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GEORGE CATES

“MOONGLOW AND THEME FROM PICNIC”

(Will Hudson, Eddie De lange, Irving Mills, STEVE

ALLEN,

George W. Duning)    Coral 61618

No. 4    June 2, 1956

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Both titles were taken from the Academy Award–win­ning film Picnic (1956}.   Based on a play by William

Inge and directed by Joshua Logan, Picnic utilized a basketful of movie stars (such as William Holden,

the delicious Kim Novak, Cliff Robertson, and luscious Rosalind Russell) to tell the heart-warming story

of a good-for-zip guy who appears in town one day to steal his best friend’s damsel.  MORRIS STOLOFF,

musical director for the film, beat George to the top of the charts with his rendition of this medley.  Both

versions sold a million copies before the picnic was over.

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George Cates (b. Oct. 19, 1911, New York City) began his musical education at the age of four, with violin

lessons, followed by extensive study on the clarinet, flute, and saxophone.  He attended New York

University, initially with the notion of becoming a lawyer.  Growing bored with legal study, George dropped

 out of school to work with various pick-up bands.

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After arranging and conducting a musical for Olsen & Johnson, George served for three years in the dual

role of arranger and sax man for Henry Busse’s orches­tra.   Besides working as a composer, freelance

conductor, and producer, Cates labored for years–beginning in 1950–as a music director for Coral and

later Dot Records. He did arrangements for the Andrews Sisters, Teresa Brewer, Bing Crosby, and Russ

Morgan; he also served his time, for 25 years as music director for Lawrence Welk’s long-running TV show.

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Months before his lone Top 40 landing, Cates appeared on two other chart numbers:  the mildly popular

Champ Butler disk “Someone on My Mind” (#77, 1955) and STEVE ALLEN’s “Autumn Leaves” (#35, 1955).

George Cates continued recording throughout the ’70s, but only his immediate follow-up disk, “Where

There Is Life” (#75, 1956), made the Billboard Top 100.