Milton Delugg
Milton Delugg (December 2, 1918 – April 6, 2015) was an American musician, composer and arranger.[1]
Early years
Milton Delugg was born in Los Angeles, California. He said, “There aren't any Deluggs. It's not a real name.” He believed the family's ancestral name to be D’Luggatch. Delugg's great grandfather said no one could pronounce it so he changed it to “Delugg,” with a lower case “L”.[2]
Delugg attended the University of California, Los Angeles.[3] His initial musical training was on a piano. Moving to the accordion came as the result of a gift. "When my dad gave me an accordion I learned how to play jazz on it," he said. "I grew up in Los Angeles and it wasn't long before I had a monopoly on any calls for jazz accordionists."[4]
Military service
Delugg served in the Radio Production Unit of the US Army Air Force during World War II.[3] During that time he was a member of (and sometimes soloist with) the 36-piece orchestra of the West Coast Army Air Force Training Center.[5]
Post-war career
A talented accordionist, Delugg appeared in short
In 1950 and 1951, Delugg was musical director, bandleader, and accordionist on Broadway Open House the NBC late-night television program[7] considered to be the forerunner to The Tonight Show. He often played a song he co-wrote, "Orange Colored Sky", which was best remembered as a hit for Nat King Cole. In 1950, Delugg was also orchestra conductor for the short-lived Abe Burrows' Almanac.
In 1953, the Milton Delugg Trio appeared on the short-lived The Bill Cullen Show.[8] Four years later, in 1957, Delugg joined the cast of the Winchell and Mahoney Show.
He composed the tune "Roller Coaster" – recorded by Henri Rene Orchestra on
Based in New York City, Milton Delugg was also active in the recording industry. In 1958 he produced the
Television projects
Delugg served as NBC's musical director for several decades. In 1966, he briefly served as the musical director of
Delugg enjoyed a long association with
Delugg also wrote the theme music for other Barris projects including
Delugg remained active as musical director of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through 2013, and made one final, on-camera appearance during the 2014 parade.
Film soundtracks
Delugg and his wife Anne composed film scores and songs for the mid-1960s American releases of German and Japanese children's films such as Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon, Der gestiefelte Kater (Puss in Boots), Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Delugg composed the score for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the song "Hooray for Santa Claus".[9]
Song credits
Delugg composed a number of popular songs that became hits for a variety of artists, including "Orange Colored Sky" (Nat "King" Cole, 1950); "Shanghai" (Doris Day, (1951); "Be My Life's Companion" (The Mills Brothers, 1951); "Shake Hands With Santa Claus" (Louis Prima, 1951); "The Photograph On The Piano" (Georgia Gibbs, 1952); "Just Another Polka" (Eddie Fisher, 1953); and "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)" (Patsy Cline, 1956).[10]
Personal life
Delugg and his wife, Anne, were married from 1946 until she died in 2002. They had three children. Their daughter died in 8th grade.[3]
Death
Delugg died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, California, on April 6, 2015, at the age of 96.[11]
References
- ^ "Milton DeLugg Obituary". Los Angeles Times. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Milton Delugg; Music Director". Television Academy Foundation: The Interviews. October 22, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Milton DeLugg, 96". Classic Images (488): 44. February 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 138.
- ^ [1] Archived December 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Milton Delugg". IMDb.
- ^ "Songs Written by Milton Delugg". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Sam Roberts (April 12, 2015). "Milton Delugg, 96, Dies; Accordionist, Composer, 'Tonight Show' Bandleader". New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
Bibliography
- Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924–1984 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999) ISBN 0-7864-0351-9