1. George Greeley worked as pianist on several hundred motion pictures, worked with many famous composers orchestrating their soundtrack compositions, and created original compositions of his own in several dozen movies.
29 Facts About George Greeley
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Concurrent with his work at Columbia Pictures, George Greeley worked at Capitol Records as music director, pianist, and conductor for many artists such as Gordon MacRae, Jane Powell, Jo Stafford, Frankie Laine, and Doris Day.
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George Greeley was hired in the late 1950s by the newly established Warner Brothers Records.
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George Greeley performed as featured piano soloist and as guest conductor in concert appearances around the world.
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George Greeley died from emphysema at age 89 in Los Angeles, California.
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George Greeley was born Giorgio Guariglia in Westerly, Rhode Island on 23 July 1917, soon after his family emigrated from Italy.
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George Greeley often played four-handed piano pieces with his father, and they gave father-son recitals.
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George Greeley won a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied piano and composition, graduating in 1939.
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George Greeley studied music at the University of Southern California, and studied composition privately with Ernst Toch.
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George Greeley entered the music business after meeting Sy Oliver, Duke Ellington's arranger.
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Oliver taught him the art of arranging for big bands, and George Greeley began his career arranging music for several popular figures such as Tommy Dorsey, Glen Gray, Abe Lyman, Leo Reisman, and Kay Kyser.
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George Greeley joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra as pianist on the same day that Frank Sinatra became the band's new vocalist in January 1940.
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George Greeley became involved in the Hollywood radio scene, working as arranger on several nationally broadcast variety programs.
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IMDb lists some twenty movies between 1949 and 1960 for which George Greeley is credited as composer of original music, including the 1957 film Hellcats of the Navy starring Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis, Good Day For a Hanging, and The Guns of Fort Petticoat, starring Audie Murphy.
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Several films of which George Greeley was especially proud included working as pianist on the Leonard Bernstein score for the 1954 drama On the Waterfront; and coaching Tyrone Power for The Eddy Duchin Story.
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Concurrent with his work at Columbia Pictures, George Greeley worked for Capitol Records, where he was a music director, arranger, and conductor for various artists including Gordon MacRae, Dean Martin, Ella Logan, Tony Martin, Dorothy Warenskjold, Jane Powell, Jane Froman, and Keely Smith.
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At the behest of his friend Paul Weston, George Greeley played piano on recording sessions for acts including Frankie Laine, Jo Stafford, Hoagy Carmichael, Sarah Vaughan, Eartha Kitt, and Doris Day.
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George Greeley was among the earliest artists signed to the Warner Bros.
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Records, George Greeley produced and performed as pianist on fourteen popular albums between 1957 and 1967.
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George Greeley was let go by Mike Maitland who had succeeded Jim Conklin as label president.
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Never on the street, George Greeley had already begun working in television and more success were to come.
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George Greeley participated in six television variety shows when touring in Australia.
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George Greeley performed as guest pianist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
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George Greeley died from emphysema at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Los Angeles on 26 May 2007, aged 89.
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George Greeley was survived by his sister, Louise Wheeler, a brother Herbert, his two sons, Anthony and Edward; and by his long-time companion, actress Teri York.
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George Greeley's albums were mostly recorded at Thorne Nogar's Radio Recorders Annex studio on Sycamore Street in Hollywood.
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George Greeley then became engaged as composer of stock music and title music, usually under the principal conductor.
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George Greeley wrote original themes and film scores for several films, in addition to his television series compositions.
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Between 1950 and 1985, George Greeley was principal composer of the original scores and themes for approximately one hundred ninety-five television series episodes.