Richard Hayman

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Hayman in 1966

Richard Warren Joseph Hayman (March 27, 1920 – February 5, 2014) was an American musician who was the chief music arranger of the Boston Pops Orchestra for over 50 years, and served as a pops conductor for orchestras including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1]

He toured and recorded as a harmonica player and made dozens of recordings for Mercury Records as "Richard Hayman and His Orchestra." His biggest hit was a single, "Ruby," from the 1952 film Ruby Gentry, starring Jennifer Jones and Charlton Heston. Hayman's arrangement featured himself as harmonica soloist. Over a lengthy career, he created musical arrangements for more than 50 artists and entertainers including Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Liza Minnelli and Olivia Newton-John.[2]

Career[edit]

A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States,[3] Hayman's career in music began in his teen years as a player and arranger for the Borrah Minnevitch Harmonica Rascals.[3] In the 1940s, he became an arranger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios doing arrangements (often uncredited) for such MGM films as Girl Crazy, Meet Me in St. Louis and Thousands Cheer.[3] From 1945 to 1950, he was musical director for the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra.[3]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hayman recorded a series of albums for Mercury Records.[3] His 1957 outing Havana In Hi-Fi, was first in the label's pop music stereo LP series (SR 60000).

Hayman is most famous for having been the principal arranger at the Boston Pops Orchestra for over 30 years where his award-winning arrangements are still used today. He occasionally guest-conducted there, and when Arthur Fiedler had a time conflict with his job as pops conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, he recommended Hayman for the post.

Hayman was also closely affiliated with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years. Known for his sequined jackets, harmonica solos, and corny jokes, he became its Principal Pops Conductor in 1976, leading both the Pops at Powell and Queeny Park concerts. Queeny Pops, with concertgoers seated at tables in the acoustically atrocious but centrally located (in the suburbs of west St. Louis County) Greensfelder Field House, was a hit for many years, and made it possible for the SLSO to offer its musicians a full 52-week annual contract.

That ended when a financial crunch in 2001, coinciding with a realization that the SLSO's pops concerts had not changed with the times, led to the cancellation of the Queeny Pops series and a marked reduction in overall pops concerts by the orchestra.

In 1985, he was appointed Principal Pops Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony, serving more than 21 seasons until his retirement in 2006 after which he was named Pops Conductor Laureate. Hayman founded and conducted the Florida Sunshine Pops orchestra in Boca Raton and continued to make guest conducting appearances in the United States and Europe.

His biggest hit was the 1953 single "Ruby". Hayman took the theme for the motion picture Ruby Gentry,[3] and through his specially stylized arrangement, utilizing a harmonica as the solo instrument with a large, quasi-symphonic orchestra, the song zoomed to the top of the hit parade all over the world and brought about a renewed interest in the harmonica. It should also be mentioned that the flip side of the 45rpm and 78rpm single hit "Ruby" was the hit "Dansero"[a] which also became an international hit.

He continued to chart into the early 1960s with titles such as "Night Train".

Hayman's last event with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where he held the title of Pops Conductor Emeritus, took place on June 27, 2010, to honor his 90th birthday. The St. Louis Metro Singers, who performed with him at many Pops concerts, were also on stage at the event.

Hayman is also noted for albums now regarded as Exotica.

Death[edit]

Hayman died at a hospice in New York on February 5, 2014. He was 93.[4][1]

Discography[edit]

As conductor[edit]

Date of Release Title Label Notes
1953 Simonetta Mercury sheet music
1954 Music For A Quiet Evening Mercury
1956 Serenade For Love Mercury
1956 Come With Me To Faraway Places Mercury
1956 Reminiscing With Richard Hayman Mercury
1956 Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing Mercury
1956 Time For Listening Mercury
1957 Two Tickets To Paris Mercury Hayman plays accordion
1957 My Fair Lady Mercury
1957 Music For People Who Can't Sleep Mercury
1957 Havana In Hi-Fi Mercury
1958 Plays Great Motion Picture Themes Of Victor Young Mercury
1959 Voodoo! Mercury
1959 Caramba! Exotic Sounds Of The Americas Mercury
1960 Conducts Pop Concert In Sound Mercury
1960 Campfire Songs Mercury
1961 Harmonica Holiday Mercury see Charles Leighton
1962 Gypsy Mercury
1962 Songs Of Wonderful Girls Mercury
1963 The Music Of Cleopatra Time
1967 Classics In Pop! Mercury
1967 Melodies Of Love Mainstream
1969 Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine Command
1969 Cinemagic Sounds Command
1973 Electronic Evolutions Command with Walter Sear
1974 Million Dollar Motion Picture Themes Musicor
1974 Marlon Brando's Great Movie Themes RCA Victor
1980 Tender Moments Time with The Manhattan Pops Orchestra
1980 Italy, The Pride & Passion Bainbridge with The Manhattan Pops Orchestra
1981 Ruby AFE
1987 Harlem Nocturne KEM-Disc
1989 Rhapsody In Blue • Piano Concerto Naxos with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
1989 Star Trek: A Journey Through The Galaxies Naxos International with the Philharmonic Rock Orchestra
1989 Star Wars (The Music Of John Williams And Other Composers) Naxos International with the Philharmonic Rock Orchestra
1989 Silent Night Naxos International
1989 A Christmas Festival Naxos International
1989 Joy To The World Naxos International with the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
1990 To All The Girls I've Loved Before (The Julio Iglesias Songbook) Naxos International
1990 The Greatest Love Of All Naxos International
1990 Melodies Of Love Naxos International
1990 Majestic Marches Naxos with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
1991 Viva Espana And Mexico Naxos International
1991 Vintage Broadway Naxos International
1995 Remembering Duke Ellington Naxos with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra
2006 The Music Of Henry Mancini Naxos
Unknown Motion Picture Themes Time with The Manhattan Pops Orchestra
Unknown Presents The Electric People Murbo
Unknown Fabulous Generation Of Motion Picture Themes Time
Unknown Broadway Hits And Other Themes Time
Unknown Themes From Great Films Time with Hugo Montenegro

As arranger[edit]

Date of Release Artist Title Label Notes
1954 Sophie Tucker Golden Jubilee (Fifty Golden Years) Mercury
1955 Helen Merrill Helen Merrill with Strings Emarcy First six tracks only
1956 Morgana King For You, For Me, Forevermore Emarcy
1957 Belmonte And His Orchestra Belmonte Plays Latin For Americans RCA Victor One track only
1959 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Pops Christmas Party RCA Red Seal One track only
1959 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Song Of India RCA Victor One track only
1960 The Don Baker Trio Hammond For Dancing Capitol Records One track only
1961 Orchestra Del Oro Soul Of Harlem Sonodor One track only
1961 Kai Winding's Trombones And Orchestra Kai Olé Verve One track only
1961 The Jonah Jones Quartet Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones Capitol One track only
1961 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Music From: Guys & Dolls / Greenwillow / The Most Happiest Fella / Hans Christian Andersen / Where's Charley? RCA Victor Red Seal Fifteen tracks only
1962 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra No Strings - State Fair RCA Victor Red Seal Six tracks only
1962 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Pops Roundup RCA Victor Red Seal Six tracks only
1963 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Star Dust RCA Victor Red Seal Four tracks only
1964 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (And Other Hits From The Big Shows) RCA Victor Red Seal Three tracks only
1964 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra "Pops" Goes The Trumpet (Holiday For Brass) RCA Victor Red Seal Three tracks only
1965 Vivienne Dells Chiesa The New Vivienne Della Chiesa 20th Century Fox Records Co-arranged with Sid Bass
1965 Paul Nero, Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Nero Goes "Pops" RCA Victor Red Seal Six tracks only
1966 Chet Atkins, Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra The "Pops" Goes Country RCA Victor Red Seal
1966 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra All The Things You Are RCA Victor Red Seal
1966 Duke Ellington, Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra The Duke at Tanglewood RCA Victor Red Seal
1969 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Play The Beatles RCA Red Seal Ten tracks only
1970 Chet Atkins This Is Chet Atkins RCA Victor Three tracks only
1970 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra A Christmas Festival Polydor One track only
1970 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Fabulous Broadway Polydor Three tracks only
1970 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Motion Picture Classics RCA Red Seal Eighteen tracks only
1971 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Arthur Fiedler Superstar Polydor Four tracks only
1972 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Play The Music Of Paul Simon Polydor
1972 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra What The World Needs Now (The Burt Bacharach-Hal David Songbook) Polydor Six tracks only
1972 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Gotta Travel On Polydor
1972 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Forgotten Dreams Polydor Three tracks only
1973 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Greatest Hits Of The '20s RCA Five tracks only
1973 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Greatest Hits Of The '30s RCA Six tracks only
1973 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Greatest Hits Of The '40s RCA Five tracks only
1973 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Greatest Hits Of The '60s RCA
1973 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Greatest Hits Of The '70s RCA Six tracks only
1974 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Fiedler In Rags Polydor Three tracks only
1974 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra You Will Be My Music Polydor
1975 Strings For Pleasure Play The Music Of John, Paul, George & Ringo Music For Pleasure Nine tracks only
1975 Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra Play The Neil Diamond Songbook Polydor One track only
1980 Ettore Stratta And London Symphony Orchestra Music From The Galaxies CBS
1985 Sarah Vaughan The Rodgers & Hart Songbook PolyGram One track only
1987 Helen Kardon What Matters Most KDM
1989 Erich Kunzel And Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Victory At Sea And Other Favorites Telarc Two tracks only

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Hayman co-composed "Dansero" in 1953 with Lee Daniels (né Daniel Hirsh; 1916–1972). Sol Parker (né Solomon Peskin; 1919–2010) wrote the lyrics. Parker was Frank Sinatra's manager until 1962. Daniels, in 1953, was a teacher of piano, voice, and show business at the Berklee College of Music, then known as the Schillinger House. Lee Daniels, with Lawrence Berk, was co-founder of Berklee. Lee Daniels' given name added to Lawrence Berk's surname (i.e., Berk + Lee) is the namesake of the college.

Inline citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Richard Hayman, a Pops Concert Figure in St. Louis and Boston, Dies at 93," by Peter Keepnews (born 1950), The New York Times, February 6, 2014
  2. ^ Kaczmarczyk, Jeffrey (February 6, 2014). "Richard Hayman, Boston Pops arranger, Grand Rapids Symphony pops conductor, dies at 93". MLive.com. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1111/2. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ St. Louis pops conductor Richard Hayman dies" (AP), Lebanon Daily Record (Lebanon, Missouri), February 5, 2014 (retrieved via archive.is June 9, 2017)

External links[edit]

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