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Post by Allen Wiener on Aug 26, 2007 12:42:52 GMT -5
About Vera Matson, one of the co-writers of the song:
Wife of Ken Darby, composer, vocal arranger ("The Wizard of Oz", "How The West Was Won") who was best known for his choral arrangements for film adaptations of Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musicals ("South Pacific", "Flower Drum Song", "The King & I", "Carousel") during a long association with 20th Century Fox.
Darby wrote the songs for the soundtrack of Elvis Presley's first film, "Love Me Tender". The melody for the title song was written in the Civil War era for a song called "Aura Lee", with Darby composing new lyrics. Although he did not wish to be credited on any of these songs but did wish to earn royalties for them, he credited them under the pseudonym Vera Matson, his wife's maiden name. She is also credited as having written the lyrics to the theme to the 1964 "Daniel Boone" TV show, but whether it was again Darby who actually wrote the lyrics is unknown.
The two enjoyed a sixty-year marriage, which ended upon Darby's death in 1992.
Darby also wrote the themes and incidental music for both the "Wyatt Earp" and "Jim Bowie" TV series.
Lionel Newman composed for loads of Hollywood movies.
(Info from IMDB).
AW
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Post by Jim Boylston on Aug 26, 2007 13:06:01 GMT -5
For another bit of trivia: Lionel Newman is Randy Newman's uncle. Jim
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Post by sloanrodgers on Aug 26, 2007 13:34:49 GMT -5
Well, RR, you asked for it. Here's a link to the lyrics and all 3 versions of the song that appeared over the credits to the TV series. www.danielboonetv.com/index.php?page=theme_song_lyricsNone of these feature Fess singing, but these are the versions with which most people are familiar. The verse about the frozen river (in the printed lyrics) has never appeared on any version I've ever heard, but Fess's recording includes a verse not listed here. Jim Ugh! Yes I did. They're all pretty hoaky, but I guess indicative of the time they were created. I think the classic version is the best out of the three. The Boone theme doesn't have anything on the Ballad of Davy Crockett though.
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Post by Herb on Aug 26, 2007 14:24:33 GMT -5
Darby wrote the songs for the soundtrack of Elvis Presley's first film, "Love Me Tender". The melody for the title song was written in the Civil War era for a song called "Aura Lee", . AW I did not know that was the melody to "Aura Lee"; the melody was usedsince 1865 for the song "Army Blue", I always wondered how that tune went from "Army Blue" to "Love Me Tender", now I know it went back even further.
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