three Suns... [+] Read More

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