b. 6 November 1916, Attelboro, Massachusetts, USA, d. 12 October 2002, Escondido, California, USA. Taught to play the trombone by his father, Conniff studied arranging with the aid of a mail-order course while still at college. In 1934, after graduation, he worked with small bands in Boston before joining Bunny Berigan as trombonist/arranger in 1937. After a spell with Bob Crosby's Bobcats, Conniff spent four years with Artie Shaw and featured on several successful records including "Concerto For Clarinet", "Dancing In The Dark" and "St James Infirmary". During this period he was also studying at the New York Juilliard School of Music in New York.
After army service in World War II Conniff spent some time as an arranger with Harry James, then freelanced while searching for a successful formula for producing hit records. Conniff joined Columbia Records as a house arranger in 1951 and worked with several of their artists, including Johnnie Ray, Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell and Marty Robbins. In 1954, he provided the arrangement for Don Cherry's million-seller, "Band Of Gold", and in 1956 was given the chance, by Columbia Records producer Mitch Miller, to make an album featuring his "new sound'. The successful result, 'S Wonderful!, was a set of familiar songs with an orchestra, and a cleverly blended mixed chorus of wordless voices, sometimes used as extra instruments within the songs' arrangements. 'S Wonderful! was followed, naturally, by 'S Marvellous and "S Awful Nice, all in the same vein. It's The Talk Of The Town, in 1960, featured a larger chorus, and for the first time they sang words.
From 1957-68 Conniff had 28 albums in the US Top 40, including Say It With Music (A Touch Of Latin), Memories Are Made Of This, and in 1966, the million-seller, Somewhere My Love. The album's title track, "Lara's Theme" from the movie Doctor Zhivago (1965), also made the US Top 10 singles chart. In 1969, he topped the UK album charts with His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound, and in 1974 became the first American popular musician to record in Russia, where he made Ray Conniff In Moscow, using a local chorus. The prolific Conniff's later albums, including Exclusivamente Latino, Amor Amor, Fantastico, Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro, Latinisimo and Do Ray Para O Rei, catered to his large Latin audience. He continued performing up until his death in October 2002.
DISCOGRAPHY: with Don Cherry Swingin' For Two (Columbia 1956)***, 'S Wonderful! (Columbia 1956)****, Dance The Bop! (Columbia 1957)***, 'S Marvelous (Columbia 1957)****, 'S Awful Nice (Columbia 1958)****, Concert In Rhythm (Columbia 1958)***, Broadway In Rhythm (Columbia 1958)***, Hollywood In Rhythm (Columbia 1958)***, It's The Talk Of The Town (Columbia 1959)***, with Billy Butterfield Conniff Meets Butterfield (Columbia 1959)***, Christmas With Conniff (Columbia 1959)***, Concert In Rhythm, Volume II (Columbia 1959)***, Young At Heart (Columbia 1960)***, Say It With Music (A Touch Of Latin) (Columbia 1960)***, Memories Are Made Of This (Columbia 1960)***, Somebody Loves Me (Columbia 1961)***, So Much In Love (Columbia 1962)***, 'S Continental (Columbia 1961)****, Rhapsody In Rhythm (Columbia 1962)****, We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Columbia 1962)***, The Happy Beat (Columbia 1962)***, with Butterfield Just Kiddin' Around (Columbia 1963)***, You Make Me Feel So Young (Columbia 1963)****, Speak To Me Of Love (Columbia 1963)***, Friendly Persuasion (Columbia 1964)***, Invisible Tears (Columbia 1964)***, Love Affair (Columbia 1965)***, Music From Mary Poppins, The Sound Of Music, My Fair Lady & Other Great Movie Themes (Columbia 1965)**, Here We Come A-Caroling (Columbia 