Dick Halligan
Encyclopedia
Richard Halligan (born August 29, 1943 in Troy, New York
) is an American
musician and composer
, best known as a founding member of the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears
.
Halligan was BS&T's trombonist on their first album, Child Is Father to the Man
. When Al Kooper
left the band after that first album, Halligan began playing other instruments including piano
, organ
, and flute
. He received a Grammy Award
for Best Instrumental Performance for "Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie
" from the album Blood, Sweat & Tears
. Halligan also arranged
many of the band's charts during this time period, and he wrote several songs including "Redemption" and "Lisa Listen To Me." Halligan left BS&T in 1971 after recording their fourth album, when the band began to shift to more rock-oriented music.
In the 1970s and 1980s Halligan composed and arranged music for a number of motion pictures, television, and commercials.
As of 2006 he is active as a composer and performer for various types of music, including jazz
and chamber music
.
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, best known as a founding member of the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
.
Halligan was BS&T's trombonist on their first album, Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
. When Al Kooper
Al Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
left the band after that first album, Halligan began playing other instruments including piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. He received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Instrumental Performance for "Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
" from the album Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (album)
Blood, Sweat & Tears is the second album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1968. It was a huge commercial success, rising to the top of the U.S. charts for a collective seven weeks and yielding three successive Top 5 singles...
. Halligan also arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
many of the band's charts during this time period, and he wrote several songs including "Redemption" and "Lisa Listen To Me." Halligan left BS&T in 1971 after recording their fourth album, when the band began to shift to more rock-oriented music.
In the 1970s and 1980s Halligan composed and arranged music for a number of motion pictures, television, and commercials.
As of 2006 he is active as a composer and performer for various types of music, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
.
External links
- Richard (Dick) Halligan official website
- [ Dick Halligan at AllMusicGuide.com]