Percy Faith

A popular composer and bandleader of the 1950s and ’60s, Canada-born musician Percy Faith also arranged hits by such stars Tony Bennett and Doris Day. ∙ He established his lavish instrumental style at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the 1930s, then moved to New York and became an arranger and conductor for NBC radio programs. ∙ In 1956, he received an Academy Award nomination for his work on the song score of Doris Day’s musical romantic drama Love Me or Leave Me. ∙ Faith’s arrangements were featured on dozens of iconic pop records, including Johnny Mathis’ first holiday album, 1958’s Merry Christmas—one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. ∙ With his own hit albums of breezy orchestrated pop—including pioneering recordings of Broadway show tunes and Latin-music-flavored compositions—Faith helped to create the easy-listening genre. ∙ His enduring instrumental take on “Theme from ‘A Summer Place’” was a No. 1 Pop hit for nine consecutive weeks and won Record of the Year at the 1961 Grammy Awards. ∙ In 1973, Faith’s rendition of Neil Diamond’s popular tune “Crunchy Granola Suite” rose to No. 16 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.