Happy Birthday Billy May

This Saturday, on what would have been my own father's 80th birthday, the man I regard as one of my musical fathers will celebrate his 85th. Billy May, composer, conductor, arranger, trumpeter, and above all else, overgrown frat boy.

He made his name in the Glenn Miller Orchestra as trumpeter and arranger. By the time he struck out on his own, the Big Band era was largely over, but May was able to diversify in several ways. May became a fixture at Capitol Records as its staff genius, not only producing and arranging fine big band recordings such as the 10 inch LP you see pictured above, but also a slew of children's records featuring Bozo the Clown and the Warner Bros. animation characters (working with that studio's three primary writers, Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster and Michael Maltese, as well as voice genius Mel Blanc). He later hooked up with Sinatra and was responsible for the "Come Fly With Me" album. Later he worked with Bobby Darin at Capitol, including the "Two Of A Kind" album featuring the songs of Johnny Mercer. And Dan Ingram, the radio disc jockey, appropriated the last minute or so of the May recording "Tri Fi Drums" as his closing theme and still uses it today.

He also worked in radio and television, acting as musical director on Stan Freberg's radio show and scoring most of the episodes of Jack Webb's "Emergency!" (though he did not write the theme - that chore went to Nelson Riddle). By this time his reputation as a fun loving prankster and a hard drinker was known throughout the industry. In his book "Sinatra: The Song Is You", Will Friedwald recounted an anecdote by the late Daws Butler (one of Freberg's stock company when he wasn't voicing Yogi Bear and others), who stated that Billy May was the only man alive who was capable of conducting a full orchestra and chorus while "stone drunk". But the music never suffered from Billy May's antics.

The fine web site of Gary Wachtel, www.garyw0001.com (a repository of big band MIDI's based on arrangements from the likes of Dave Wolpe, Jerry Nowak, Roger Holmes, and Sammy Nestico), has a chart by Sammy Nestico called "Billy May For President" which erroneously notes that Billy May is deceased. Although he's relatively retired today, I'd gladly write Billy May, still among the living, on the ballot for 2004. So here's to you, Billy May... happy birthday!