Jimmie Haskell

Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was a Grammy Award and Emmy Award winning, multi-platinum selling American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of chart-topping popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Dan, Billy Joel and The Everly Brothers.[1][2][3][4] His prolific and highly successful career spanned over six decades.[5]

Biography

Haskell was born in Brooklyn, New York. He entered the music business in the 'fifties doing arrangements for Imperial Records. His first professional arrangement was a chart of "Nature Boy", sold to Lionel Hampton.[6] He became the arranger of choice for Ricky Nelson, arranging and producing around 75 records for the artist, including such hits as "There's Nothing I Can Say" and "Hello Mary Lou". In 1960, he accompanied Elvis Presley on accordion on the "G.I. Blues" soundtrack.[7] Almost four decades later he provided arrangements on Sheryl Crow's Grammy Award winning "The Globe Sessions".

In 1960, Jimmie Haskell entered the motion picture soundtrack industry as an uncredited orchestrator for Dimitri Tiomkin's The Alamo. The following year he composed his first score, Love in a Goldfish Bowl. His composition The Silly Song became the theme song of American television's The Hollywood Squares.

In the late 'sixties and early 'seventies, Haskell was the arranger of choice for The Grass Roots.[8] He arranged the signature horn section on Chicago's worldwide smash hit "If You Leave Me Now", and also provided horn & string arrangements for Blondie's 1980 album Autoamerican, including for the US and UK #1 hit "The Tide Is High". In 2009, well into his eighties, he provided "a lovely, understated string arrangement" on David Rawlings' album "A Friend of a Friend".[9]

In addition to composing and arranging, Haskell would often act as conductor and selected the musicians used.[10]

His birthday is widely reported as 1936 because he lied about his age, figuring he would get more work if people thought he was younger. A statement from his daughter published by The Musicians Union of Los Angeles gives the correct birthday in 1926.[11]

Awards

Haskell was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore) for See How She Runs (1978) and has received two other nominations. He was awarded Grammies for his arrangements of Ode to Billie Joe recorded by Bobbie Gentry, Bridge Over Troubled Water recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, and If You Leave Me Now recorded by Chicago.[12]

Selected filmography

Television scores

References
  1. https://jeremylr.medium.com/only-the-good-die-young-jimmie-haskell-revisits-hit-records-with-rick-nelson-35b1ebf357fa
  2. "LondonJazz: TRIBUTE: Jimmie Haskell (1936- 2016)". Londonjazznews.com. 2016-02-07.
  3. "Jimmie Haskell". IMDb.com. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  4. http://www.jimmiehaskell.com/
  5. https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/jimmie_haskell/credits/
  6. http://tims.blackcat.nl/messages/jimmie_haskell.htm
  7. https://jeremylr.medium.com/only-the-good-die-young-jimmie-haskell-revisits-hit-records-with-rick-nelson-35b1ebf357fa
  8. "Jimmie Haskell memories of The Grass Roots", The-grassroots.com, retrieved 2014-08-29
  9. https://www.popmatters.com/118314-dave-rawlings-machine-a-friend-of-a-friend-2496146209.html
  10. Billboard - Google Books. 1974-05-04. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  11. "Final Note: Jimmie Haskell". afm47.org. 2016-02-26.
  12. Los Angeles (2004-08-27). "Jimmie Haskell: The Man Behind the Music - 2004-08-27 | News | English". Voanews.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
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