- Bart Howard
Bart Howard (born Howard Joseph Gustafson;
June 1 1915 —February 21 2004 ) was thecomposer and writer of the famousjazz standard "Fly Me To The Moon ", which was performed by singers (among others)Frank Sinatra ,Ella Fitzgerald , Nancy Wilson,Della Reese ,Diana Krall , andAstrud Gilberto and pianists likeVince Guaraldi ,Nat King Cole ,Oscar Peterson , andEllis Marsalis, Jr. .Howard was born in
Burlington, Iowa . He began his career as an accompanist at the age of 16 and played forMabel Mercer ,Johnny Mathis andEartha Kitt , among others."Fly Me To the Moon" was first sung in 1954 by Felicia Sanders at the "Blue Angel" club in Manhattan where the composer became M.C. and accompanist in 1951. The song received wide exposure when
Peggy Lee sang it on "The Ed Sullivan Show " several years later. Bart Howard "lived off" this song for the rest of his life, although he had 49 other songs to his credit. He died, aged 88, inCarmel, New York . He was survived by a sister Dorothy Lind of Burlington, Iowa and by his companion of 58 years, Thomas Fowler. [ [http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1078245748 Todd S. Jenkins (2004)] ]Notes
References
* Todd S. Jenkins (2004), "Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia", Greenwood Press
External links
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