Johnny Mandel facts for kids

John Alfred Mandel (born November 23, 1925 – died June 29, 2020) was an American musician. He was famous for writing and arranging popular songs, music for movies, and jazz tunes.

Johnny Mandel worked with many well-known singers and bands. These included Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Barbra Streisand. He won five Grammy Awards and was nominated 17 times. His first nomination was for the music he wrote for the 1958 movie I Want to Live!

Early Life and Musical Start

Johnny Mandel was born in New York City on November 23, 1925. His father, Alfred, worked in clothing manufacturing. His mother, Hannah, wanted to be an opera singer. She discovered Johnny had perfect pitch when he was only five years old. This means he could tell what musical note he was hearing without any help.

His family moved to Los Angeles in 1934. This happened after his father's business struggled during the Great Depression. Johnny started taking piano lessons. Later, he switched to playing the trumpet and then the trombone.

A Career in Music

Johnny Mandel studied music at two famous schools: the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. In 1943, he began playing the trumpet with jazz violinist Joe Venuti. The next year, he played the trombone in several big bands. These included bands led by Jimmy Dorsey and Buddy Rich.

From 1951 to 1953, he played and arranged music for Elliot Lawrence's orchestra. He also worked with Count Basie in 1953. After this, he lived in Los Angeles. There, he played the bass trumpet for Zoot Sims.

Mandel wrote many jazz songs. Some of his well-known jazz pieces include "Not Really the Blues" for Woody Herman in 1949. He also wrote "Hershey Bar" for Stan Getz and "Straight Life" for Count Basie.

Music for Movies and TV

Johnny Mandel was a very busy composer and arranger for movies. He wrote, conducted, and arranged music for many film soundtracks. His first movie music was for I Want to Live! in 1958. This movie's music was nominated for three Grammy Awards.

One of his most famous songs is "The Shadow of Your Smile". He wrote this song with Paul Francis Webster for the movie The Sandpiper. This song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1965. It also won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1966.

Mandel also played the piano for the movie Being There (1979). He performed his own version of "Gnossiennes #4 and #5" by Erik Satie.

Grammy Awards and Collaborations

Johnny Mandel won several Grammy Awards for his arrangements. In 1981, he won for arranging Quincy Jones's song Velas. He won again in 1991 for arranging "Unforgettable" for Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole. The next year, he won another Grammy for Shirley Horn's album Here's to Life.

He worked with Tony Bennett on several projects. In 2004, Mandel arranged Bennett's album The Art of Romance. They had also worked together on Bennett's The Movie Song Album in 1966. For that album, Mandel arranged and conducted songs like "Emily" and "The Shadow of Your Smile".

In 2012, Johnny Mandel worked with Paul McCartney. He created a new arrangement for McCartney's song "My Valentine". This version appeared on McCartney's album Kisses on the Bottom.

Personal Life and Achievements

Johnny Mandel was married twice. He had a daughter named Marissa, who was born in 1976. He was also the cousin of another film composer, Miles Goodman.

Mandel received many honors for his musical work. In 1993, he was given an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. He was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2011, he received the NEA Jazz Masters Award.

In 2018, he was given The Grammy Trustees Award. This award honors people who have made important contributions to music recording, other than performing.

Johnny Mandel passed away on June 29, 2020, at his home in Ojai, California. He was 94 years old and had a heart condition.

Key Works

Johnny Mandel wrote or arranged many famous songs and movie scores. Here are a few examples:

• "Emily" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
• "The Shadow of Your Smile" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster)
• "A Time for Love" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster)
• He arranged music for Frank Sinatra's album Ring-a-Ding-Ding! (1960).
• He arranged "Unforgettable" for Natalie Cole in 1991.
• He composed music for the movies M*A*S*H (1970) and Freaky Friday (1976).

See also

In Spanish: Johnny Mandel para niños

• List of jazz arrangers
• List of music arrangers