Percy Faith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Percy Faith
Faith at work in 1949
Background information
Born	April 7, 1908 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	February 9, 1976(1976-02-09) (aged 67) Encino, California
Occupation(s)	Bandleader, orchestrator, composer

Percy Faith (born April 7, 1908 – died February 9, 1976) was a talented Canadian bandleader, orchestrator, composer, and conductor. He was famous for his rich and full musical arrangements of popular songs and Christmas music. Many people say he helped make "easy listening" or "mood music" popular.

Faith became a big name in American popular music in the 1950s and stayed popular through the 1960s. Even though he started his career when "swing" music was big, he changed how orchestras played. He used many string instruments to make the music softer and fuller, different from the brass-heavy music of the 1940s.

Who Was Percy Faith?

Percy Faith was born and grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the oldest of eight children. His parents, Abraham and Minnie Faith, were Jewish.

As a child, he played the violin and piano. He performed in theaters and at a famous place called Massey Hall. After his hands were badly burned in a fire, he decided to become a conductor instead. His live orchestras were often broadcast on the radio, which was a new and exciting way to share music back then. Percy later moved from Canada to Great Neck, New York, and became a citizen of the United States.

Early Career and Radio Days

From 1933 to 1940, Faith was a regular on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's live music shows. He worked with stations like CKNC and CKCL. After that, he moved to Chicago, Illinois.

In the early 1940s, Faith led the orchestra for the "Carnation Contented" program on NBC. From 1948 to 1949, he also led the orchestra for "The Coca-Cola Hour" on the CBS radio network. This show was also known as "The Pause That Refreshes." A famous accordion player named John Serry Sr. worked with Faith on these broadcasts.

Becoming a U.S. Citizen and Columbia Records

In 1945, Percy Faith became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He made many recordings for Voice of America, which shared American culture around the world.

After a short time with Decca Records, he joined Columbia Records. There, he worked with Mitch Miller and created many albums. He also arranged music for popular singers of the 1950s. These singers included Tony Bennett, Doris Day, and Johnny Mathis. He even co-wrote a number-one song called "My Heart Cries for You" with Carl Sigman for singer Guy Mitchell.

Famous Songs and Awards

Percy Faith is best known for some of his recordings. These include "Delicado" (from 1952), "The Song from Moulin Rouge" (from 1953), and "Theme from A Summer Place" (from 1959). "Theme from A Summer Place" was a huge hit and won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961.

Faith is the only artist to have the best-selling song of the year during both the "pop singer era" and the "rock era." He is also one of only three artists, along with Elvis Presley and The Beatles, to have the best-selling song of the year twice. In 1961, his music became very popular in Sweden. His work Mucho Gusto became the theme music for sports broadcasts on Sveriges Radio.

Later Music and Film Scores

Faith first became famous by using music from Broadway shows, Hollywood movies, and Latin styles in his recordings. But starting in 1962, he also became popular for his orchestral versions of rock and pop hits. His album Themes for Young Lovers was a big seller and introduced his sound to younger listeners.

He began to use a chorus in many of his albums from the mid-1960s. This chorus was usually all female, but he used a mixed chorus on some albums like Leaving on a Jet Plane and I Think I Love You. His first song with a female chorus, "Yellow Days," was a hit on "Middle of the Road" (MOR) radio stations. Faith continued to have his music played on the radio and sell albums into the early 1970s. He won another Grammy Award in 1969 for his album Love Theme from 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Besides his recording career, Faith also wrote music for movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the Doris Day musical movie, Love Me or Leave Me. He also wrote music for other films like Tammy Tell Me True (1961) and The Oscar (1966). Faith also composed the theme song for the TV show The Virginian.

Final Years

As harder rock music became popular in the 1970s, Percy Faith's smooth arrangements were not as popular. However, he kept releasing new albums, even covering songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Black Magic Woman. He also released a country music album and two disco-style albums near the end of his career. His very last recording was a disco version of "Theme from a Summer Place," called "Summer Place '76." It became a small hit after he passed away.

Percy Faith died of cancer in Encino, California. He was buried in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. His wife, Mary Faith, was born in 1909 and died in 1997. They were married in 1928 and had two children, Marilyn and Peter.

Discography

Albums

Percy Faith had 21 albums appear on the Billboard Hot 200 best sellers chart by 1972. This made him one of the most successful easy listening artists in terms of sales. His 1963 album Themes for Young Lovers was his biggest seller, reaching #32 on the chart. He followed this with three more "for young lovers" albums.

Singles

Here are some of the singles Percy Faith produced:

• I Cross My Fingers {Vocal: Russ Emery} US #20, 1950
• All My Love (US #7, 1950)
• Christmas in Killarney {Vocals: Shillelagh Singers} US #28 – December 1950
• On Top of Old Smokey {Vocals: Burl Ives} US #10, 1951
• When the Saints Go Marching In / (US #29 – September 1951)
• I Want to Be Near You (US #30 – September 1951)
• Delicado (US #1, 1952)
• Swedish Rhapsody (Midsummer Vigil) / (US #21, 1953)
• Moulin Rouge Theme {Vocals: Felicia Sanders} US #1, 1953
• Return to Paradise (US #19 – June 1953)
• Many Times (US #30 – December 1953)
• Dream, Dream, Dream (US #25 – May 1954)
• The Bandit (US #25 – October 1954)
• Valley Valparaiso (US #53, 1956)
• We All Need Love (US #67, 1956)
• With a Little Bit of Luck (US #82, 1956)
• Till (US #63, 1957)
• Theme from A Summer Place (US #1, 1960)
• Theme for Young Lovers (US #35, 1960)
• Sons and Lovers (US #111 – September 1963)
• Theme from "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (US #101 – November 1960)
• The Sound of Surf (US #111 – September 1963)
• Yellow Days (AC #13, 1967)
• Can't Take My Eyes Off You (AC #24, 1967)
• For Those in Love (1968)
• Zorba (AC #36, 1969)
• Theme from A Summer Place (instrumental) US #111 – July 1969 – AC #26, 1969
• The April Fools (1969)
• Airport Love Theme (1970)
• Everything's All Right (AC #31 – February 1971)
• Theme from Summer of '42 (1971)
• Bach's Lunch (1972)
• Crunchy Granola Suite (AC #16, 1973)
• Hill Where the Lord Hides (AC #44, 1974)
• Theme from "Chinatown" (AC #35, 1974)
• Summer Place '76 (AC #13, 1976)

See also

In Spanish: Percy Faith para niños

Images for kids

• 

  Faith at work in 1949