Raymond Scott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raymond Scott
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harry Warnow |
| Born | September 10, 1908 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 8, 1994 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1931–1985 |
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| Relatives | Mark Warnow (brother) |
Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American musician, composer, and inventor. He led a popular jazz band and created some of the first electronic musical instruments.
Even though Scott never wrote music directly for cartoons, his unique sounds are famous because Carl Stalling used them in over 120 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. You might have heard his music in shows like The Ren and Stimpy Show, The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Bluey.
Contents
Early Life and Music Career
Raymond Scott was born Harry Warnow in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were immigrants from Russia. His older brother, Mark Warnow, was a conductor and encouraged Harry's love for music.
Scott studied piano and music at the Juilliard School of Music. He started his career as a pianist for the CBS Radio house band. To avoid people thinking he got special treatment from his brother, who conducted the orchestra, he started using the name "Raymond Scott."
The Raymond Scott Quintette
In 1936, Scott formed a band called the Raymond Scott Quintette. Even though it had six members, he liked the name "Quintette" better. The band included Pete Pumiglio (clarinet), Dave Wade (trumpet), Louis Shoobe (double bass), Dave Harris (tenor saxophone), and Johnny Williams (drums). They made their first recordings in 1937.
Scott wanted to make swing music more exciting. He called his style "descriptive jazz." His songs had funny and unusual names like "New Year's Eve in a Haunted House" and "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals." He didn't write his music down on paper. Instead, he hummed tunes to his band members or showed them rhythms on the piano. He recorded their rehearsals to perfect his songs.
The Quintette was popular from 1937 to 1939. They recorded hit songs like "Twilight in Turkey," "Minuet in Jazz," and "Powerhouse." One of his most famous songs is "The Toy Trumpet." Many people recognize its cheerful tune, even if they don't know the title. The child star Shirley Temple sang a version of it in the 1938 film Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
In 1939, Scott turned his Quintette into a big band. Three years later, he became the music director for CBS radio. He created the first radio band that included musicians of different races. He hired famous jazz players like Ben Webster and Cozy Cole.
Later Career and Electronic Inventions
After leaving CBS, Scott composed music for the Broadway musical Lute Song in 1946. He also experimented with recording techniques, layering his second wife's (singer Dorothy Collins) vocals to create unique sounds.
In 1949, Scott became the orchestra leader for the CBS Radio show Your Hit Parade, taking over from his brother. The show later moved to NBC Television, and Scott continued to lead the orchestra until 1957. Dorothy Collins was a singer on the show. This job paid well, and Scott used the money to fund his secret research into electronic music.
In 1950, Scott wrote his only known classical piece, Suite for Violin and Piano. It was performed at Carnegie Hall.
Manhattan Research and Electronic Music
Scott was a pioneer in electronic music and a skilled sound engineer. In 1946, he started his own company, Manhattan Research Incorporated. He designed and sold electronic audio devices. He called Manhattan Research "More than a think factory—a dream center where the excitement of tomorrow is made available today."
Bob Moog, who invented the famous Moog Synthesizer, worked with Scott in the 1960s. Moog said Scott was a very important influence on him.
Scott invented several instruments, like the Clavivox and the Electronium. He used them to create futuristic electronic music for TV and radio commercials. He also released a series of three albums called Soothing Sounds for Baby in 1964, designed to help babies sleep.
Scott also developed some of the first machines that could automatically play a series of electronic tones. He called himself the inventor of the polyphonic sequencer. His most famous invention was the Electronium, which he believed could compose music using artificial intelligence. It's seen as the first self-composing synthesizer.
Scott also patented other electronic devices, like special telephone ringers, alarms, and even musical ashtrays. He wanted to "electronically update the many sounds around us." While his ideas were ahead of their time, most of these inventions were not big commercial successes.
In the late 1960s, Scott worked with Muppets creator Jim Henson, composing electronic music for his experimental films.
Motown Years
In 1969, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, visited Scott's lab. Impressed by the Electronium, Gordy hired Scott in 1971 to direct Motown's electronic music and research department in Los Angeles. Scott worked there until 1977, continuing to develop his inventions.
Scott later said he spent many years and a lot of money developing the Electronium. After leaving Motown, he continued to work on his inventions, using computers and early MIDI devices. In 1987, he had a stroke, which made it hard for him to work or talk.
Rediscovery and Legacy
In the early 1990s, people started to become interested in Raymond Scott's work again. This happened after Irwin Chusid found many unreleased recordings at Scott's home. In 1992, a collection of his band's music, Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights, was released.
The director of The Ren & Stimpy Show, John Kricfalusi, began using Scott's recordings in his cartoons. Other groups, like The Beau Hunks, also started performing and recording Scott's music.
Later albums, like Manhattan Research Inc. (2000), showed off Scott's electronic music from the 1950s and 1960s. Microphone Music (2002) explored his original Quintette's work.
Devo founding member Mark Mothersbaugh bought Scott's Electronium in 1996, hoping to fix it.
In 2023, Scott was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Cutey and the Dragon," a piece he started in 1982 and that was completed by Gordon Goodwin.
Death
Raymond Scott passed away on February 8, 1994, from pneumonia in Los Angeles, California.
Films and Television Featuring Scott's Music
Many films and TV shows have used Raymond Scott's music. Besides the famous Warner Brothers cartoons, his music can be heard in:
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
- Starsky and Hutch (2005)
- RocknRolla (2008)
- Young Sheldon (2021)
Scott's son, Stan Warnow, made a documentary about his father called Deconstructing Dad: The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott in 2010.
Theater Works
- Lute Song (1946) – A musical for which Scott composed and arranged music.
- Powerhouse (2009) – A play based on Scott's life and work, featuring his music.
- Manhattan Research (2013) – A dance performance set to Raymond Scott's music.
Discography
- Raymond Scott - Raymond Scott (Columbia, 1947)
- Raymond Scott and His Orchestra Play (MGM, 1953)
- This Time With Strings (Coral, 1957)
- Rock 'n Roll Symphony (Everest, 1958)
- Soothing Sounds for Baby volumes 1–3 (Epic, 1963)
- The Raymond Scott Project: Vol. 1: Powerhouse (Stash, 1991)
- The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights (Columbia, 1992)
- Manhattan Research, Inc. (Basta Music, 2000)
- Microphone Music (Basta Music, 2002)
- Ectoplasm (Basta Music, 2008)
- Suite for Violin and Piano (Basta Music, 2012)
- Raymond Scott Rewired (Basta Music, 2014)
- Three Willow Park: Electronic Music from Inner Space (Basta Music, 2017)
- The Jingle Workshop: Midcentury Musical Miniatures 1951-1965 (Modern Harmonic, 2019)
See also
In Spanish: Raymond Scott para niños
