79-660: Paul Weston (né Wetstein ; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the Father of Mood Music". His compositions include popular music songs such as " I Should Care ", " Day by Day ", and " Shrimp Boats ". He also wrote classical pieces, including "Crescent City Suite" and religious music, authoring several hymns and masses . Born in Springfield, Massachusetts , Weston had
158-435: A 1961 variety show. He was also the conductor and arranger for his wife's CBS television show from 1954 to 1955, The Jo Stafford Show . Although he did not provide the names of the programs, Weston once said conductors on live television shows, "should also receive a stuntman's check!" In 1959, Weston worked with Art Carney and Bil Baird 's marionettes for an ABC television children's special, Art Carney Meets Peter and
237-552: A cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine. After graduation, he formed Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees, having named himself after saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft . With this band (formed in 1928), which included two violins, two saxophones, a piano, a banjo, and drums, he began singing as a member of a trio and as a soloist. He had a thin, wavering tenor voice and seemed more at home singing sweet ballads than jazz songs. But his singing, saxophone playing, and
316-647: A comedy routine where they assumed the guise of a bad lounge act named Jonathan and Darlene Edwards . Their first album was released in 1957. In 1960, their album Jonathan and Darlene Edwards in Paris won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album . Weston's work in music is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Paul Wetstein,
395-403: A gathering of old friends... Rudy is grimly serious about rehearsal. He sometimes has his band spend a quarter-hour going over one short passage that doesn't satisfy him. On those occasions his temper wears thin..." In a heated dispute with producer George White on the set of the 1934 film George White's Scandals , White struck Vallée in the jaw. Dorothy Brooks wrote in 1936, "Other stars on
474-521: A keen interest in music from an early age and learned to play the piano. He was educated at Springfield High School, then attended Dartmouth College and Columbia University. At Dartmouth, Weston formed his own band and toured with the college band. He joined Columbia's dance band, The Blue Lions, but was temporarily unable to perform following a rail accident, and did some arrangements while he recovered. He sold his first arrangements to Joe Haymes in 1934. When Haymes requested more material, Weston's music
553-714: A man who disliked Vallée's music, said, "Rudy Vallee is reaping the harvest of a seed that is seldom sown this day and age: LOVE. The good-looking little son-of-a-gun really and honestly LOVES his audience and his art. He LOVES to please listeners—LOVES it more than he does his name in the big lights, his mug in the papers. He loved all those unseen women as passionately as a voice can love, long before they began to purr and to caress him with two-cent stamps." Vallée made his first commercial recordings in 1928 for Columbia 's low-priced labels Harmony , Velvet Tone , and Diva . He signed with RCA Victor in February 1929 and remained with
632-602: A megaphone, a device he had used when leading the Yale football band. A caricature of him singing this way was depicted in the Betty Boop cartoon Poor Cinderella (1934). Another caricature is in Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee , which parodies him, Bing Crosby, and Russ Columbo . In the words of a magazine writer in 1929, At the microphone he is truly a romantic figure. Faultlessly attired in evening dress, he pours softly into
711-408: A memoir titled My Vagabond Lover . NBC announcer George Ansbro wrote in his memoirs that Vallée "had quite a temper and a very foul mouth... almost always the butt of his nastiness was the orchestra... his outbursts were mean-spirited, and he didn't care who overheard". However, Alton Cook wrote, "Vallée may be fuming at his orchestra, but a Vallée hour rehearsal never quite loses its air of being
790-463: A process of designing custom music playlists for specific customers. Even with the changes in format, rocker Ted Nugent used Muzak as an icon of everything "uncool" about music. In 1986, he publicly made a $ 10 million bid to purchase the company with the stated intent of shutting it down. "Muzak is an evil force in today's society, causing people to lapse into uncontrollable fits of blandness," Nugent said. "It's been responsible for ruining some of
869-417: A skit at their parties where he would play the role of a simply horrible lounge pianist and she would vocalize in off-key melodies to the tunes he tried to play. He went public with his portion of the act at a Columbia Records convention, where it was an instant hit; the couple agreed to do some recordings, calling themselves Jonathan and Darlene Edwards . George Avakian , a Columbia Records executive, chose
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#1732783304285948-475: A teacher, and Anna "Annie" Grady. The family moved to Pittsfield when Weston was two, and he spent his formative years in the town. His parents were both interested in music, and when Paul Sr taught at a private girls' school, he was allowed to bring the school's gramophone home over the Christmas holidays. Weston remembered hearing "Whispering Hope" on it as a child. At age eight, he started piano lessons. He
