Donald Irwin Robertson (December 5, 1922 – March 16, 2015) was an American songwriter and pianist, in

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

genres. He was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that i ...

in 1972. As a performer, he hit the US Top 10 with " The Happy Whistler" in 1956 (peaking at No. 6). The track reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart the same year. It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. After contracted to Capitol at the time of his biggest selling

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

, Robertson then signed a recording contract with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

. He composed and co-composed with Hal Blair ''(né'' Harold Keller Brown, 1915–2001), as well as many hits for other musicians, including

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, who recorded five of which for Presley's films. Having resided in

Lake Sherwood, California Lake Sherwood is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in the Santa Monica Mountains, in Ventura County, California, Ventura County, California overlooking Lake Sherwood (California), Lake Sherwood reservoir. It is a body ...

for 55 years, he died in 2015.

Best known published songs

*" Anything That's Part of You" (performed by

) *" Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger" (with Doris Clement and John Crutchfield; performed by

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

) *" Born to Be with You" (performed by

The Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit singles " Mr. Sandman" and " Lollipop", both of which sold over a million copies. Career The group organized i ...

) *"

Hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

" (performed by

Les Paul and Mary Ford Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1950–1963. They both sang and played guitar. Ford and Paul were music superstars during the first half of the 1950s, putting out 28 hits ...

and

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

) *" I Can't Seem To Say Goodbye" (performed by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016), was an American country singer who was considered one of the genre's first significant female artists. Her commercial success ran from the 1950s to the 1970s while also be ...

Hawkshaw Hawkins Harold Franklin "Hawkshaw" Hawkins (December 22, 1921 – March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 1960s. He was known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues, boogie and honky ...

) *" I Don't Hurt Anymore" (with Walter E. Rollins; performed by

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian country music guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' country charts betw ...

, Jerry Lee Lewis) *"I Let Her Go" (with Hal Blair), (performed by Frankie Laine) *" I Love You More and More Every Day" (performed by

Al Martino Jasper Cini (October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009), known professionally as Al Martino, was an American traditional pop and standards singer. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one o ...

) *" I Met Her Today" (with Hal Blair; performed by Elvis Presley) *"I'm Counting On You" (performed by Elvis Presley) *" I Really Don't Want to Know" (with Howard Barnes); performed by

Tommy Edwards Thomas Jefferson Edwards (February 17, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song " It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 ...

, and Elvis Presley) *"Love Me Tonight" (performed by Elvis Presley) *"Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)" (with Hal Blair; performed by

) *" No More" (based on the song "

La Paloma "La Paloma", "The Dove" in English, is a popular Spanish song that has been produced and reinterpreted in diverse cultures, settings, arrangements, and recordings over the last 140 years. The song was written by the Spanish Basques, Basque comp ...

", (co-written with Hal Blair; performed by Elvis Presley) *"

Not One Minute More "Not One Minute More" is a 1959 song and single by American singer and actress Della Reese. The song became her third big hit and million-seller, and peaked at number #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and #12 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B ...

" (with Hal Blair), (performed by

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

) *" Please Help Me, I'm Falling" (with Hal Blair; performed by

Hank Locklin Lawrence Hankins Locklin (February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included " Send Me the ...

) *" Ringo" (with Hal Blair; performed by

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

) *"Stand In" (with Hal Blair), (performed by Don Robertson himself and

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in th ...

) *" Starting Today" (performed by Elvis Presley) *" There's Always Me" (performed by Elvis Presley and Jim Reeves) *" They Remind Me Too Much of You" (performed by Elvis Presley) *" What Now, What Next, Where To (with Hal Blair; performed by Elvis Presley) *"You're Free to Go" (with Lou Herscher; performed by Carl Smith)

Legacy

Notably, Robertson also lent his piano-playing skills to

Disney theme park Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort. Led by Josh D'Amaro, ...

attraction

Country Bear Jamboree The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction in the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. It was formerly located at Disneyland, Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort. T ...

. His instrumental song "Pianjo" is played by the

audio-animatronic Audio-Animatronics (also known simply as AAs) are a form of Mechatronics, mechatronic animatronics puppetry created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Trademark, trademarked by The Walt Disney Company for use in designed shows and attractions at Disn ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

Gomer as the attraction's opening number in the original version of the show.

References

External links

Don Robertson site

Nashville Songwriters' Foundation
Biography of Don Robertson
Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Don 1922 births 2015 deaths American country songwriters American expatriates in China American male songwriters American country pianists American pop pianists American male pianists RCA Victor artists American whistlers