Community hub
0 subscribers8 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Ken Darby.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Ken Darby
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
Key Information
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2016) |
Kenneth Lorin Darby (May 13, 1909 – January 24, 1992) was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor. His film scores were recognized by the awarding of three Academy Awards and one Grammy Award. Darby is also notable as the author of The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe (1983), a biography of the home of Rex Stout's fictional detective.
Personal life
[edit]Kenneth Lorin Darby was born in Hebron, Nebraska, on May 13, 1909, to Lorin Edward Darby and Clara Alice Powell.[1] Darby was married to Vera Matson from 1932 to his death in 1992.
Career
[edit]Ken Darby's choral group, The Ken Darby Singers, sang backup for Bing Crosby on the original 1942 Decca Records studio recording of "White Christmas." In 1940 they also sang on the first album ever made of the songs from The Wizard of Oz, a film on which Darby had worked. However, the album was a studio cast recording, not a true soundtrack album (although it did feature Judy Garland), and it did not use the film's original arrangements.
Darby also performed as part of "The King's Men," a vocal quartet who recorded several songs with Paul Whiteman's orchestra in the mid 1930s and were the featured vocalists on the Fibber McGee and Molly radio program from 1940 through 1953. In the early 1940s, he performed with the King's Men a musical version of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" that he wrote called "T'was the Night Before Christmas" that was performed on the Christmas episodes of Fibber McGee and Molly. They also participated on the soundtracks of several MGM films, including The Wizard of Oz and occasional Tom and Jerry cartoons. The King's Men portrayed the Marx Brothers in a musical spoof in the film Honolulu (Darby played one of two 'Grouchos' in the group). He also provided the theme song and the soundtrack for The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, the 1955-61 television series starring Hugh O'Brian, and The Adventures of Jim Bowie starring Scott Forbes.
He was a composer and production supervisor for Walt Disney Studios and was choral and vocal director on the 1946 Disney film classic Song of the South.
He was also Marilyn Monroe's vocal coach for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).
Darby was also the principal composer of the 1956 Elvis Presley hit "Love Me Tender" for the movie of the same name but signed the rights over to his wife, Vera Matson, whose name appears as co-lyricist and co-composer with Presley. The song was adapted from the Civil War-era song "Aura Lee."[1] Presley's composing credit was mandated by his management, to entice him to record the song.[2] Darby was often asked about his decision to credit the song to his wife along with Presley, and his standard response was an acid, "Because she didn't write it either."[2] In actuality, Ken Darby wasn't credited because he was represented by another musicians association.[3]
A fan of Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout's fictional detective genius, Darby wrote a biography of Wolfe's home titled The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe (1983).[4]
Ken Darby died January 24, 1992, in the final stages of production of his last book, Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (1992).[5]
He was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Awards
[edit]Academy Awards
[edit]- 1956, Winner, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
The King and I
(shared with Alfred Newman)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1958, Nominee, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
South Pacific
(shared with Alfred Newman)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1959, Winner, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
Porgy and Bess
(shared with André Previn)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1961, Nominee, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture
Flower Drum Song
(shared with Alfred Newman)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1963, Nominee, Best Original Music Score
How the West Was Won
(shared with Alfred Newman)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - 1967, Winner, Best Score – Adaptation or Treatment
Camelot
(shared with Alfred Newman)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Grammy Awards
[edit]- 1960, Winner, Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast, Movie or Television
Porgy and Bess
(shared with André Previn)
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
References
[edit]- ^ a b Cook, Page, prelude to Ken Darby's Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' . Metuchen, New Jersey : Scarecrow Press, 1992 ISBN 0-8108-2509-0 pp. xiii–xxx
- ^ a b Miller, Stephen (2013). The Million Dollar Quartet. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857128560. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "Elvis song interests Hebronit; Nephew wrote Love me tender". The Fairbury Daily News: 1. December 7, 1956.