1027-580: A teenager. The popularity of the saxophone and an unexpected reply from his idol Rudy Wiedoeft prompted Vallée to perfect his technique. He paid Columbia Records to make four "personal records", which he used for audition purposes with a number of bands. From 1924 to 1925, he played with the Savoy Havana Band at the Savoy Hotel in London, where band members discouraged his attempts to become
1106-536: A television production company formed in the early days of national TV broadcasts. The company was incorporated on April 3, 1948. Vallée made 16mm film shorts for television, including These Foolish Things and Under a Campus Moon , in which he appeared himself. Ed Wynn , Pinky Lee , Buddy Lester and Cyril Smith also appeared in Vallee-Video productions. Comedy sequences in the productions featured dubbed-in laughter . In 1949, Vallee-Video produced one of
1185-676: A vocalist. He returned to the United States, briefly attending the University of Maine . While at the University of Maine, he initiated into Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity on December 5, 1921. He transferred to Yale University in 1924, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1927. As a Yale student he led the football band and was the lead saxophonist in the Yale Collegians with Peter Arno , who became
1264-402: Is commonly associated with elevator music, the company itself did not supply music to elevators . Inventor George Owen Squier , credited with inventing telephone carrier multiplexing in 1910, developed the original technical basis for Muzak. He was granted several US patents in the 1920s related to transmission of information signals, among them U.S. patent 1,641,608 a system for
1343-721: Is possessed of a violent, vicious, and ungovernable temper, and given to the use of blasphemy and the use of intemperate, vile, and vituperative language, particularly when applied to [her]". She accused him of committing adultery with three women, including actress Alice Faye . Vallée denied the allegations and charged infidelity on her part. The judge found him "not guilty of any misconduct or maltreatment of Webb which detrimentally affected her health, physical or medical condition." He married Jane Greer on December 2, 1943 in Hollywood, but they separated after three months and divorced on July 27, 1944. His fourth and final wife Eleanor wrote
1422-591: The Reader's Digest article in November 1964. Vallée maintained an estate at Kezar Lake . Vallée died of cancer at his Los Angeles estate known as Silvertip on July 3, 1986 while watching the televised centennial ceremonies of the restored Statue of Liberty . His wife Eleanor said that his last words were: "I wish we could be there; you know how I love a party." Vallée was married four times. During his divorce from his first wife Fay Webb, she alleged that "Vallée
1501-693: The US Navy in Portland, Maine to fight in World War I , but authorities discovered he was only 15 and had given the false birth date of July 28, 1899. He was discharged at the Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island on May 17, 1917, after 41 days of active service. After playing drums in his high school band, Vallée played clarinet and saxophone in bands around New England as
1580-465: The University of Arizona . She died in 2008, aged 90. Muzak#Elevator music Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments. The name Muzak , a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been owned by various companies. The word Muzak has been a registered trademark of Muzak LLC since December 21, 1954. In 1981, Westinghouse bought
1659-651: The "Crescent City", New Orleans , and elsewhere. It was composed in 1956 and performed in New Orleans at the Municipal Auditorium in 1957 with Weston conducting. There was enough interest in the composition for a version for school bands to be made available in 1959; a symphonic version was also issued. He was the author of many hymns and two Masses which were published by the Gregorian Institute of America. He founded Corinthian Records in
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#17327833042851738-544: The "stimulus" effect of Stimulus Progression more effective. During this period, Muzak began recording their own "orchestra" – actually a number of orchestras in studios around the country, sometimes in other countries as well – composed of top local studio musicians. This allowed them to control all aspects of the music for insertion into specific slots in the Stimulus Progression programs. Muzak's popularity remained high through
1817-565: The 1940s, a franchise operation, with local offices each purchasing performance licenses for subscribers to the music, delivery technology, and brand name for their geographic areas. The company (franchisor) changed hands several times, becoming a division of the Field Corporation in the mid-1980s. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Muzak moved away from the "elevator music" approach and instead began to offer multiple specialized channels of popular music. Muzak pioneered "audio architecture",
