Although Nelson Riddle was one of the most prolific American arrangers and composers of the 20th century, his “Route 66” theme for the ultimate road trip tv series of the same name may always be the star in his crown. The lyrical version of the song has been covered numerous times since Nat King Cole first performed it in 1946. Still, the adventurous, joyful spirit of the song is best captured in Riddle’s instrumental version from 1962.
Born in New Jersey in 1921, Riddle inherited his father’s interest in music beginning with piano lessons at age eight and moving onto the trombone in his teens. While in high school he was keen on becoming a jazz musician but still felt that his talents were best geared towards composing and arranging. During his senior year in high school Riddle was playing the trumpet for a band called the brigadiers when he met Bill Finnegan who was only four years older than Riddle, but already had a busy career as a jazz bandleader and also worked at composing and arranging.
Finnegan would have a big impact on Riddle’s career growth as well, and this would result in him arranging some of the most popular music of the 1940s for the Glen Miller orchestra and other leading musicians of the day. Riddle served in the Merchant Marine at 22, during World War Two and then joined Tommy Dorsey’s band (a prestigious move) once his enlistment was over. However, this would be short-lived because Riddle was drafted into the Army during 1945 and discharged the following year.
His career really hit its stride when he moved to Hollywood writing arrangements for radio and record contracts. Among Riddle’s best early work were his arrangements for Nat King Cole and this would lead to a long and profittable relationship with Capitol Records — one of the biggest and most prestigious labels of the era. He would end up working with many of the most popular musicians of the 1940s and 50s such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and Nat King Cole. The 1932 jazz standard “I’ve Got The World On A String” was revived in the 50s becoming a big hit for Sinatra and another satisfactory career move for Riddle.
By the second half of the 50s Riddle was not only making music with Sinatra and others for albums, but he also moved into creating music for film soundtracks as well. Among the best was his work for Pal Joey (1957), which had been adapted from the Broadway play (and is my favorite musical of all time) which in turn was adapted from John OHara’s 1940 novel. The story which documents the escapades of a womanizing nightclub singer who ultimately gets his just desserts was ideal for Sinatra’s singing and acting talents. Pal Joey also served well as a vehicle for Riddle’s musical gifts with such memorable tunes like “The Lady Is A Tramp” and “There’s A Small Hotel”.
Riddle kept active throughout the 1960s and 70s especially with movie and television scores. He won his first academy award for his adapted score for The Great Gatsby (1974) and wrote the theme music for popular tv series such as Route 66, The Untouchables and Emergency! He was also introduced to a whole new generation of fans in the 1980s collaborating on three albums with Linda Ronstadt to revive America’s “golden age” of pop standards from the 1920s and 30s.
While initially seen as a risky career move for her (it was widely feared that her rock music fans would be alienated by this) these albums, and particularly the first one, What’s New (1983) proved invaluable to the musical legacy of Ronstadt and the final hurrah for Nelson Riddle who died of cardiac and kidney failure in 1985. Nonetheless, his vast catalogue of music for numerous entertainers along with his many compositions for movies and tv will live forever.