- ^ Darby, Ken, The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1983 ISBN 0-316-17280-4
- ^ Darby, Ken, Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' . Metuchen, New Jersey : Scarecrow Press, 1992 ISBN 0-8108-2509-0 p. xii
External links
[edit]- Ken Darby at IMDb performs "All The Cats Join In" with the Billy Mills Orchestra on a live 1946 broadcast of NBC's Fibber McGee and Molly show restored in high fidelity on YouTube.
- Ken Darby at IMDb
- Ken Darby Centennial Tribute
- Ken Darby Lifetime Achievement Award
- Obituary in The New York Times (January 26, 1992)
- Finding aid author: Elizabeth West (2006). "Ken Darby papers". Prepared for the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Provo, UT. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
Ken Darby
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life and education
Family background
Kenneth Lorin Darby was born on May 13, 1909, in Hebron, a small rural town in Thayer County, Nebraska.[4] His parents were Lorin Edward Darby, who worked in connection with the local telephone company, and Clara Alice Powell, forming a modest family in the agricultural heartland of the Midwest.[5][6]Musical training
Darby received his formal musical education at Christian College in Columbia, Missouri—now known as Columbia College—where he studied music and voice during the late 1920s. He also studied composition under notable mentors including Tibor Serly, Ernst Toch, Herman Hand, and Victor Young.[3] The institution, originally founded in 1851 as Christian Female College, offered a curriculum emphasizing vocal training and performance, which aligned with Darby's developing interests in singing and choral work.[7] These experiences prepared him for professional endeavors in the late 1920s.Career
Early performances and arrangements
In 1929, Ken Darby formed the vocal quartet The King's Men in Hollywood, taking the name from a radio sponsor and serving as its bass singer, arranger, and leader. The group consisted of Darby on bass, Rad Robinson as baritone, Jon Dodson as lead tenor, and Bud Linn as top tenor. They quickly gained national prominence through radio appearances, particularly as a featured ensemble with Paul Whiteman's orchestra in the mid-1930s, where they performed hundreds of broadcasts showcasing their close-harmony style.[8][9] The King's Men also made numerous recordings during the 1930s, including sessions with Paul Whiteman's orchestra for Brunswick Records, such as "Me and Marie" in 1935 and "Saddle Your Blues to a Wild Mustang" in 1936. Independently and as a backing group, they recorded for Decca Records, contributing to commercial releases and radio tie-ins that highlighted their versatility in popular and novelty songs. Their debut film appearance came in 1939 with the Hopalong Cassidy western Renegade Trail, where they sang "Lazy Rolls the Rio Grande" and "Hi Thar, Stranger!" alongside Eddie Dean.[10][1] Darby's early arrangements emerged within the group's activities, but by the early 1940s, he transitioned toward professional arranging roles, forming the Ken Darby Singers as an extension of The King's Men for choral backing. This group provided the backing vocals for Bing Crosby's iconic 1942 Decca recording of "White Christmas," arranged with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, which became one of the best-selling singles of all time. Concurrently, Darby began choral work for MGM Studios, supplying vocal arrangements for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, including the Munchkinland sequences where solo and choral textures integrated seamlessly with the orchestral score under Herbert Stothart's direction.[3][11]Film and choral directing
Ken Darby's career in film began with significant contributions to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz (1939), where he received his first screen credit for orchestral and vocal arrangements under composer Herbert Stothart.[12] He served as choral and vocal director, collaborating with sound engineer Douglas Shearer to craft the distinctive high-pitched Munchkin voices through innovative recording techniques, such as speeding up adult singers' performances to raise the pitch.[3] Drawing from his experience with the vocal group The King's Men, Darby directed the Munchkin chorus sequences and provided the singing voice for the Munchkinland mayor, portrayed onscreen by Charles Becker.[12] In the 1940s, Darby transitioned to Walt Disney Studios as a music director, overseeing choral arrangements for anthology films like Make Mine Music (1946), where he directed the chorus for segments such as "Blue Bayou" and performed with The King's Men in "The Martins and the Coys."[12] He also acted as choral and vocal director for Song of the South (1946), arranging ensemble vocals to complement the film's live-action and animated sequences.