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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMALTBY, Richard(b 26 June 1914, Chicago; d 19 August 1991, Santa Monica CA) Trumpet; arranger and bandleader. Worked on staff at WBBM radio; wrote 'Six Flats Unfurnished', '42 hit for Benny Goodman; employed on NBC staff in network radio from the mid-'40s. Working for RCA subsidiary labels, he had a hit with 'St Louis Blues Mambo' '54 on X and toured with a jazz-oriented dance band from '55. He had his biggest hit '56 with the catchy theme from a controversial movie about drug addiction The Man With The Golden Arm, the brassy arrangement extremely well recorded on Vik (Maltby's recordiing did slightly better in the top 20 than that of the music's composer, Elmer Bernstein). Forming a new band '58 Maltby commissioned new arrangements of early jazz classics by young turks such as Jimmy Giuffre, Al Cohn, Lyle 'Rusty' Dedrick (b 12 July 1918, Delevan NY; d 25 December 2009, Summitville NY: trumpeter, bandleader; taught at Manhattan School of Music) and Gunther Schuller, who wrote a fantasy on the first four notes of 'When The Saints Go Marchin' In'. Maltby also wrote music for commercials and composed and arranged for student bands and orchestras. His son, Richard Maltby Jr, became a successful lyricist and director of musical shows (see SHIRE and MALTBY). |