Robert Vernor Hammack, Jr. (January 22, 1922

Brookston, Texas Brookston is an unincorporated community in Lamar County, Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles ...

– March 28, 1990

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...

) was an American musician, originally from Texas, whose principal instrument was jazz piano. He led a prolific career in Los Angeles as a pianist, organist, conductor, arranger, and composer in (i) live venues, (ii) broadcast studios for radio and television, and (iii) recording studios for records, radio, television, and film. Hammack flourished in a wide spectrum of genres that included

dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

, Blues,

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

, sweet dance music ''(e.g.'',

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the '' The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, te ...

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

, liturgical jazz, musical theatre,

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

, classical, and

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

Career

In 1949, Hammack began appearing KLAC-TV as studio band pianist and, in 1950, guest host — ''Don Otis Show'' — and eventually host — ''Bobby Hammack and Joy Lane.'' Hammack was the West Coast musical director of the ABC-TV and radio networks between 1958 and 1963, during which he conducted his own orchestra and scored music for several TV shows, including

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

, and Johnny Mann's '' Stand-Up and Cheer''. Hammack then was a conductor and a pianist for NBC. He joined

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

in 1958. Hammack's popular song compositions include ''I'm Going Home'', ''Eliza'', and ''You Bug Me''. Hammack got his first break playing piano for

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Biography Early life and career Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...

as one of his post-war Five Pennies, appearing with Nichols in a number of film shorts in the early 1950s. Hammack also worked as a freelance arranger and writer for

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

, and Tony Osborne. His version of Raymond Scott's '' Powerhouse'' is featured on several

space age pop Space age pop is a subgenre of pop and easy listening music associated with Mexican and American composers and songwriters in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s. Also known as bachelor pad music or lounge music,''Pulse'' (Monthly music digest ...

compilations, and he also recorded with Esquivel.

Formal education

Hammack earned a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree, majoring in music, from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

in 1945. He had entered as a freshman in the fall 1938, but, beginning September 21, 1942, spent two years in the Air Force, stationed at

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decreas ...

. At Texas, he studied piano at the newly established (1938)

College of Fine Arts The School of Fine Arts or College of Fine Arts is the official name or part of the name of several schools of fine arts, often as an academic part of a larger university. These include: The Americas North America * Alabama School of Fi ...

with Thomas Arthur Gorton, PhD (1910–1997), who, in addition to being a concert pianist, went on to become Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

from 1950 to 1975. He graduated from Paris High School in 1938. Hammack was also a proficient trombonist. While in high school and college, Hammack led his own dance orchestra.

Selected discography

As leader * ''Powerhouse'', The Bobby Hammack Quartet,

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals ...

(1955) * ''The Bobby Hammack Quintet,'' ABC Paramount (1956) * ''Solid! South Pacific,'' Bobby Hammack Quintet

(1957) * ''Lovely Hula Hands'', Bobby Hammack (organ),

Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...

(195?) * ''Rhythm,'' Bobby Hammack Orchestra,

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

(1959) * '' Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 3: Space Capades,'' Bobby Hammack Combo,

(1996) * ''My Favorite Things'' (side A); ''The Farewell Song'' (side B), Swirl Daze ( 45 rpm) (1960) As leader of the back-up musical group * '' Pink Shoe Laces'',

Dodie Stevens Dodie Stevens (born Geraldine Ann Pasquale, February 17, 1946) is an American rock and pop singer. She is best known for her 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces." It debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 when Stevens was one day short of 13 year ...

, Bobby Hammack Combo,

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

( 45 rpm) (1959) As keyboardist (re-release dates) * 2004: ''Original Jazz Compositions,'' West Coast All-Stars * 2003: ''The Drugstore's Rockin', Vol. 3,''

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

* 2003: ''Tutti's Trumpets and Trombones,''

Tutti Camarata Salvador "Tutti" Camarata (May 11, 1913 – April 13, 2005) was an American composer, arranger, trumpeter, and record producer. Also known as "Toots" Camarata. Early life and career Camarata, born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, United States, and s ...

* 2002: ''Morning Glory,''

* 2002: ''The Greatest Original Artists'' * 2002: '' The Snader Transcriptions: Dixieland Jazz, Vol. 2,''

Firehouse Five The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band, popular in the 1950s, consisting of members of the Disney animation department. Leader and trombonist Ward Kimball was inspired to form the band after spending time with members of the Di ...

Plus Two * 1999: ''Battle Hymn of the Republic,''

* 1999: ''See It In Sound,'' Esquivel * 1998: ''Happy Jazz,''

* 1997: ''

Move Over Darling ''Move Over, Darling'' is a 1963 American comedy film starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen and directed by Michael Gordon filmed in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope released by 20th Century Fox. The film is a remake of a 1940 screw ...

,''

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

* 1983: ''Tutti's Trombones,''

* 1963: ''The Happy Beat,'' Ray Conniff * 1961: ''

Mr. Lucky Goes Latin ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

,''

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

* 1959: ''Dixieland Blues,'' Johnny Maddox & The Rhythmasters * ''Jazz in the Charts, Vol. 90: Everything I Have Is Yours 1948–1949'' * 1957: ''Strictly From Dixie'',

Morty Corb Mortimer Gerald Corb (April 10, 1917 San Antonio — January 13, 1996 Las Vegas) was an American jazz double-bassist. Career Corb had a long career as a jazz musician that began in 1946 and lasted until his death. He performed and record ...

and His Dixie All Stars * 1996: ''Cocktail Mix, Vol. 1: Bachelor's Guide to the Galaxy'' As composer/arranger * 2009: ''Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair'' (arranger) * 2005: ''Deep Velvet/Old Gold and Ivory,''

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ti ...

