Uploaded April 2015 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
AND THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST SONG GOES TO - 1970
Winning composer : Joe South for "Games People Play"
Other nominees that year were :
Larry Kusik, Eddie Snyder and Nino Rota for "A Time For Us" performed by Henry Mancini
David Clayton-Thomas for "Spinning Wheel" performed by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" performed by Dionne Warwick
Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" performed by B. J. Thomas
HUGO MONTENEGRO
After serving in the U.S. Navy, where he arranged for bands, he attended Manhattan College, studying composition. While in college. he began leading his own band for school dances, which led into professional gigs on a full-time basis. This was quickly interrupted, however, by a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy, most of which he spent as the arranger for the Newport Naval Base band in Rhode Island.
Andre Kostelanetz heard this band and met Montenegro during this time. When Montenegro left the Navy, Kostelanetz hired him as a staff manager and occasional arranger. He moved on to work for Harry Belafonte as the arranger and conductor for his live act. Bongo and BrassWhile in New York City, Montenegro was hired by Time Records as a musical director, and produced a whole slew of albums for the label. Some, such as Bongos and Brass and Boogie Woogie and Bongos are frenzied examples of stereo/percussion showcase music.
Montenegro moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and began working in the studio system. Belafonte helped get him the job of scoring Otto Preminger's Hurry Sundown. He also worked for RCA, producing a series of albums that included both his soundtracks and covers of others'. His 1968 recording of Ennio Morricone's theme from the classical Sergio Leone spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, featuring whistling by Muzzy Marcellino's, sold over a million copies and hit #2 on the Top Ten chart as a single. Montenegro's version also features an electric violin (played by Elliott Fisher), a piccolo trumpet (played by Manny Klein), an electronic harmonica, an ocarina and a vocal group. Montenegro scored such classics of 60s Hollywood machismo as Dean Martin's two Matt Helm adventures, The Ambushers and The Wrecking Crew, Frank Sinatra's two films as the Miami private eye, Tony Rome and The Lady in Cement, and the Elvis Presley Western, Charro. He also ventured into some odd mixes of space-age pop, electronics, and rock with such albums as Moog Power, Mammy Blue, and The Dawn of Dylan.
SLOW POKE
"Slow Poke" is a popular song. It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, and Chilton Price. Actually Price wrote the song in 1951, as she thought the song described her friend, King, very well. King recorded the song and Stewart did the vocal. Price gave rights to the other two in exchange for publicity, as she felt she knew nothing about the music distribution business.
MHO
A sparkling arrangement of this well known standard with Montenegro making use of an array of instruments in order to attain a full orchestral sound. The music "describes" and accentuates the subject of the song quite accurately - eg by inserting a very 'low key' played note (performed by one of the brass musicians). If you enjoy hearing authentic early sixties orchestral music, then this definitely will be your cup of tea. Music Maestro please !
AND THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST SONG GOES TO - 1970
Winning composer : Joe South for "Games People Play"
Other nominees that year were :
Larry Kusik, Eddie Snyder and Nino Rota for "A Time For Us" performed by Henry Mancini
David Clayton-Thomas for "Spinning Wheel" performed by Blood, Sweat and Tears
Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" performed by Dionne Warwick
Burt Bacharach and Hal David for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" performed by B. J. Thomas
HUGO MONTENEGRO
After serving in the U.S. Navy, where he arranged for bands, he attended Manhattan College, studying composition. While in college. he began leading his own band for school dances, which led into professional gigs on a full-time basis. This was quickly interrupted, however, by a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy, most of which he spent as the arranger for the Newport Naval Base band in Rhode Island.
Andre Kostelanetz heard this band and met Montenegro during this time. When Montenegro left the Navy, Kostelanetz hired him as a staff manager and occasional arranger. He moved on to work for Harry Belafonte as the arranger and conductor for his live act. Bongo and BrassWhile in New York City, Montenegro was hired by Time Records as a musical director, and produced a whole slew of albums for the label. Some, such as Bongos and Brass and Boogie Woogie and Bongos are frenzied examples of stereo/percussion showcase music.
Montenegro moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and began working in the studio system. Belafonte helped get him the job of scoring Otto Preminger's Hurry Sundown. He also worked for RCA, producing a series of albums that included both his soundtracks and covers of others'. His 1968 recording of Ennio Morricone's theme from the classical Sergio Leone spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, featuring whistling by Muzzy Marcellino's, sold over a million copies and hit #2 on the Top Ten chart as a single. Montenegro's version also features an electric violin (played by Elliott Fisher), a piccolo trumpet (played by Manny Klein), an electronic harmonica, an ocarina and a vocal group. Montenegro scored such classics of 60s Hollywood machismo as Dean Martin's two Matt Helm adventures, The Ambushers and The Wrecking Crew, Frank Sinatra's two films as the Miami private eye, Tony Rome and The Lady in Cement, and the Elvis Presley Western, Charro. He also ventured into some odd mixes of space-age pop, electronics, and rock with such albums as Moog Power, Mammy Blue, and The Dawn of Dylan.
SLOW POKE
"Slow Poke" is a popular song. It is credited to three writers: Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, and Chilton Price. Actually Price wrote the song in 1951, as she thought the song described her friend, King, very well. King recorded the song and Stewart did the vocal. Price gave rights to the other two in exchange for publicity, as she felt she knew nothing about the music distribution business.
MHO
A sparkling arrangement of this well known standard with Montenegro making use of an array of instruments in order to attain a full orchestral sound. The music "describes" and accentuates the subject of the song quite accurately - eg by inserting a very 'low key' played note (performed by one of the brass musicians). If you enjoy hearing authentic early sixties orchestral music, then this definitely will be your cup of tea. Music Maestro please !
