Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After

 

Joe Hamell

“FLY ME TO THE MOON-BOSSA NOVA”

(Bart Howard)

Kapp 497

No. 14   February 23, 1963

.

.

.

Born in the Bronx on August 2, 1924,  Joe Harnell studied at the Trinity College of Music in London and

at Tanglewood, where for four years he studied under Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Darius

Milhaud.

. . 

Once  his education was complete, he  became the conductor and arranger for Pearl Bailey, Marlene

Dietrich, ROBERT GOULET, Peggy Lee, Anthony Newley, and Frank Sinatra.   In addition to  writing some

piano preludes, chamber works, and art songs, Joe became the music director for many television

programs, including “The Bionic Woman,”  “Cliffhangers,”  “The Incredible Hulk,” and “The Mike Douglas

Show.”   Recording for Columbia, Epic, Jubilee, Kapp, and Motown Records, Harnell has had more than a

dozen albums issued.

.

The bossa nova–a sound, a style, and a dance–became a hot item 1n the winter of 1962.   Following the

release of Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberte’s “The Girl From lpanema,” and preceeding Eydie Gorme’s “Blame

It On The Bossa Nova” by a week or two, was Joe Harnell’s instrumental, “Fly Me To The Moon-Bossa

Nova.”   The tune eventually charted five times by five different artists, including LaVern Baker and Bobby

Wommack.   Harnell’s follow-up, “Diane,” pulled into the Hot 100 at number  97 position for a week before

vanishing from the  land of  pop culture.

..

Given Joe   Harnell’s musical background,  he probably didn’t mind being  a [[one-hit   wonder.]] One-Hit

Wonder.    After all, there were still All those TV shows to score, all those easy-listinining Albums to create

.Joe Hamell and all those Tin Pan   Alley singers  to conduct and arrange.