1. Ernest Aaron Freeman was an American pianist, organist, bandleader, and arranger.
15 Facts About Ernie Freeman
1. 2.
Ernie Freeman was responsible for arranging many successful rhythm and blues and pop records from the 1950s to the 1970s.
3.
Ernie Freeman had a brother, Art Freeman, that was in music and recording and sometimes collaborated with Ernest Freeman.
4.
Ernie Freeman's wife was Isabelle Ernie Freeman, who collaborated with him in some songs.
5.
Around 1939, he and Evelyn formed a new band, The Evelyn Ernie Freeman Swing Band, with fellow teenagers from Cleveland Central High School.
6.
Evelyn played piano, while Ernie Freeman played saxophone and began writing arrangements for the band.
7.
Ernie Freeman played piano on the Platters' "The Great Pretender" in 1955, and began releasing a number of instrumental records of his own, at first on Cash Records.
8.
Ernie Freeman performed for the famed Cavalcade of Jazz concert produced by Leon Hefflin Sr.
9.
In 1961, with Palmer, Johnson, and Rene Hall, they began recording as B Bumble and the Stingers, and Freeman played piano on their first hit, "Bumble Boogie".
10.
Ernie Freeman performed with and arranged for the Routers and their parallel group the Marketts.
11.
Ernie Freeman continued a successful session career in the 1960s, arranging and appearing on material by Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, and Petula Clark, and becoming musical director with Reprise Records.
12.
Ernie Freeman composed music for several films, including The Cool Ones, The Double Man, The Pink Jungle, and Duffy ; and arranged Carol Burnett's 1972 Columbia Records album Carol Burnett Featuring If I Could Write a Song.
13.
In 1970 Ernie Freeman contributed string arrangements to Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water album before his retirement later in the decade.
14.
Ernie Freeman died at his home in Los Angeles in 1981 from a heart attack and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.
15.
Ernie Freeman won Grammy awards for his arrangements of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water".