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Nelson Riddle

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Nelson Riddle (1921 to 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator, active from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He was born in Oradell, New Jersey, and had piano lessons at the age of eight and trombone lessons at fourteen. An important experience was hearing Ravel's Boléro played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky, of which he later said it was as if the orchestra leapt off the stage and hit you in the face. He wanted to become a jazz trombonist, but lacked the coordination for it, and so he turned to arranging. In Rumson he learned from Bill Finegan, who strongly influenced his arranging style.

Music and breakthrough

At Capitol Records Riddle worked with many singers, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith. On records such as Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely from 1958, his orchestration gave the singing an atmosphere of its own. He also wrote and arranged music for many films and television series, and won an Oscar and three Grammys.

Influence

In the 1980s he found a new audience with three platinum albums with Linda Ronstadt. Riddle shows how much of the sound of 1950s popular singing lay with the arranger: strings and winds that made a world of their own around the voice, from swinging to deeply melancholy.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely and notice how the strings and winds create a sombre atmosphere beneath the voice, without drowning out the singer.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists