Lou Halmy

Jazz trumpeter, songwriter, prolific arranger and music notater. Later he also worked as a professional whistler. BMI IPI# 13266612. His family emigrated to USA in 1913. He played trumpet with the Shep Fields Orchestra during the 1930s, and was self-taught as a jazz arranger. He worked in the music industry for over 75 years. Born 23 June 1911 Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Hungary Died 14 March 2005 Lane, Oregon, USA. With early recording of music in America, many famous songwriters and musicians did not know how to notate their music. Halmy, working under the nickname of "The Lone Arranger", worked with more than 75 musicians from 1945-1987. Sometimes the songs would be hummed or whistled to him over the phone, or the musician or songwriter would be next to him at the piano telling him how it sounded as he turned their idea or complete song into the song they wanted. The line between arranger and notator was surely often obscured but he's listed as arranger on hunreds of songs in the copyright office. Some of the best known songs he did this for include "Thanks for the Memory", Bob Hope's theme song, "Louie, Louie", and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by Burt Bacharach., and many, many others. Some songs he has received credit for arranging include "Diga-Diga-Do" by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh; "Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia" by Mitchell Parish and Frank Perkins; "Rockin' in Rhythm" by Duke Ellington; and "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. He arranged for thousands of songs that he did not receive credit for on releases--but does in copyrights. He sometimes registered 12 or more in one day such as on 1-20-46 (1946) and 50 in a year (1953). Songs like this include: "A Voice In The Choir" by Gene Autry [5Oct53; EP74752] "I Wish My Mom Would Marry Santa Claus" by Gene Autry [19Nov53; EP75905] "Don't Start Courtin' In A Hot Rod" by Tennessee Ernie And Molly Bee With Cliffie Stone's Orchestra "Hand-Me-Down Heart" by Bonnie Lou [8Jun53; EP72223] "Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdinck [23Apr54; EP60467] "Take Care, My Love" by Joe Allegro With Jim Timmens And His Orchestra [16Feb53; EU290785] "Viva Zapata" by Tito Rivera [13Feb53; EP71500] and numerous others.