1896-519: The 40-piece band to great success. In 1944, he was placed on the inactive list and returned to radio. According to George P. Oslin , Vallée on July 28, 1933, was the recipient of the first singing telegram . A fan telegraphed birthday greetings, and Oslin had the operator sing " Happy Birthday to You ". In 1929, Vallée began hosting The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour , a popular radio show with guests such as Fay Wray and Richard Cromwell in dramatic skits. Vallée continued hosting radio shows such as
1975-509: The Blue Lions, Columbia's dance band. In January 1934, Weston was seriously injured in a train accident. While trying to catch a train, Weston grabbed a door handle as the train sped off. He was able to hold on to the handle and was dragged two and one half miles before losing his grip. Unable to be active in a band, he started doing music arranging as a way to keep some involvement with music while convalescing. When he returned to New York in
2054-631: The Dorsey Brothers split in 1935, Tommy had yet to form an orchestra; he used the Joe Haymes Orchestra for his first engagement as a solo conductor. Weston joined Dorsey as chief arranger in 1936, holding the position until 1940. He became Dinah Shore 's arranger/conductor and worked freelance for the Bob Crosby Orchestra. Weston also worked with Fibber McGee and Molly and Paul Whiteman . When Bob Crosby's band
2133-773: The Four") , and in Belgium as Tevieren Te Parijs. Vallée performed on Broadway as J.B. Biggley in the 1961 musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and reprised the role in the 1967 film version . He appeared in the 1960s Batman television series as the villain Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and in 1971 as a vindictive surgeon in the Night Gallery episode "Marmalade Wine". From 1948 to 1952, Vallée owned Vallee-Video,
2212-711: The Royal Gelatin Hour, Vallee Varieties, and The Rudy Vallee Show through the 1930s and 1940s. When Vallée took his contractual vacations from his national radio show in 1937, he insisted his sponsor hire Louis Armstrong as his substitute. This was the first instance of an African-American hosting a national radio program. Vallée wrote the introduction for Armstrong's 1936 book Swing That Music . In 1929, Vallée made his first feature film, The Vagabond Lover , for RKO Radio . His first films were made to cash in on his singing popularity. While his initial performances were rather wooden, his acting greatly improved in
2291-408: The United States, due in part to the market dominance of Muzak Holdings, Muzak came to be used to refer to most forms of background music, regardless of source. This makes Muzak an example of a genericized trademark . Muzak may also be referred to as " elevator music " or "lift music" (see also Music on hold ). Though Muzak Holdings was for many years the best-known supplier of background music, and
2370-577: The Wolf , and was nominated for his musical contributions to the show. Weston arranged Ella Fitzgerald 's album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1957), devoted to the music of Irving Berlin . Among songs he composed are " I Should Care " and " Day by Day ", both of which were collaborations with Sammy Cahn and Axel Stordahl and were big hits for Frank Sinatra . He co-wrote " Shrimp Boats ", published in 1951, which
2449-403: The air have their troubles, their disagreements, and yet you don't read about their ending in black eyes. Only Rudy Vallee seems to figure in endings of this kind." In an interview with Brooks, Vallée claimed he found fighting "savage and stupid" and "the wrong way to try to solve problems, because it never solves them." When asked why he fought, he replied, "I just lost my temper. I'll admit I have
Paul Weston - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-676: The best minds of our generation." His bid was refused by Muzak's then-owner, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation . By the late 1990s, the Muzak corporation had largely rebranded itself. As of 2010, Muzak distributed 3 million commercially available original artist songs. It offered almost 100 channels of music via satellite or IP delivery, in addition to completely custom music programs tailored to their customers' needs. According to EchoStar , one of Muzak's distribution providers, Muzak's business music service
2607-643: The comic strip Hawkshaw the Detective . However, Byrd died in August 1952, bringing the Dick Tracy production to a halt, and spelling the end for Vallee-Video. Vallée was a Republican who strongly supported Richard Nixon 's 1968 presidential campaign , saying: "Every chance I get I sound off for Nixon. I'm advocating that Reader's Digest reprint 'Cuba, Castro and JFK,' a very brilliant article. I also send in checks from time to time." Nixon had written
2686-543: The company and ran it until selling it to the Fields Company of Chicago, publishers of the Chicago Sun-Times , on September 8, 1986. Muzak was based in various Seattle, Washington, locations from 1986 to 1999, after which it moved its headquarters to outside Charlotte in 2000. Formerly owned by Muzak Holdings, the brand was purchased in 2011 by Mood Media in a deal worth US$ 345 million. In
2765-558: The company through 1931, leaving after a heated dispute with executives over song selections. He then recorded for the short-lived Hit of the Week label which sold rather poor quality records laminated onto a cardboard base. In August 1932, he signed with Columbia and remained with the label through 1933. Vallée returned to RCA Victor in June 1933; his records were initially issued on Victor's low-priced Bluebird label until November 1933, when he
2844-418: The company was acquired by Apollo Global Management and GSO Capital Partners . In January 2021 Mood Media was acquired by Vector Capital, a private equity firm specializing in investments in technology businesses. Rudy Vall%C3%A9e Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée , was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He
2923-497: The couple had two children, Tim (born 1952), and Amy (born 1956). Both returned to Capitol in 1961, leaving the company for Dot Records in late 1965. In 1957 Weston was named musical director for NBC-TV , a position he held for five years, a founding member and the first president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences , and half of a recording duo that the whole country was talking about. Paul and Jo did
3002-574: The days before microphones. Crooners had soft voices that were suited to the intimacy of radio; the microphones, in this case, promoted direct access to "a vulnerable and sensuous interior," or in other words, "a conjured intimacy". Vallée was one of the first celebrity radio vocalists. Flappers pursued him wherever he went. His live appearances were usually sold out. Contrary to popular belief, he did not have screaming girls at his appearances. However, his voice still failed to project in venues without microphones and amplification, so he often sang through
3081-408: The deal appeared to have faltered. On January 23, 2009, a spokesperson said Muzak was attempting to restructure its debt, and filing for bankruptcy was one of several options. The company had ample cash but had large amounts of debt coming due in the midst of a difficult economic climate. On February 10, 2009, Muzak Holdings LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection . Kirkland & Ellis
3160-712: The developmentally disabled, the Westons gave more of their time to these groups after their retirement. The AbilityFirst work center in Woodland Hills, California is named in Paul Weston's memory. Weston died on September 20, 1996, in Santa Monica, California , aged 84. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City . In 2006, his widow, Jo Stafford donated her husband's library and her own to
3239-434: The fall of 1934, he made his first sale of his work to Joe Haymes . Haymes liked Weston's work enough to ask him to do more arrangements for his band. His medley of Anything Goes songs was heard by Rudy Vallée , who contacted him and offered Weston a job as an arranger for his Fleischmann's Hour on radio. Weston was also doing arranging for Phil Harris . He met Tommy Dorsey through his work with Joe Haymes. Following
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3318-475: The first cartoon shows on television, Tele-Comics . Vallee-Video's breakthrough in 1952 would have been a 15-minute television show based on the Dick Tracy comic strip starring Vallée's friend Ralph Byrd , who played the character in four successful Dick Tracy theatrical serials from 1937 to 1941. Vallée sold the show as a pilot to NBC . Vallée and Byrd also worked on a proposed radio show based on
3397-611: The founding of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, whose purpose was to create an award for recording artists. It became known as the Grammy, and the first awards were given in 1959. Paul Weston's dedication to music and recording was recognized with a Trustees' Award Grammy in 1971. Weston had a long career as a musical director for television, including The Danny Kaye Show , The Jonathan Winters Show , The Jim Nabors Show and for The Bob Newhart Show ,
3476-511: The honor. Weston was one of the men named to this committee by the Chamber. The committee executives decided all those who had sold a million records or a quarter million record albums during their careers would be candidates for the bronze star markers. As they continued their research, the men on the committee realized that many very important people in the recording industry would not qualify for this type of recognition. This realization prompted
3555-488: The innovative arrangements he wrote for his band attracted attention from a rapidly increasing number of listeners, especially from young women. In 1928 he started performing on the radio, first at New York station WABC, leading his Yale Collegians Orchestra, and then on WEAF and the NBC Red Network beginning in February 1929. He became one of the first crooners . Singers needed strong voices to fill theaters in
3634-521: The late 1930s and 1940s, and by the time he began working with Preston Sturges in the 1940s, he had become a successful comedic supporting player. He appeared opposite Claudette Colbert in Sturges's classic 1942 screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story . Other films in which he appeared include I Remember Mama , Unfaithfully Yours and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer . In 1955, Vallée
3713-421: The late 1970s, a company which started as a religious music label, but which later became the distributor for the couple's secular albums. His intention was to get the masters of both his and Stafford's recordings for later reproduction on compact disk . He spent three years as the musical director of Disney on Parade . The couple retired from performing in the 1970s. Active for many years in charities helping
3792-482: The latter 1930s. His last hit record was a reissue of " As Time Goes By ", popularized in the 1942 film Casablanca . Due to the 1942-44 AFM recording ban , RCA Victor reissued the version he had recorded in 1931. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard to help direct the 11th district Coast Guard band as a chief petty officer . He was promoted to lieutenant and led
3871-1031: The mid-1960s. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to pump Muzak into the West Wing , and Lyndon B. Johnson owned the Muzak franchise in Austin, Texas . NASA reportedly used Muzak in many of its space missions to soothe astronauts and occupy periods of inactivity. With the rise in youth culture and the growing influence of the baby boomer generation in the 1960s and 1970s, Muzak's popularity declined. It began losing market share to new "foreground music" companies, such as AEI Music Network Inc. and Yesco, that offered so-called "original artist music programming." Rather than using orchestral re-recordings as Muzak had for its Stimulus Progression program, they licensed original recordings, and included vocal music. They also offered many styles, from rock and pop to Spanish-language programming (for Mexican restaurants), jazz , blues and classical , as well as
3950-462: The mood music genre. Stafford moved with him to Columbia Records in 1950, and they were married in 1952. Weston worked extensively in television from the 1950s to the 1970s. He helped start the Grammy Awards , which were first presented in 1959. He was honored with a Grammy Trustees Award in 1971 and spent three years as music director of Disney on Parade . Weston and Stafford developed
4029-422: The music, before a 1957 Time article revealed their true identities. In 1958, the fictional couple appeared on Jack Benny 's Shower of Stars , and, in 1960, on The Garry Moore Show . The couple won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album of 1960 for their work as the imaginary pair. While Weston was the conductor for The Danny Kaye Show , his perpetual houseguest, Jonathan Edwards, made an appearance on
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#17327833042854108-488: The name Mood, ceasing to use the Muzak brand name. Muzak provided background music to over 300,000 US locations and made most of its money through multi-year contracts. In 2013, the company provided on-hold messaging and video programming, although piped music remained its forte. Mood hoped to use Muzak's US footprint to introduce more digital services. In May 2017, Mood Media filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in an attempt to restructure their debt. The following month
4187-486: The name of Jonathan Edwards for Weston's act in honor of the Calvinist preacher of the same name . Weston was concerned he might not be able to fill an album with the performances of Jonathan Edwards, so he asked Stafford to help. She became Darlene Edwards, the off-key singer. It was not immediately known to the public who had really made the records; there was much speculation as to what two famous people might be behind
4266-596: The plan. On January 12, 2010, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the plan to reduce Muzak's debt by more than half, allowing Muzak to officially emerge from bankruptcy. Following bankruptcy, the company announced an initiative to realign its corporate structure into three specialized business units: Muzak Media; Touch, a Muzak Co.; and Muzak Systems. These units will focus on content acquisition, Sensory Branding, and new delivery platform technology. In March 2011, Mood Media agreed to purchase Muzak Holdings for $ 345 million. On February 5, 2013, Mood Media announced it
4345-619: The program without his singing wife, Darlene. The vocal for I Love a Piano was provided by Kaye as the pair started the television show on March 25, 1964. They continued to release Jonathan and Darlene albums for several years, and, in 1979, released a cover of the Bee Gees ' " Stayin' Alive ", backed with " I Am Woman ". As Jonathan and Darlene Edwards , the couple released a "sing along" album which Mitch Miller believed put an end to his television show and sing-along records. Their last release, Darlene Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats ,
4424-510: The project, but as the home market became eclipsed by radio in 1934 he changed the company's focus to delivering music to commercial clients. Intrigued by the made-up word Kodak used as a trademark, he combined it with "music" to create the word Muzak, which became the company's new name. In 1937, the Muzak division was purchased from the North American Company by Warner Bros. , which expanded it into other cities. It
4503-586: The radio shows of Joan Davis , and Your Hit Parade . Jo Stafford , who became a regular host of the Chesterfield Supper Club in 1945, returned to California permanently in November 1946. Stafford later hosted the show from Hollywood, with Weston and his orchestra. It was around this time that Weston had a new idea for recorded music that would be similar to the soundtrack of a movie. It could be an enhancement to living but subtle enough not to stifle conversation. His album Music For Dreaming
4582-399: The radio's delicate ear a stream of mellifluous melody. He appears to be coaxing, pleading and at the same time adoring the invisible one to whom his song is attuned. Vallée had his share of detractors as well as fans when his popularity was at its height. Radio Revue, a radio fan magazine , held a contest in which people wrote letters explaining his success. The winning letter, written by
4661-482: The rights to Squier's patents were acquired by the North American Company utility conglomerate, which created the firm Wired Radio, Inc. to deliver music to their customers, charging them for music on their electric bill. By the 1930s radio had made great advances, and households began listening to broadcasts received via the airwaves for free, supported by advertising. Squier remained involved in
4740-492: The strike was regarding record companies paying royalties to musicians. Many record companies had "stockpiled" recordings of their stars prior to the strike, planning to release them over a period of time. While the older, more established record labels were able to do this, the newly formed Capitol had no opportunity to do likewise. The strike brought the new company to a standstill until Johnny Mercer began his radio show, Johnny Mercer's Music Shop , in June 1943. The radio show
4819-789: The traditional " easy listening ." Foreground music markets included restaurants, fashion stores, retail outlets, malls, dental offices, airlines and public spaces. Muzak merged with Yesco in September 1986. When Muzak began programming original artists in 1984, it was after merging with Yesco, and the programming was done by Yesco. This necessitated abandonment of the Stimulus Progression concept. Since 1997, Muzak has used original artists for its music, except on its Environmental channel. A small contingent of Muzak's business continued to provide their trademarked background music sound where it remained popular, particularly in Japan . Muzak was, since
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#17327833042854898-413: The transmission and distribution of signals over electrical lines. Squier recognized the potential for this technology to be used to deliver music to listeners without the use of radio , which at the time was in early state and required fussy and expensive equipment. Early successful tests were performed, delivering music to customers on New York's Staten Island via their electrical wires. In 1922,
4977-539: Was an economics major at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire , where he graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1933. During his college days, Weston had his own band called "the Green Serenaders"; this allowed him to pay his own college tuition. Weston also learned how to play the clarinet so he could travel with the college band. He went to graduate school at Columbia University and was active in
5056-511: Was back on the standard Victor label. He remained with RCA Victor until signing with ARC in 1936. ARC issued his records on the Perfect , Melotone , Conqueror and Romeo labels until 1937, when he again returned to RCA Victor. With his group the Connecticut Yankees, Vallée's best-known recordings include " The Stein Song " (a.k.a. University of Maine school song) in 1929 and "Vieni, Vieni" in
5135-456: Was bought by entrepreneur William Benton who wanted to introduce Muzak into new markets like barbershops and doctors' offices. While Muzak had initially produced tens of thousands of original artist recordings by the top performers of the late 1930s and 1940s, their new strategy required a different sound. The company began customizing the pace and style of the music provided throughout the workday in an effort to maintain productivity. The music
5214-493: Was broadcast on rented bandwidth from EchoStar VII , in geostationary orbit at 119 degrees west longitude. Other rented bandwidth included an analog service on Galaxy 3C and a digital service on SES-3 . On April 12, 2007, Muzak Holdings, LLC announced to its employees that it might merge with DMX Music . This merger was approved by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division one year later. However, by April 2009,
5293-593: Was featured in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes , co-starring Jane Russell , Alan Young , and Jeanne Crain . The production was filmed on location in Paris. The film was based on the Anita Loos novel that was a sequel to her acclaimed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . Gentlemen Marry Brunettes was popular throughout Europe at the time and was released in France as A Paris Pour les Quatre ("Paris for
