Percy Faith

Percy Faith made soft, sweet music.

He was a leader of a big band. He used many string instruments to make his songs sound full. He also wrote music for movies. His songs were very popular on the radio. Some of his songs even won big awards. He made music for many years. People still love his songs today.

Percy Faith was a famous music maker. He was born in Canada. He grew up playing the piano and violin. Later, he moved to the United States.

Faith led large groups of musicians. He was known for his lush arrangements. This means he made music sound full and smooth. He used many string instruments to do this. His style helped make "easy listening" music popular. This kind of music is often calm and pleasant.

He made many famous songs on the radio. One hit was "Theme from A Summer Place." This song won a Grammy Award in 1961. He was very successful. He is one of only three artists to have the best-selling single of the year twice. Elvis Presley and The Beatles were the other two.

Faith also wrote music for movies. He even worked on music for the musical film "Love Me or Leave Me." He made music for forty years. His work reached many different people. He even made music for disco and country fans near the end of his career.

Percy Faith was a famous musician who changed how popular music sounded. He was a bandleader, composer, and conductor. He was known for making "lush" musical arrangements. This means his music sounded very full and smooth. He helped make "easy listening" or "mood music" very popular. This style of music was meant to be pleasant and relaxing. He used large groups of string instruments to achieve this sound.

Faith worked in a very specific way to create his sound. In the 1940s, most popular music relied heavily on loud brass instruments. Faith decided to rethink these techniques to make music softer. He used large sections of strings to fill out the sound. He also began using a chorus of singers in his music. Most of these choruses were all female. However, he used a mixed chorus on some albums. These included "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "I Think I Love You."

His journey began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the oldest of eight children. His parents, Abraham and Minnie, were Jewish. As a child, he played the piano and the violin. He even performed at places like Massey Hall. Later, a fire badly burned his hands. This hard event caused him to turn to conducting. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1940. He later became a United States citizen in 1945.

Faith had an incredibly successful career with many hits. He recorded many songs for the Columbia Records label. His song "Theme from A Summer Place" won a Grammy Award in 1961. He is a very rare artist in music history. He is one of only three artists to have the best-selling single of the year twice. The other two artists were Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He also wrote music for many movies. He even received an Academy Award nomination for his work on "Love Me or Leave Me."

His music reached people of all ages for forty years. In the 1960s, he made orchestral versions of rock hits. This helped introduce rock music to older audiences. His album "Themes for Young Lovers" was a huge seller. Even when rock music became harder in the 1970s, he kept trying new things. He released albums of country music and disco music. His very last recording was a disco version of "Theme from a Summer Place." It was called "Summer Place '76."

Percy Faith was a highly influential Canadian-American musician.

He worked as a bandleader, composer, orchestrator, and conductor. Faith is best known for creating lush musical arrangements. These arrangements were often for instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He played a major role in popularizing the easy listening format. This style is also frequently called mood music. His work became a staple of American popular music throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Faith changed the way popular music was organized. In the 1940s, most popular music relied heavily on brass instruments. These instruments can sound very loud and sharp. Faith decided to rethink these orchestration techniques. He used large string sections to soften the sound. These strings helped to fill out the music. This created a smoother and more pleasant listening experience. Later in his career, he also began using a chorus.

Most of his recordings featured an all-female chorus. However, he used a mixed chorus on the albums Leaving on a Jet Plane and I Think I Love You.

His musical journey began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the oldest of eight children in a Jewish family. His parents were named Abraham and Minnie Faith. As a child, he studied both the piano and the violin. He performed in theaters and at Massey Hall. A significant event changed his career path. A fire caused bad burns to his hands. Because of this, he turned his focus toward conducting. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1940 to continue his work.

Faith was a master of the radio era. He worked with several major broadcasting networks. He was a regular on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1933 to 1940. In the United States, he led orchestras for various radio programs. These included The Carnation Contented Hour on NBC. He also led orchestras for The Coca-Cola Hour on the MBS and CBS networks. Between 1955 and 1957, he led The Woolworth Hour on CBS. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1945.

His recording career was exceptionally successful, especially with Columbia Records. He worked under Mitch Miller to produce dozens of albums. Faith also provided arrangements for famous pop singers. These included Tony Bennett, Doris Day, and Johnny Mathis. He co-wrote the number-one single "My Heart Cries for You" with Carl Sigman for Guy Mitchell. Faith achieved a rare feat in music history. He is one of only three artists to have the best-selling single of the year twice. The other two artists were Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Several of his recordings achieved massive global success. "Delicado" was a number-one hit in 1952. In 1953, "The Song from Moulin Rouge" also reached number one. His 1959 recording, "Theme from A Summer Place," won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961. This song helped him achieve his second best-selling single of the year. He also found great fame in Sweden. His work "Mucho Gusto" became the theme for sports broadcasts on Sveriges Radio.

Faith's music connected different generations of listeners. In the early 1960s, he recorded orchestral versions of rock and pop hits. His album Themes for Young Lovers was a massive seller. This album introduced rock compositions to middle-aged audiences. It also introduced his specific sound to younger listeners. He was also a talented film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for the musical feature Love Me or Leave Me. He also composed the theme for the NBC series The Virginian.

Even as musical tastes changed, Faith continued to experiment. When harder rock music arrived in the 1970s, his elegant style became less popular. However, he did not stop creating new music. He released albums featuring country music and disco-oriented arrangements. His very last recording was a disco reworking of his famous hit. It was titled "Summer Place '76." This posthumous recording became a minor hit. He died of cancer in Encino, California, in 1976.