- George Cates
George Cates (October 19, 1911 – May 12, 2002) was an American music
arranger , conductor,songwriter and record executive known for his work withLawrence Welk and hisorchestra .Born and raised in
New York ; he began his music career shortly after his graduating fromNew York University , where he found work with thevaudeville team ofOlsen and Johnson on their legendary revue, "Hellzapoppin". His early career included arranging and playingsaxophone with such bands asHenry Busse ,Dick Stabile , andRuss Morgan between 1945 and 1951. In the mid-1950s, he wasA&R director forCoral Records , writing and conducting for the label's stars that included theAndrews Sisters ,Teresa Brewer ,Bing Crosby , andDanny Kaye . During this time, he hit theTop 40 charts with his release of the "Moonglow" which was also known as the theme from "Picnic". This record had some wordless vocal effects byNorma Zimmer ,Lawrence Welk 's Champagne Lady.Starting in 1951, he served as Lawrence Welk's musical director. George Cates. Variety, 387(2), 43. In that role, he conducted the orchestra in the rehearsals and spent many years behind the scenes as an arranger. After leaving the ABC television network in 1971, Welk syndicated his show and continued on TV using the theme song "
Champagne Time ", which Cates had composed. A prolific writer, Cates's songs were sung by many of show's "Musical Family". In 1973, the Maestro asked him to conduct the orchestra on camera, a role he carried until the show ended in 1982. Notably, he presented occasional classical music selections in addition to the band's lighter fare. In addition to his work with Welk, Cates wrote and arranged a number of albums with other leading band leaders of the era. One of his albums "Polynesian Percussion " featured some fine instrumental work by his brother-in-law guitaristAlvino Rey , andBuddy Cole playing aconsole guitar , andNovachord , as well as another fifteen-plus oddpercussion instruments producing some unique sounds.He died May 12, 2002 at his home in
Santa Monica ,California aged 90.
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