Matt Dennis
Encyclopedia
Matt Dennis was a singer, pianist, bandleader, arranger, and writer of music for popular music
song
s.
He was born in Seattle, Washington
. His mother was a violin
ist and his father a singer, and the family was in vaudeville
, so he was early exposed to music. In 1933 he joined Horace Heidt
's orchestra as a vocalist and pianist. Later on, he formed his own band, with Dick Haymes
as vocalist. He became vocal coach, arranger, and accompanist for Martha Tilton
, and worked with a new vocal group, the Stafford Sisters. Jo Stafford
, one of the sisters, joined the Tommy Dorsey
band in 1940 and persuaded Dorsey to hire Dennis as arranger and composer. Dennis wrote prolifically, with fourteen of his songs recorded by the Dorsey band in one year alone, including "Everything Happens to Me," an early hit for Frank Sinatra
.
After three and a half years in the United States Air Force
in World War II
, Dennis returned to music writing and arranging, getting a boost from his old friend Dick Haymes, who hired him to be the music director for his radio
program. With lyricist
Tom Adair
he wrote songs for Haymes' program.
Dennis made six albums most of which are out of print; however his 1953 song "Angel Eyes" (with lyricist Earl Brent) has become a frequently recorded jazz standard; less frequently recorded, but notably by Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins is "Will You Still Be Mine".
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s.
He was born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. His mother was a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and his father a singer, and the family was in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, so he was early exposed to music. In 1933 he joined Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television through the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Born in Alameda, California, Heidt attended Culver...
's orchestra as a vocalist and pianist. Later on, he formed his own band, with Dick Haymes
Dick Haymes
Richard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
as vocalist. He became vocal coach, arranger, and accompanist for Martha Tilton
Martha Tilton
Martha Tilton was an American popular singer, best-known for her 1939 recording of "And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. She was sometimes introduced as The Liltin' Miss Tilton.Tilton and her family lived in Texas and Kansas, relocating to Los Angeles when she was seven years old...
, and worked with a new vocal group, the Stafford Sisters. Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
, one of the sisters, joined the Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
band in 1940 and persuaded Dorsey to hire Dennis as arranger and composer. Dennis wrote prolifically, with fourteen of his songs recorded by the Dorsey band in one year alone, including "Everything Happens to Me," an early hit for Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
.
After three and a half years in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dennis returned to music writing and arranging, getting a boost from his old friend Dick Haymes, who hired him to be the music director for his radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program. With lyricist
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
Tom Adair
Tom Adair
Thomas "Tom" Montgomery Adair was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in Newton, Kansas, worked at a power company and the Saturday Evening Post, writing numerous poems, while penning the songs in his spare time. In 1941, Adair met Matt Dennis in a club and the duo...
he wrote songs for Haymes' program.
Dennis made six albums most of which are out of print; however his 1953 song "Angel Eyes" (with lyricist Earl Brent) has become a frequently recorded jazz standard; less frequently recorded, but notably by Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins is "Will You Still Be Mine".
Songs with music by Matt Dennis
- "Angel Eyes"
- "Everything Happens to MeEverything Happens to Me (song)Everything Happens to Me is a classic pop song written by Tom Adair and Matt Dennis in 1940. It was first recorded by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring his then-singer, Frank Sinatra....
" - "Let's Get Away from It AllLet's Get Away from It All"Let's Get Away from It All" is a popular song with music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Tom Adair, published in 1941.The song is best known in a version by Frank Sinatra, but many others have recorded it and it is considered a pop standard....
" - "Little Man With A Candy Cigar"
- "The Night We Called It a DayThe Night We Called It a Day (song)"The Night We Called It a Day" is a popular song and jazz standard.The music was written by Matt Dennis, the lyrics by Tom Adair. The song was published in 1941....
" - "Violets For Your FursViolets for Your FursViolets for Your Furs is a 1941 song written by Tom Adair and Matt Dennis.The song describes the wearing of Violets with Furs on an evening in Manhattan.-Selected recordings:* Frank Sinatra — Swing Easy! * John Coltrane — Coltrane...
" - "Will You Still Be Mine"
- "Compared To You"
- "Junior and Julie"
- "It Wasn't the Stars"