[78-L] Grey Gull/record label cannot lie

[David Lennick]

 From Jack Mirtle's Billy May book, page 366 (section dealing with May as a 
sideman and arranger for others):

"When I got the call to work with Frank, I was with my band in Florida and 
couldn't do the gig. But I told (Voyle) Gilmore to feel free to let somebody 
else do the charts in the Billy May style." --Billy May in Nancy Sinatra's 
"Frank Sinatra, My Father", NY: Pocket Books, 1986.

dl

On 11/23/2012 7:04 PM, Jeff Sultanof wrote:
> With regard to the Sinatra sides cited, there is a whole story here.
>
> Sinatra insisted that Axel Stordahl be his musical director when he signed
> a deal with Capitol. The execs there were not happy, but gave Frank one
> session to see if Stordahl could deliver a hit, which he could not. Capitol
> then asked Sinatra to try someone new (Stordahl had gotten a phone call
> from Eddie Fisher's management to become Fisher's musical director at this
> point, so this was perfect timing, although Sinatra was not happy with
> Stordahl for deserting him). Capitol execs had discussed the date with
> Billy May, who was on the road with a big band to capitalize (no pun
> intended) on the sales of his recordings. Billy was known to Sinatra; he'd
> written some arrangements for Frank for his radio show, so Sinatra was
> agreeable. Sinatra was not told that Nelson Riddle was the actual arranger
> before the session. Nelson was told to arrange two sides in May's style,
> two in his own (Nelson had already ghosted several scores credited to Les
> Baxter for Nat Cole). So as far as Sinatra knew, May had arranged all of
> the songs for the date and couldn't be there to conduct. Of course once he
> heard what Nelson did on "I've Got the World on a String," the rest is
> history. But long after the truth was known, Capitol was still crediting
> May as arranger/conductor of the date.
>
> This information came direct from Riddle, whom I worked with, and is
> further backed up by Will Friedwald.
>
> Jeff Sultanof
> ______________________________