1965)**, Happiness Is (Columbia 1965)***, Ray Conniff's World Of Hits (Columbia 1966)***, Somewhere My Love (Columbia 1966)***, En Espa¤ol! (Columbia 1966)***, This Is My Song (Columbia 1967)***, Hawaiian Album (Columbia 1967)**, It Must Be Him (Columbia 1967)***, Honey (Columbia 1968)***, Turn Around Look At Me (Columbia 1968)***, I Love How You Love Me (Columbia 1968)***, Live Europa Tournee 1969 (CBS 1969)**, Jean (Columbia 1969)***, Concert In Stereo Live At The Sahara Tahoe (Columbia 1969)***, Bridge Over Troubled Water (Columbia 1970)**, We've Only Just Begun (Columbia 1970)****, Love Story (Columbia 1970)***, Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits (Columbia 1971)***, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (Columbia 1971)**, Love Theme From The "Godfather' (Columbia 1972)***, Alone Again (Naturally) (Columbia 1972)***, I Can See Clearly Now (Columbia 1972)***, In Britain (CBS 1973)**, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (Columbia 1973)***, Harmony (Columbia 1973)***, The Way We Were (Columbia 1973)***, The Happy Sound Of Ray Conniff (In The Mood) (Columbia 1974)**, In Moscow (Melodiya 1974)**, Laughter In The Rain (Columbia 1975)***, Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong (Columbia 1975)***, Love Will Keep Us Together (Columbia 1975)***, I Write The Songs (Columbia 1975)**, Live In Japan (Sony 1975)**, Send In The Clowns (Columbia 1976)***, Theme From SWAT And Other TV Themes (Columbia 1976)***, After The Lovin' (Columbia 1976)***, Exitos Latinos (Caytronics 1977)***, Plays The Bee Gees And Other Great Hits (Columbia 1978)***, I Will Survive (Columbia 1979)***, The Perfect 10 Classics (Columbia 1980)***, Exclusivamente Latino (Columbia 1980)***, Siempre Latino (Discos CBS 1981)***, The Nashville Connection (Columbia 1982)***, Musik Fr Millionen (CBS 1982)**, Amor Amor (Discos CBS 1982)***, Fantastico (Discos CBS 1983)***, Supersonico (Discos CBS 1984)***, Campeones (Discos CBS 1985)***, Say You, Say Me (Columbia 1986)***, 30th Anniversary Edition (Discos CBS 1986)***, Always In My Heart (Columbia 1987)**, Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro (Discos 1988)***, Plays Broadway (Discos CBS 1990)***, 'S Always Conniff (Legacy 1991)***, Latinisimo (Sony Discos 1993)***, 40th Anniversary (Sony Discos 1995)***, Live In Rio aka Mi Historia (Ivy 1997)**, I Love Movies (PolyGram/Ivy 1997)***, My Way (Ivy 1998)***, 'S Country (Abril 1999)**, "S Christmas (Abril 1999)**, Do Ray Para O Rei (Abril 2000)***.
COMPILATIONS: Ray Conniff's Greatest Hits (Columbia 1968)****, Charlotte's Web & Other Children's Favorites (Columbia 1973)***, Plays The Carpenters (Columbia 1974)***, Plays The Beatles (Sony 1975)***, Presents ... Vol. I (Columbia House 1976)***, Presents ... Vol. 2 (Columbia House 1976)***, Somewhere My Love (Columbia 1981)***, The Ray Conniff Songbook (Columbia 1984)****, Christmas Caroling (Columbia 1985)**, 16 Most Requested Songs (Columbia 1986)***, Here We Come A Caroling (Columbia 1986)**, 16 Most Requested Songs: Encore! (Columbia 1987)***, Images (Knight 1990)***, Songs From The Big & Small Screens (Sony 1993)***, The Essence Of Ray Conniff (Columbia/Legacy 1993)***, The Ray Conniff Treasury (Good Music 1994)***, World Of Hits (Columbia 1996)***, The Best Of Ray Conniff (Sony 1997)****, 36 All-Time Favorites 3-CD set (Timeless 2001)***, The S'Wonderful Ray Conniff: The Big Band Years 1939-1947 (Jasmine 2001)***, The Ultimate Collection (Sony 2002)****, Personalidad 20 Exitos (Sony Discos 2002)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: 'S Always Conniff (Sony Brazil 1991).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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12 days of christmas
by Ray Conniff