Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909 - March 20, 1989) was an American
song arrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and
bandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
.
He was born in the
CoronaCorona, Queens is a highly dense neighborhood in the former Township of Newtown in the New York City borough of Queens surrounded by Flushing, Jackson Heights, Forest Hills and Elmhurst....
section of the New York City borough of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
. He began playing the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
when he was only seven years old. In 1927 he went to
Columbia CollegeColumbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King...
, intending to become an electrical engineer, but as a sophomore switched to a
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
major. Without graduating, he left to become an arranger. In the early 1930's, he wrote a number of songs that got recorded; all 'hot' novelty numbers, including "Mouthful O'Jam" and "Business In F".
In 1934 he started leading a band of his own at
Earl CarrollThe Earl Carroll Theatre was the name of two major theatres, one on Broadway in New York City and the other on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, owned by Broadway impresario and showman Earl Carroll.-Broadway:...
's club in Hollywood, California.
Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909 - March 20, 1989) was an American
song arrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and
bandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
.
Biography
He was born in the
CoronaCorona, Queens is a highly dense neighborhood in the former Township of Newtown in the New York City borough of Queens surrounded by Flushing, Jackson Heights, Forest Hills and Elmhurst....
section of the New York City borough of
QueensQueens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Five Boroughs which form New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a subdivision of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States.Located on...
. He began playing the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
when he was only seven years old. In 1927 he went to
Columbia CollegeColumbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King...
, intending to become an electrical engineer, but as a sophomore switched to a
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
major. Without graduating, he left to become an arranger. In the early 1930's, he wrote a number of songs that got recorded; all 'hot' novelty numbers, including "Mouthful O'Jam" and "Business In F".
In 1934 he started leading a band of his own at
Earl CarrollThe Earl Carroll Theatre was the name of two major theatres, one on Broadway in New York City and the other on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, owned by Broadway impresario and showman Earl Carroll.-Broadway:...
's club in Hollywood, California. Bleyer's orchestra recorded for
Brunswick RecordsBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
, and one of the vocalists who worked with this orchestra was
Johnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American songwriter and singer. As a songwriter, he is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
, who became better known as a
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
and co-founder of
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
.
He became musical director for
Arthur GodfreyArthur Morton Leo Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
in 1946, serving in this role until 1953. Many close to Godfrey considered Bleyer's creativity and understanding of music to be pivotal to the success of Godfrey's radio and TV programs. And while Godfrey was known to be short-fused and controlling, he often deferred to Bleyer's judgment in the areas of presentation and production.
In 1952 he founded
Cadence RecordsCadence Records was an American record company based in New York City. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952...
, whose first artist was Godfrey alumnus
Julius La RosaJulius La Rosa is an American traditional popular music singer who has worked in both radio and television since the nineteen fifties.-Early years and big break:...
. Along with several instrumental hit singles of his own, Bleyer went on to sign many other artists who had performed on Godfrey's programs (including
The ChordettesThe Chordettes were a female popular singing quartet, usually singing a cappella, and specializing in traditional popular music. The Chordettes were one of the longest lived vocal groups with beginnings in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early 1950s...
, one of whose members, Janet Ertel, became his wife).
In the fall of 1953, Godfrey dismissed La Rosa on the air and later claimed the young singer "lacked humility," doing his own popularity considerable damage. Just days later, Godfrey fired Bleyer, claiming he was offended when Bleyer recorded Chicago radio personality
Don McNeillDon McNeill was an American radio personality, best known as the creator and host of The Breakfast Club, which ran for more than 30 years.-Early career:...
, host of
Don McNeill's Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast Club was a long-run morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio originating in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by Don McNeill, the radio program ran from June 23, 1933 through December 27, 1968...
. This Godfrey-like show was based in Chicago and broadcast nationally, but its popularity was mainly in the Midwest, aimed at a Midwestern audience and no threat to Godfrey's popularity Always insecure, Godfrey felt McNeill, whose show had once been a competitor, was still in competition though Godfrey was the dominant personality of his generation. Offended that Bleyer recorded McNeill, within days after the LaRosa firing, Godfrey later claimed that when he confronted Bleyer and threatened to fire him, the conductor simply shrugged and told him to do what he had to do. When Bleyer left the show, he never made a public statement about his days with Godfrey. The public furor that surrounded LaRosa's firing and, to a lesser extent, Bleyer's, began the unraveling of Godfrey's seemingly unstoppable dominance of radio and TV as Bleyer's career was just beginning to blossom. The loss of Bleyer's expertise in staging and production matters, where he served as an informal mentor to Godfrey despite their age differences, was detrimental to Godfrey's programs.
