Ray Jessel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ray Jessel
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Jessel on America's Got Talent in 2014
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| Born |
Raymond Jessel
16 October 1929 Cardiff, Wales
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| Died | 17 July 2015 (aged 85) Studio City, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, composer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1955–2015 |
Raymond Jessel (born October 16, 1929 – died July 17, 2015) was a talented songwriter, screenwriter, and composer from Wales. He wrote music for plays and shows. Born in Cardiff, he moved to Canada in 1955. There, he began his career writing music for CBC Radio and CBC Television.
He met Marian Grudeff, a Canadian pianist, who became his songwriting partner. Raymond Jessel won five MAC Awards for his original songs. He also received the 2004 Bistro Award. Many people remember him for his audition on America's Got Talent in 2014. He sang a unique original song during his audition.
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Early Life and Music Career
Raymond Jessel was born and grew up in Cardiff, Wales. His family owned a clothing shop there. He studied music at the University of Wales. After graduating, he received a scholarship to study how to compose music in Paris. He learned from a famous composer named Arthur Honegger.
In 1955, when he was 26, Jessel moved to Canada with his family. He started working as a composer and orchestrator for CBC Radio and CBC Television. An orchestrator arranges music for different instruments. In Canada, he met Marian Grudeff, a pianist who became his close songwriting partner. They worked together on many orchestral and theater projects. One of their first projects was writing songs for a show in Toronto called Spring Thaw.
Broadway Success and TV Work
Jessel and Grudeff had a big break when producer Alexander H. Cohen hired them. They wrote songs for the 1964 Broadway musical Baker Street. This musical was about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Their next musical was a new version of Hellzapoppin. This show was not very successful. However, its main song was recorded by famous singers like Jimmy Durante and Louis Armstrong.
Jessel later moved to Hollywood. He had a very successful career writing music and comedy sketches. He worked on popular TV shows like The Dean Martin Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and The Bob Newhart Show. He also wrote for various TV specials with singer John Denver.
From 1977 to 1980, he was a story editor for the ABC comedy show The Love Boat. He also worked as a writer and consultant for Head of the Class from 1986 to 1991. He wrote and produced the CBS TV series The Jacksons. In 1979, he also helped write the lyrics for the musical I Remember Mama.
Later Years and Performing
In the 1990s, Raymond Jessel started performing his own comedy songs. He would sing them at parties. Famous musicians like Michael Feinstein encouraged him to perform his song Wanna Sing a Show Tune. He even recorded this song with Feinstein on an album.
Jessel had his first stage performance when he was 72 years old. In 2002, he performed at the Hollywood’s Gardenia Room. He then created his own cabaret show. A cabaret show is a type of entertainment with music and comedy. He continued to perform his cabaret act until shortly before he passed away. In June 2015, he performed at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Australia.
Awards and America's Got Talent
Raymond Jessel met Cynthia Thompson in 1980. They got married about ten years later. They wrote many songs together. Some of their most popular songs include "Whatever Happened to Melody?" and "I'm All Right Now." These songs were recorded by well-known artists. They also wrote scripts and songs for the PBS show The Charlie Horse Music Pizza. Jessel received five MAC Awards for "Original Song." He also won the 2004 Bistro Award.
When he was 84 years old, Jessel auditioned for America's Got Talent in 2014. He sang an original song that caught everyone's attention. The judges and the audience loved his performance. He moved on to the next round of the competition. His audition video was watched over 100,000 times online very quickly.
However, the song also caused some discussion and debate. The video was temporarily removed from the show's website. But it was later put back on the America's Got Talent YouTube channel. It has now been viewed over 15 million times.
Raymond Jessel passed away on July 17, 2015. He died at his home in Studio City, California.