[3] These Disney projects highlighted his expertise in blending choral elements with narrative storytelling, building on his earlier MGM work. Darby extended his vocal supervision to coaching prominent stars in Hollywood musicals, including Marilyn Monroe for her performances in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), where he refined her singing technique for key numbers.[3] He provided similar guidance and choral direction for Judy Garland in various MGM productions, such as The Wizard of Oz, ensuring seamless integration of solo vocals with ensemble arrangements.[3] Throughout the decade, Darby directed The Ken Darby Singers in multiple film scores, including backing vocals for Disney features like Pinocchio (1940) on "When You Wish Upon a Star" and supporting roles in 20th Century Fox musicals.[3] His group became a staple for polished choral support in cinematic soundtracks.Songwriting and television work
In the mid-1950s, Ken Darby contributed significantly to popular music through his songwriting for film soundtracks, particularly in collaboration with Elvis Presley. For the 1956 film Love Me Tender, Darby's debut as Presley's musical director, he adapted the melody from the 1861 Civil War ballad "Aura Lea" by George R. Poulton and W. W. Fosdick, crafting new lyrics to create the title song "Love Me Tender."[13] The composition was officially credited to Presley and Vera Matson, the latter being a pseudonym for Darby's wife, though Darby was the primary lyricist and arranger.[14] This ballad became one of Presley's signature hits, topping the Billboard charts for weeks upon its release as a single.[13] Darby also penned "We're Gonna Move," another track from the Love Me Tender soundtrack, which featured an upbeat rhythm reflecting the film's narrative energy. Credited similarly to Presley and Vera Matson, the song showcased Darby's ability to blend traditional influences with contemporary rockabilly styles, drawing partial inspiration from gospel tunes like "There's a Leak in This Old Building." His choral expertise from earlier career stages informed the layered vocal harmonies in these recordings, enhancing their emotional depth.[15] Turning to television, Darby's work extended to providing choral elements for notable series in the late 1950s. For the ABC Western The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961), his group, the Ken Darby Singers, performed the theme song "The Legend of Wyatt Earp," composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Harold Adamson, delivering its humming background and vocal flourishes that defined the show's frontier atmosphere. This contribution helped establish the series' memorable auditory identity across its six seasons.[2] In parallel, Darby's songwriting and arranging talents appeared in film adaptations of Broadway musicals, where he handled vocal direction and choral arrangements. For the 1956 screen version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, directed by Henry King, Darby served as associate music director under Alfred Newman, overseeing the vocal performances and ensuring the choral ensembles captured the score's sweeping emotional range.[16] His arrangements amplified key sequences like "You'll Never Walk Alone," blending soloists with chorus to evoke the musical's themes of redemption and community.[15]Later projects and authorship
In the 1960s, Ken Darby continued his contributions to major film productions, collaborating closely with composer Alfred Newman on epic scores. For How the West Was Won (1962), Darby served as arranger and choirmaster, adapting and incorporating folk songs into the soundtrack while directing choral elements performed by the Ken Darby Singers, enhancing the film's historical narrative through musical authenticity.[17] His work on this project earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment, underscoring his expertise in blending traditional American music with cinematic orchestration.[18] Darby's final significant film score came with Camelot (1967), where he again partnered with Newman as co-adaptor of the musical adaptation, overseeing vocal arrangements and choral direction for the Lerner and Loewe stage-to-screen transfer. This effort, which captured the Arthurian legend's romantic and theatrical essence, secured Darby his third Academy Award for Best Score - Adaptation or Treatment Score.[2] By the late 1960s, as his active film involvement waned, Darby pivoted toward literary pursuits, leveraging his decades of Hollywood experience.[1] In 1983, Darby authored The Brownstone House of Nero Wolfe, a tribute to Rex Stout's iconic detective series presented as a fictional guided tour of the character's New York residence, narrated by Archie Goodwin. The book explores the house's rooms—such as the kitchen, orchid room, and office—while recounting key cases and the reclusive Wolfe's daily life, reflecting Darby's admiration for the literary world he had long admired as a fan.[19] This work marked his entry into nonfiction-infused storytelling, distinct from his musical career. Darby's final project, the memoir Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of The Greatest Story Ever Told (1992), was completed shortly before his death and published posthumously. Drawing on his role as choral director and arranger for George Stevens' 1965 biblical epic, the book provides an insider's account of the production's challenges, including location shooting in the Holy Land and the integration of sacred music with Hollywood spectacle. It emphasizes themes of faith, artistic collaboration, and the intersection of spirituality and filmmaking, offering reflections on Darby's own career amid the industry's grandeur.[20]Personal life