5372-587: Was heard by Rudy Vallée , who offered him work on his radio show. Weston met Tommy Dorsey through Haymes and in 1936 became a member of Dorsey's orchestra. He persuaded Dorsey to hire The Pied Pipers after hearing them in 1938, and the group toured with the bandleader. After leaving Dorsey in 1940, Weston worked with Dinah Shore and moved to Hollywood when he was offered film work. In California he met Johnny Mercer , who invited him to write for his new label, Capitol Records . Weston became music director there, where he worked with singer Jo Stafford and developed
5451-514: Was hired as the company's bankruptcy law firm. Moelis & Company served as the financial advisor. On September 10, 2009, Muzak said it had filed a reorganization plan which would cut the company's debt by more than 50%. The plan would pay all banks everything they were owed in some form and would give high-ranking unsecured creditors ownership in the reorganized company. Other creditors would receive warrants to buy stock. The company said an "overwhelming majority" of unsecured creditors supported
5530-572: Was hired for his brother Bing's film, Holiday Inn , this took him to Hollywood and into film work. He changed his name from Wetstein to Weston after his arrival in California. Weston was asked to do more work for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope , and also for Betty Hutton . Subsequent films as musical director include Belle of the Yukon (1944) and Road To Utopia (1945). Weston met Johnny Mercer while working for Paramount in 1942; Mercer, who
5609-476: Was issued in 1982. The original idea of honoring those in the recording industry came from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 1957. Their plan was to propose bronze sidewalk markers to be placed on Hollywood Boulevard (the beginning of the current Hollywood Walk of Fame ). The Chamber approached local top recording company executives with the idea, asking for help with a list of those who deserved
5688-553: Was lifted for Capitol in October 1943 after an agreement was reached between the Musicians' Union and the record company; Weston was then able to return to the recording studio. In 1944, he became the company's music director. When appointed, Weston was the youngest musical director for any major record company. Besides his work at Capitol, Weston did conducting for many radio shows during this time. He worked with Duffy's Tavern ,
5767-492: Was meant to be a venue for Capitol's talent during the Musicians' Strike. Mercer and Capitol recording artist Jo Stafford hosted the program, with Weston and his orchestra providing the music for it. Stafford and Weston had first met in 1938, when he was working as an arranger for Tommy Dorsey; Weston was responsible for getting Stafford's group, the Pied Pipers , an audition with Dorsey for his radio show. The recording ban
5846-621: Was popularized by Jo Stafford. One of Weston's songs made the tiny town of Hana on the island of Maui a household word. While on a visit to the area, Weston needed to shop for gifts for his two children. He found himself at the Hasegawa General Store, about which he wrote "The Hasegawa General Store", based on his experiences there, which was recorded by Arthur Godfrey , Jim Nabors , and others. Weston also wrote classical and religious music: one of his two symphonic suites, Crescent City Suite, has enjoyed many performances, in
5925-421: Was preparing to start Capitol Records , wanted Weston to write for his new company. Paul wrote, arranged and directed Mercer's " Strip Polka "--the first arrangement written for the new label on April 6, 1942. On August first of that year, the 1942–44 musicians' strike began. No union musicians could record for any record company, but were able to play for live engagements and radio shows; the issue which prompted
6004-408: Was programmed in 15-minute blocks, gradually getting faster in tempo and louder and brassier in instrumentation, to encourage workers to speed up their pace. Following the completion of a 15-minute segment, the music would fall silent for 15 minutes. This was partly done for technical reasons, but company-funded research also showed that alternating music with silence limited listener fatigue , and made
6083-415: Was retiring the name 'Muzak' as part of its integration plans. Founded in 2004, Mood Media had a market capitalization of about $ 380 million as of 2011. In March 2011, Mood Media agreed to purchase Muzak Holdings for $ 345 million. Although Muzak first appeared in 1934, it had its largest impact in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2013, Mood Media announced it would be consolidating its services under
6162-409: Was the beginning of the "Mood Music" genre. In 1950, he left Capitol for a similar position at Columbia Records ; Jo Stafford also signed with Columbia at the same time. He remained active in radio, with his own The Paul Weston Show , and also in acting roles on Dear John with Irene Rich , Valiant Lady , and Cavalcade of America . Paul Weston and Jo Stafford were married on February 26, 1952;
6241-607: Was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York City to national popularity as a " crooner ". Vallėe was born in Island Pond, Vermont on July 28, 1901, the son of Catherine Lynch and Charles Alphonse Vallée. His maternal grandparents were English and Irish, while his paternal grandparents were French Canadians from Quebec . He grew up in Westbrook, Maine . On March 29, 1917, he enlisted in
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