(orchestration) * 2001: '' As Time Goes By,''

Carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

(arranger) * 1998: '' Let's Get Together,''

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...

(composer) * 1996: ''Incredibly Strange - Only In America'' (composer) * 1996: '' Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 11: Organs in Orbit'' (composer) As conductor * 2009: ''This Could Be the Start of Something Good,'' Jack Jones (conductor) * 1997: '' Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 15: Wild Cool & Swingin' Too'' * 1995: ''Hooray for Love: Great Gentlemen of Song, Vol. 1'' * 1967: ''

Dale Evans Dale Evans Rogers (born Frances Octavia Smith; October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers. Early life Evans was born Frances Octavia Smith on O ...

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

, and the Bill Lee Singers'', August 10 & 11, 1967,

Selected filmography

Orchestra leader * ''

What's This Song? ''What's This Song?'' is an American game show that ran on NBC from October 26, 1964, to September 24, 1965. It was the first national game show hosted by Wink Martindale (although he was known as "Win" Martindale here). Monty Hall filled-in fo ...

'' (1964) Composer * ''

Summer Magic Summer Magic may refer to: * Summer Magic (film), a 1963 Walt Disney Productions family musical film * Summer Magic (EP) ''Summer Magic'' is the second special extended play and the by South Korean girl group Red Velvet, marketed as their spec ...

'' (1963) (orchestration) * ''

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

'' (17 episodes, 1964–1965) # ''Seaside Westside'' (September 16, 1964) # ''The Big Jump'' (September 23, 1964) # ''The Case of the Slippery Slipsy'' (September 30, 1964) # ''How to Raise Children Without Really Trying'' (October 7, 1964)by) # ''Mickey Crashes the Movies'' (October 14, 1964) # ''The Way the Fortune Cookie Crumbles'' (October 21, 1964) # ''Goodnight, Whoever You Are'' (October 28, 1964) # ''Nobody Buys Retail'' (November 4, 1964) # ''Hard Work Never Hurt Anyone'' (November 11, 1964) # ''Honest Injun'' (November 25, 1964) # ''Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed'' (December 2, 1964) # ''For the Love of Grandpa Toddie'' (December 9, 1964) # ''One More Kiss'' (December 16, 1964) (composer & conductor) # ''Luck O' the Irish'' (December 23, 1964) # ''The Elephant Mickey Won't Forget'' (December 30, 1964) # ''Be My Guest'' (January 6, 1965) # ''Mickey Takes Over'' (January 13, 1965) * ''Vacation Playhouse'' (1 episode, 1963) # ''Hooray for Love'' (1963 TV episode) Music department * '' Banjo the Woodpile Cat'' (1979) (TV) (additional orchestrator) * ''

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The p ...

'' (orchestrator) (2 episodes, 1965) # ''Summer Magic: Part 2'' (1965) TV episode (orchestrator) # ''Summer Magic: Part 1'' (1965) TV episode (orchestrator) Actor * ''

Starlift ''Starlift'' (a.k.a. ''Operation Starlift'') is a 1951 American musical film released by Warner Bros. in directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by Karl Lamb and John D. Klorer. The film stars Janice Rule, Dick Wesson, Ron Hagerthy and Ruth Rom ...

'' (1951 film) (uncredited — piano player soldier) Sideman * ''Meet the Dixieland Bands, Volume 2 — Firehouse Five Plus Two,

and His Pennies, Pete Daily and His Chicagoians'', Swingtime Video (1985)

Selected musical dramas

* ''

It's a Small World "It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo ...

'', music by the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades inc ...

, arranged by Hammack : Premiered at the New York World's Fair 1964–1965 * ''Sam, the Story of the Good Samaritan'', by Bobby Hammack &

Tom Adair Thomas Montgomery Adair (June 15, 1913 – May 24, 1988) was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter. Biography Adair was born on 15 June 1913, in Newton, Kansas, where his father owned a clothing store: he was the only child of Will ...

(1973)

Selected radio shows

* 1950s: ''Musical Express with the Bobby Hammack Quintet'', AM Radio * ''Stars of Jazz'', Art Pepper Quartet:

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist and very occasional tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. Active in West Coast jazz, Pepper came to prominence in Stan Kenton's big band. He was known ...

, alto sax;

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 19 ...

, piano; Ben Tucker ''(né'' Benjamin Mayer Tucker; born 1930), acoustic double bass, and Frankie Capp, drums — Bobby Hammack, piano, accompanied vocalist

Jo Ann Greer Katherine Joan Greer (April 3, 1927 – May 24, 2001), known professionally as Jo Ann Greer, was an American singer. Career Her career spanned nearly 50 years, and she primarily worked in the fields of movie dubbing and band-singing. She init ...

:: Aired on channel 7

KABC-TV KABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains ...

(channel 7), January 28, 1957 :: Licensed to and distributed by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service :: Edited and presented on AF-9313 as Show #20''Art Pepper on "Stars of Jazz,"''
by James A. Harrod (of

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

; born 1942), Pacific Jazz / World Pacific Labelography a
pacificjazz.blogspot.com
aka Jazz Research (2012) * ''Cross Country USA,'' AFRTS 226, January 30, 1978

Family

* One of Hammack's three daughters, Karen Hammack ''(née'' Jean Karen Hammack; born 1955), is a studio pianist and music educator based in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammack, Bobby American jazz pianists American male pianists American film score composers American jazz composers American male jazz composers American Broadcasting Company executives Musicians from Texas University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts alumni Musicians from Los Angeles 1922 births 1990 deaths 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists American male film score composers 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians