Sonny Burke
Sonny Burke | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Joseph Francis Burke March 22, 1914 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 1980 (aged 66) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | American composer, musical arranger, big band leader, and producer |
Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader, and producer.[1] He was a prominent figure in the U.S. music industry, particularly in Los Angeles.
While he was one of the top composers and arrangers in the country for many years, his later career was more widely known for his production work. Burke's legacy is found in the numerous recordings he contributed to, as his work touched many people's lives, often without them knowing his name.[2]
Early life
[edit]Born to Francis P. Burke and Rhoda Nihany in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Burke was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended St. Ambrose High School and earned All-State honors as a fullback.[3][4] He briefly attended the University of Detroit, playing for coach Gus Dorais, before transferring to Duke University. At Duke, he formed and led the Duke Ambassadors, a jazz big band.[5]
Career
[edit]During the 1930s and 1940s, Burke was a big band arranger in New York City, working with Sam Donahue's band. He continued this work into the 1950s, arranging for the bands of Charlie Spivak and Jimmy Dorsey, among others. In addition to his work as an arranger for Spivak's band, Burke also composed their theme song, "Stardreams."[1]
He also wrote the music for several popular songs, including "Black Coffee" and "Midnight Sun" with jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton; lyrics for "Midnight Sun" were later added by Johnny Mercer.[1] In 1953, he co-wrote songs with John Elliot for the animated short film Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[6] In 1955, Burke collaborated with Peggy Lee to write the songs for Disney's Lady and the Tramp.
Burke became an active arranger, conductor, and A&R man at major Hollywood record labels, especially at Decca Records where he worked with Charles "Bud" Dant. He also wrote and arranged the theme for the early 1960s television show Hennesey, a jazzy update of "The Sailor's Hornpipe".
Later, as musical director of Warner Bros. Records and Reprise Records, Burke was responsible for many of Frank Sinatra's albums.[1] He notably produced Sinatra's recording of "My Way" in 1969. He also produced Petula Clark's "This Is My Song", which was written by Charlie Chaplin for the movie A Countess From Hong Kong.
He also served as a bandleader for recordings by leading singers such as Dinah Shore, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, The Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, and Billy Eckstine.[1]
On February 8, 1960, Burke was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6920 Hollywood Blvd.[7]
Death and interment
[edit]Burke died from cancer on May 31, 1980, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 66.[1] He was survived by his wife, Dorothy Gillis Burke, and his four children: Gaylord, Peter, and twins Jerry and Tom Burke. He was also survived by one sister, Rhoda Burke Andrews, who was the mother of Punch Andrews, the longtime manager for Bob Seger. His interment was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
Discography
[edit]As leader
[edit]- Sonny Burke plays Mambos (1951)
- Sonny Burke and his Orchestra I & II (1951)
- The Sonny Burke-Don Elliott Six (ca. 1960)[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 368. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ Sultanof, Jeff. "Forgotten Arrangers — Sonny Burke (Part 1)". American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Los Angeles Bells for Local Romance: Frank P. Burke, Former Local Broker Here, and Miss Rhoda Nihany Are Wed; The Will Live in West". The Scranton Tribune. June 5, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ "New York State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK9X-JWG : 8 March 2021), Rhoda Nihany in household of Nihany, Brooklyn, A.D. 03, E.D. 04, Kings, New York; citing p. 5, line 45, various county clerk offices, New York; FHL microfilm 1,930,247.
- ^ Ross, Jerry (February 23, 1947). "Detroit's Sonny Burke Makes Arranging Pay". Detroit Free Press. p. 8. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Cotter, Bill, The Wonderful World of Disney Television: A Complete History, p. 549, Hyperion, 1997. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5
- ^ "Sonny Burke". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Lowry, Raymond (January 2, 1960). "Goings On". The News and Observer. p. 6.
External links
[edit]- Sonny Burke at IMDb
- Guide to the Sonny Burke Papers Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Jazz Archive at Duke University Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
- 1914 births
- 1980 deaths
- 20th-century American jazz composers
- American jazz bandleaders
- American male jazz composers
- American music arrangers
- American people of Syrian descent
- Brass Fever members
- Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
- Duke University alumni
- Grammy Award winners
- Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
- Musicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Record producers from Pennsylvania
- Deaths from cancer in California
- 20th-century American male composers