Joe Harnell

Joe Harnell
Harnell in 1977
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Hittelman
Born	(1924-08-02)August 2, 1924 The Bronx, New York,U.S.
Died	July 14, 2005(2005-07-14)(aged 80) Sherman Oaks, California,U.S.
Genres	Film score,jazz,pop music
Occupation(s)	Composer musician music arranger
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1930s–2002

Joseph Harnell(bornJoseph Hittelman;August 2, 1924 – July 14, 2005)was an American composer, musician, and music arranger.

Early life

His father was avaudevilleperformer who also played injazzandklezmerensembles. Harnell began playing piano at age six and was performing in his father's ensembles by age 14. He attended theUniversity of Miamion a music scholarship in the early 1940s, and in 1943 joined theUnited States Army Air Forces,playing withGlenn Miller's Army Air Forces Band. He studied withNadia Boulangerwhen stationed inParisand then underWilliam WaltonatTrinity College of MusicinLondon.After his discharge in 1946, he studied atTanglewoodunderAaron CoplandandLeonard Bernstein.

Music career

Eschewing the art-music world, Harnell sought work in pop and jazz, working as a for-hire pianist after returning toNew York Cityin 1950. He played inLester Lanin's band at this time and found work as an accompanist for singers such asJudy Garland,Maurice Chevalier,andMarlene Dietrich.From 1958 to 1961, he wasPeggy Lee's full-time accompanist and arranger for the albumsAnything Goes:Cole PorterandPeggy Lee & the George Shearing Quartet.In 1962, he was hurt in acar crash,and while he recovered,Kapp Recordsasked him to work on writing potential hits in the then-hot genre ofBoss a nova.Harnell's biggest success was with hisarrangementof "Fly Me to the Moon",which was a hit in the US in 1963 (number 14Pop,number 4AC) and which won aGrammy Awardfor Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The song also peaked at number 6 in Harnell's hometown, onWMCAin New York, on January 16, 1963. The album from which it was taken went to number 3 on theBillboard200.Harnell went on to release nearly 20 easy listening albums, onKapp,Columbia,andMotownamong others.

Harnell was also an integral part ofThe Dinah Shore Chevy Showas the "house pianist" on many episodes. Often at the end of a show Shore would gather round Harnell at the piano and she and her guests that evening would make requests of him for a song they wanted to sing. Some of those guests were John Raitt, Gisele MacKenzie, and very often, Janet Blair. It was a low key and warm way to bring the show to its conclusion. The show ran on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963.

Starting in 1964, Harnell worked withGrey Advertisingas ajinglewriter, and from 1967 to 1973, he worked as musical director ofThe Mike Douglas Show.In 1973, Harnell moved toHollywoodand worked infilm scoreand television composition, composing forThe Bionic Woman,The Incredible Hulk,including "The Lonely Man Theme" with which all episodes ofThe Incredible Hulkended, playing over DavidBruce Bannerwalking down yet another lonely road,Alien Nation,andV,for which he received anEmmynomination in 1983. In May 1982, with the release of "Rocky III",Harnell also wrote the famous signature tune for the United Artists logo introducingUnited Artistsmovies in the early 1980s, during the MGM merger with United Artists, as well as the theme music for theNBCdaytime soapSanta Barbara.Following this he became a faculty member atUSC'sThornton School of Musicas an instructor in film score composition.

Personal life

Harnellself-publishedanautobiographyentitledCounterpointin 2000, co-authored with television producer/directorIra Skutch. Harnell's first marriage was to Winnifred Selak, a tap dancer from Canada.

Harnell and his family had been residents ofTeaneck, New Jersey.

His son,Jess Harnell,is a voice actor and singer, best known as the voice of Wakko Warner on theSteven Spielberg-produced animated television seriesAnimaniacs,Crash Bandicootin theCrash Bandicoot franchise,and the announcer ofAmerica's Funniest Home Videos,which he has announced since 1998.

His youngest son, Jason, is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed, recorded and toured with many jazz musicians includingMaynard Ferguson.

Joe's grandson, Jeremy, is a composer and visual artist working under the name JC Harnell (aka Sons of Wolves), and a 2011 winner of the Peoples Music Award for Best Abstract/Experimental Artist.

Death

Harnell died on July 14, 2005, inSherman Oaks, California,at the age of 80. His cause of death was revealed asheart failure.

As a leader

• The Piano Inventions Of Jo Harnell[sic] (Jubliee,1955)
• The World's Greatest Love Themes(Epic,1959)
• I Want To Be Happy(Epic, 1960)
• More Bossa Nova Pops(Kapp,1963)
• The Piano Brilliance Of Joe Harnell(Epic, 1963)
• The Rhythm And The Fire(Kapp, 1965)
• Golden Piano Hits(Columbia,1966)
• Bossa Now!(Columbia, 1967)
• Moving On!!(Motown,1969)
• Harnell(Capitol,1977)
• V (Original Soundtrack Recording)(Super Tracks Music Group, 1998)
• The Incredible Hulk (Original Soundtrack Recording)(Super Tracks Music Group, 1999)

Compilations

• The Best of Joe Harnell(Kapp, 1966)
• The Film Music of Joe Harnell(Five Jays, 1992)

Sideman appearances

• Janis Martin:'The Female Elvis: Complete Recordings 1956-60(Bear Familyreissue, 1987)
• Peggy Lee:Things Are Swingin'(Capitol, 1958)
• Fay DeWitt:Through Sick and Sin(Epic,1961)
• Peggy Lee:Olé ala Lee!(Capitol, 1961)
• Peggy Lee:Basin Street East Proudly Presents Miss Peggy Lee(Capitol, 1961)
• Blossom Dearie:Sings Rootin' Songs(Hires, 1963)

External links

• Joseph HarnellatIMDb
• Joe Harnell Albums: songs, discography, biographyon rateyourmusic