Marriage and family
Ken Darby married composer and arranger Vera Matson on March 30, 1932, in a partnership that endured for sixty years until his death in 1992.[15][21] They had two children: son Peter Lorin Darby (1938–2009) and daughter Cristina Ver Doremus (born 1944).[15][2] Vera Matson frequently collaborated with Darby in Hollywood, contributing to songwriting and arrangements; she was often credited pseudonymously on lyrics for his compositions, including the 1956 ballad "Love Me Tender," officially attributed to Elvis Presley and Matson but primarily written by Darby based on the 19th-century tune "Aura Lee."[14][13] Their close professional and personal alliance offered Darby a reliable creative base amid the evolving demands of the film and recording industries from the 1930s through the late 20th century.[21]Death
Ken Darby died on January 24, 1992, in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 82, from a heart ailment.[2][22] At the time of his death, Darby was in the final stages of production on his book Hollywood Holyland: The Filming and Scoring of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told', which was published posthumously later that year as a capstone to his career in film music.[20][23] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, a cemetery known for interring many entertainment figures, where his gravesite reflects his contributions to Hollywood's musical heritage.[6] Darby was survived by his wife of sixty years, Vera Matson Darby (who died in 1994 and is interred beside him), son Peter, daughter Cristina, and a grandson.[6][2]Awards and honors
Academy Awards
Ken Darby received three Academy Awards for his contributions to film scoring, primarily through his choral arrangements and musical adaptations that enhanced the Broadway-to-film transitions of major musicals. His work often involved collaborating with prominent composers like Alfred Newman and André Previn, where his expertise in vocal orchestration and choir direction played a key role in integrating lush choral elements into the scores. These recognitions spanned the 1950s and 1960s, highlighting his impact on Hollywood's golden age of musical cinema.[24][25][26] Darby's first Oscar came at the 29th Academy Awards in 1957 for The King and I (1956), where he shared the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture award with Alfred Newman. His choral arrangements enriched Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's songs, providing vocal depth to sequences like "Shall We Dance?" and supporting the film's romantic and exotic tonal palette.[24][27] In 1960, at the 32nd Academy Awards, Darby won his second Oscar for Porgy and Bess (1959), sharing Best Scoring of a Musical Picture with André Previn. Darby's arrangements amplified George Gershwin's opera-inspired score, particularly in choral ensembles such as "Leola" and the climactic "Oh Lord, I'm On My Way," blending gospel influences with operatic grandeur to underscore the film's dramatic intensity.[25] His third win occurred at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968 for Camelot (1967), again sharing Best Scoring of Music—Adaptation or Treatment with Alfred Newman. Darby's vocal adaptations brought Frederick Loewe's melodies to life through intricate choir work in numbers like "Camelot" and "What Do the Simple Folk Do?," capturing the musical's mythical and courtly essence while adapting it seamlessly for the screen.[26][28] Beyond his wins, Darby earned three nominations, bringing his total Academy Awards recognitions to six. These included:| Year (Ceremony) | Film | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 (31st) | South Pacific (1958) | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Shared with Alfred Newman; his choral work supported Rodgers and Hammerstein's tropical score, though Gigi won.[29] |
| 1962 (34th) | Flower Drum Song (1961) | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Shared with Alfred Newman; arrangements highlighted Asian-American cultural motifs in Rodgers and Hammerstein's songs, but West Side Story prevailed.[30] |
| 1964 (36th) | How the West Was Won (1962) | Best Original Score—Substantially Original | Shared with Alfred Newman; choral elements evoked the American frontier, nominated alongside epics like Cleopatra, but Lawrence of Arabia won.[31] |