Harry Simeone
Encyclopedia
Harry Moses Simeone was a distinguished music arranger, conductor and composer, best known for arranging the famous Christmas
song "The Little Drummer Boy", for which he received co-writing credit.
in New York City, not far from his native Newark, New Jersey
. Initiated and inspired by this childhood passion, he sought a career as a concert pianist. To this end, he enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music, which he attended for three years. But when he was offered work at CBS
as an arranger for bandleader Fred Waring
, he dropped out of Juilliard to accept it.
's orchestra, using the stage name Margaret McCrae, and later a Fred Waring vocalist. Once there, he had various music production jobs for several Paramount
films between 1939 and 1946, including some that starred Bing Crosby
. Sometime in 1948, Simeone joined NBC
's The Swift Show as the program's orchestra leader, and during 1952, he joined NBC's The Firestone Hour as conductor and choral arranger.
"
In 1960, Simeone joined a revived half-hour version of The Kate Smith Show
on CBS television, produced by Smith's long-time manager, Ted Collins. Though the program had good reviews, audience levels lagged at an early evening time, and the show was cancelled after some six months on the air.
In the same year, 1960, Simeone organized another group which he called "The Harry Simeone Songsters," whose style he made similar to that of the Ray Conniff Singers. That year, under his direction, the Songsters produced a baseball-oriented song in 1960 called "It's a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame." The song is on one of the Baseball's Greatest Hits
CDs and is still played at major league baseball parks.
In 1964, Simeone signed with Kapp Records. In the next year, 1965, he recorded a new version of "The Little Drummer Boy" for his album O' Bambino - The Little Drummer Boy.
by bestowing a gift of US$
1 million. Margaret died the following year, after which Harry's health declined. On Tuesday, February 22, 2005, Harry died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, almost three months before he would have reached the age of 94.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song "The Little Drummer Boy", for which he received co-writing credit.
Early years
Harry grew up listening to stars performing at the Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City, not far from his native Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Initiated and inspired by this childhood passion, he sought a career as a concert pianist. To this end, he enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music, which he attended for three years. But when he was offered work at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as an arranger for bandleader Fred Waring
Fred Waring
Fredrick Malcolm Waring was a popular musician, bandleader and radio-television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing." He was also a promoter, financial backer and namesake of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric...
, he dropped out of Juilliard to accept it.
Initial prominence
After garnering vocal and music arrangement credits for the 1938 RKO motion picture Radio City Revels, Simeone relocated to Hollywood with his wife Margaret McCravy, who briefly sang with Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's orchestra, using the stage name Margaret McCrae, and later a Fred Waring vocalist. Once there, he had various music production jobs for several Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
films between 1939 and 1946, including some that starred Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. Sometime in 1948, Simeone joined NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Swift Show as the program's orchestra leader, and during 1952, he joined NBC's The Firestone Hour as conductor and choral arranger.
"The Little Drummer Boy"
When the Twentieth-Century Fox Records label contracted Simeone to make a Christmas album in 1958, he assembled a group he called "The Harry Simeone Chorale" and searched for recording material. After being introduced to an obscure song by friend and credited song co-author Henry Onorati titled "Carol of the Drum," Simeone changed the title to "The Little Drummer Boy" and recorded it under that title for his album Sing We Now of Christmas. He received joint authorship-and-composition credit for the album, although he did not actually write or compose the song. The single "The Little Drummer Boy" quickly became extremely popular and scored on the U.S. music charts from 1958 to 1962. The Simeone Chorale had another Christmas success during 1962, with their rendition of the then-new song "Do You Hear What I Hear?Do You Hear What I Hear?
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a Christmas song written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair were married at the time, and wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis...
"
In 1960, Simeone joined a revived half-hour version of The Kate Smith Show
The Kate Smith Show
The Kate Smith Show is a half-hour, short-lived variety program which aired on CBS television from January 25 to July 18, 1960. The program features singer Kate Smith and the Harry Simeone Chorale.-Background:...
on CBS television, produced by Smith's long-time manager, Ted Collins. Though the program had good reviews, audience levels lagged at an early evening time, and the show was cancelled after some six months on the air.
In the same year, 1960, Simeone organized another group which he called "The Harry Simeone Songsters," whose style he made similar to that of the Ray Conniff Singers. That year, under his direction, the Songsters produced a baseball-oriented song in 1960 called "It's a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame." The song is on one of the Baseball's Greatest Hits
Baseball's Greatest Hits
Baseball's Greatest Hits is the name of two different CD collections of songs and other recordings connected with baseball, released in the early 1990s....
CDs and is still played at major league baseball parks.
In 1964, Simeone signed with Kapp Records. In the next year, 1965, he recorded a new version of "The Little Drummer Boy" for his album O' Bambino - The Little Drummer Boy.
His last years
On May 22, 2000, Simeone and his wife, by then living on the Upper East Side of New York City, officially established the Harry and Margaret Simeone Music Scholarship at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
by bestowing a gift of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 million. Margaret died the following year, after which Harry's health declined. On Tuesday, February 22, 2005, Harry died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, almost three months before he would have reached the age of 94.
External links
- [ Allmusic Biography]
- School of Music awards first Simeone scholarship