Robert Mersey
Robert David Mirsky(April 7, 1917 – December 14, 1994), known asRobert Mersey,[1]was an American musician,arranger,andrecord producer.
Life and career
[edit]In the 1950s, Mersey worked as an arranger withLeiber and Stoller.[2][3]In 1959, he recorded "Tracy's Theme",aninstrumentalwritten by Robert Ascher which was used in a newNBCproduction ofThe Philadelphia Story.The production company thought the tune had hit potential, so they worked out a deal withColumbia Recordsto issue it as a single. However, Mersey was under contract with the newBig Toplabel as its musical director and had already released a single, "Bittersweet September," on the label. Devon Music, the publishing firm of Talent Associates owned byDavid SusskindandHowie Richmondat the time, created a fictitious artist named Spencer Ross, and retained ownership of the pseudonym for potential future use. Mersey's recording, under the pseudonym "Spencer Ross",peaked at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100.After "Tracy's Theme" became a hit, Mersey received permission to use the name Spencer Ross on his next Big Top single, "Theme of a Lonely Evening", but after that, the rights to the Ross name reverted to Devon Music.[4]
Mersey married English lyricistPam Sawyerin May 1956; they later divorced.[5]From the early 1960s he was employed as an arranger and producer at Columbia Records, where he was responsible for records by singers such asAndy Williams,Barbra Streisand,Bobby Vinton,Dion,Johnny Mathis,Julie Andrews,Mel Tormé,Patti PageandRay Peterson.[6][7][8]In 1960, he conducted the orchestra in the song "Good Timin'",sung byJimmy Jones.The song also later became a hit forKyu Sakamoto.He was also responsible for many ofAretha Franklin's early recordings at Columbia, including her 1964 tribute album toDinah Washington,Unforgettable.[9]According to writer Ursula Rivera, Mersey "was able to provide musical arrangements that highlighted Aretha's unique voice whether she was singing a noisy blues number or a heartbreaking ballad."[10]Mersey also arranged and composed forCBS Televisionand films, and produced several albums of incidental music, includingGreat Jazz from Great TV,credited to "Det Moor".[8]
He died inBaltimore, Maryland,at the age of 77.
References
[edit]- ^"Robert D Mirsky - U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) - MyHeritage".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-04-25.Retrieved2016-04-17.
- ^Thompson, Dave (4 March 2010).Phil Spector: Wall Of Pain.Omnibus Press.ISBN9780857122162.Retrieved8 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^Ribowsky, Mark (2 May 2000).He's a Rebel: Phil Spector--Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer.Cooper Square Press. p. 75.ISBN9781461661030.Retrieved8 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^"Bob Mersey to Big Top"(PDF).Billboard.March 28, 1960. p. 17.Retrieved28 July2015.
- ^Betts, Graham (2 June 2014).Motown Encyclopedia.AC Publishing.ISBN9781311441546.Retrieved8 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^Robert Mersey at 45cat.com.Retrieved 19 February 2014
- ^Credits at Allmusic.com.Retrieved 19 February 2014
- ^abBob Mersey at SpaceAgePop.com.Retrieved 19 February 2014
- ^Werner, Craig (18 December 2007).Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul.Crown.ISBN9780307420879.Retrieved8 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^Rivera, Ursula (15 December 2002).Aretha Franklin.The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.ISBN9780823936397.Retrieved8 October2021– via Google Books.
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