While LaRosa was unable to sustain his early successes, later Cadence artists included
Andy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" or "Paul" Williams is an American pop singer. Andy Williams has recorded 18 gold and three platinum certified albums. When Ronald Reagan was president, he declared Andy's voice to be "a national treasure". He had his own popular TV variety show from 1962–71...
and the label's biggest act of all,
The Everly BrothersThe Everly Brothers are brothers and country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing. The Everlys are the most successful U.S...
whose hits such as "
Bye Bye Love"Bye Bye Love" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. It is best known in a debut recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1315. The song reached #2 on the US Billboard Pop charts and #1 on the Cash Box Best Selling...
" and "
Wake Up Little Susie"Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.The song is best known in a recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337...
" were produced by Bleyer in Nashville with country studio musicians led by
Chet AtkinsChester Burton Atkins , better known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who created, along with Owen Bradley, the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.His picking style, inspired by...
. Bleyer at one point was also the father-in-law of Phil Everly. He had his own instrumental recording hits on the Cadence label as well.
Don ShirleyDon Shirley is an American-Jamaican jazz pianist and composer.Shirley's prodigious piano skills were recognized early and Shirley began his career as a composer and virtuoso performer at a young age....
, who appeared on the label in 1955 with "Tonal Expressions". It became a Top 15 album in the spring of that year, reportedly selling more than 20,000 copies, a respectable debut for a jazz artist. Ironically, it was the only chart album Shirley was to enjoy, but his sales remained steady enough that he was with the label until it closed in 1964, cutting around a dozen long-play releases Don Shirley Discography.
Bleyer also had his limits to his tolerance for rock and roll. While he clearly, and correctly, viewed the Everlys as a commercially appealing, clean-cut act whose country-influenced harmonies could reach a vast following, he was not so tolerant of pioneer garage-rock guitarist
Link WrayFred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer.Wray was noted for pioneering a new sound for electric guitars, as exemplified in his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble", by Link Wray and his Ray Men, which pioneered an overdriven, distorted...
. In 1957, Bleyer reluctantly agreed to release his no-frills, roaring instrumental "
Rumble"Rumble" is an influential rock instrumental by Link Wray & His Ray Men. Originally released in 1958, "Rumble" utilized then-unexplored techniques like distortion and feedback...
" on Cadence in part due to his daughter's fascination with the song. Wray had a contract with Cadence, but in 1958 after he submitted a newly recorded album of similarly raw material recorded in Nashville, Bleyer was genuinely (if spuriously) convinced the instrumental music was morally and musically inappropriate and shelved the album and canceled Wray's contract. The material wouldn't see the light of day for decades until it was acquired by the British Rollercoaster label.
Cadence had another major hit in 1962 with comic
Vaughn MeaderAbbott Vaughn Meader was an American comedian and impersonator whose achievement of fame with The First Family album spoofing President John F...
's album
The First FamilyThe First Family is a comedy album recorded on October 22, 1962, as a good-natured parody of President John F. Kennedy, both as Commander-in-Chief and as a member of a large, well-known political family. Issued by Cadence Records, it quickly became the fastest-selling record in the United States at...
, which featured Meader's comedic sketches and his peerless impersonations of President
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The album was an enormous seller, as was a followup, until Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
In 1964, Bleyer, who was unable to accept the changing pop music market at the dawn of the
British InvasionThe British Invasion is used to describe rock and roll, beat and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States from 1964 to 1966. The Second British Invasion refers to MTV and New Wave acts of the 1980s...
era, sold the Cadence label and all its recordings (except for certain material--like the Link Wray album--he kept to himself) to Andy Williams. Today the Cadence material is owned by
Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America.-History:...
.
He moved with his wife Janet to her hometown of
Sheboygan, WisconsinSheboygan is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 50,792 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area...
where he died of the effects of
Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions....
in 1989.
External links