James Bernard
b: 20 September 1925, India; d: 12 July 2001, London, England, UK
Bernard was born in northern India (now called Pakistan), the son of a British army officer, but was returned to England as a small child for his health. He was educated at Wellington College, and with Howells at the at the Royal College of Music. Bernard's first major break as a composer was at the age of 17 when he met Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, for whom Bernard later wrote a song cycle. During 1950-'51, he served as Benjamin Britten's amanuensis and assisted him with "Billy Budd". Later, Bernard would describe his year with Britten as "a wonderful baptism as a working composer."

While still a student at Wellington College, Bernard became good friends with the future actor Christopher Lee, who was a fellow classmate. It was a fortuitous meeting, because Lee would go on to star in a great many horror films for Hammer Studios, for which his friend James Bernard would write the scores. At first, Berbard's very 'Tonal' music was not well received in many circles, and he found work writing for Radio. As a result of his score for "The Duchess of Malfi", he was recommended to Hammer Films, for whom he would go to write a number of scores, starting with the music for The Quatermass Xperiment(1955). Eventually, there would be over 20 Hammer film scores.

In his later years, Bernard retired to Jamaica, where he still remained active in composing. Among the films and TV shows for which he scored are:
    Universal Horror (1998 TV)
    Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994 TV - He played himself in the film.)
    Peter Cushing: A One-Way Ticket to Hollywood (1989 TV)
    Murder Elite (1985)
    Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
    Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, The (1974)
        ... aka 7 Brothers Versus Dracula
        ... aka 7 Brothers and a Sister Meet Dracula
        ... aka Seven Golden Vampires: The Last Warning (1974 UK)
        ... aka 7 Brothers of Dracula (UK)
        ... aka 7 Golden Vampires (UK)
        ... aka Dracula and the Seven Golden Vampires
        ... aka Last Warning, The (UK)
        ... aka USA 1979: Seven Brothers Meet Dracula, The
    Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
    Scars of Dracula (1970)
    Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
    Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)
    Devil Rides Out, The (1968. aka in USA: Devil's Bride, The
    Frankenstein Created Woman (1967. aka Frankenstein Made Woman)
    Torture Garden (1967)
    Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
        ... aka Bloody Scream of Dracula, The (1966)
        ... aka Disciple of Dracula (1966)
        ... aka Dracula 3 (1966)
        ... aka Revenge of Dracula (1966)
    Plague of the Zombies, The (1966)
        ... aka Zombies, The (1966)
    Secret of Blood Island, The (1965)
        ... aka P.O.W.: Prisoners of War (1965)
    She (1965/I)
    Gorgon, The (1964)
    Kiss of the Vampire, The (1963. aka on TV: Kiss of Evil)
    Damned, The (1963. aka in USA: These Are the Damned (1965)
    Terror of the Tongs, The (1961)
    Stranglers of Bombay, The (1960)
    Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1959)
    Nor the Moon by Night (1958)
        ... aka in USA: Elephant Gun
    Windom's Way (1958)
    Dracula (1958. aka in USA: Horror of Dracula
    Across the Bridge (1957)
    Quatermass 2 (1957)
        ... aka in USA: Enemy from Space
        ... aka in USA: Quatermass II: Enemy from Space
    Curse of Frankenstein, The (1957)
    Pacific Destiny (1956)
    X the Unknown (1956)
    Quatermass Xperiment, The (1955. aka in USA: Creeping Unknown, The. aka: Shock
    Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Orig.1922 then re-scored 1997. The music was played by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine, for the Silva Screen FILMCD192. He was retired and living in Jamaica, WI)
        ... aka Nosferatu the Vampire (1922)
        ... aka Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922)
        ... aka Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (1922)
        ... aka Nosferatu: The First Vampire (1998) (USA: reissue title)
        ... aka Terror of Dracula (1922)
        ... aka Zw�fte Stunde, Die (1922)

Lord Berners
b: 1883, Shropshire, England, UK. d: 19 April 1950, Berkshire, England, UK
This somewhat eccentric English Composer, Novelist, and English 'Peer' did write the scores for a few films, among which are:
    Nicholas Nickleby (1947. aka: Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The. (He dedicated the
        score to Ernest Irving, who also did the orchestration.)
    Champagne Charlie (1944. He was uncredited and supplied additional music)
    Halfway House, The (1944. For Ealing Studios film)

Ben Bernie
b. May 30, 1891, Bayonne, NJ d. Oct. 20, 1943, Beverly Hills, CA
Overview
This bandleader was most popular during the late 1920's and the 1930's. His band appeared in the 1934 movie 'Shoot the Works', and in the 1935 film 'Stolen Harmony'. (See also the American Bands database entry.)

The 'Ol' Maestro' is included here as the co-composer of 1925's "Sweet Georgia Brown" and 1931's "Who's Your Little Whoozis?"

Leonard Bernstein
b. Aug. 25, 1918 Lawrence, MA. d. New York City, N.Y.
Early on in life, he studied piano with several teachers. Between 1935 and 1939, he majored in music at Harvard University, studying under such teachers as Walter Piston; Edward Burlingame Hill, Arthur Tillman Merritt, and graduated Cum Laude. After Harvard, Leonard continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music where he worked under the famed leader, Fritz Reiner. After this he spent three summers at Tanglewood (Lenox, MA) as assistant leader under Serge Koussevitzky.

In 1943, he became assistant leader of the New York Philharmonic, under Bruno Walter. When Walter suddenly became ill, Leonard led the orchestra, and was immediately acclaimed by the press. It was the start of a brilliant career.

In 1944, Bernstein wrote both his first symphony " Jeremiah Symnphony", and his first Broadway ballet, Fancy Free, with Jerome Robbins as choreographer. By Dec. 28, 1944, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, had extended the main concept into a musical comedy, which opened on Broadway as On The Town, and later (1949) as a film with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. On Feb. 25, 1953, Bernstein had another Broadway score with Wonderful Town, a musical adaptation of Ruth McKenney's My Sister Eileen. On Dec. 1, 1956, Bernstein's Candide opened on Broadway but only had 73 performances before closing. On Sept. 26, 1957, West Side Story opened on Broadway, and it was perhaps Bernstein's biggest popular music success.

Bernstein married Felicia Montealegre, a South American actress, and they had two children.

William Billings
b. Oct. 7, 1746 Boston, MA d. Sept. 26, 1800 Boston, MA
Fate was not kind to this composer of psalms, hymns and 'fuguing' songs. He was born with vision in only one eye, and with arms and legs of un-even lengths. His father died when Billings was just 14 years old, and he was apprenticed to a Tanner. Prior to his father's demise, he had had a little musical training from a local choirmaster. He began to study Tans'urs Musical Grammar, and various Psalm books. In time, he left the Tanning business to become America's first professional musician. In spite of his physical defects, he had a driving ambition and a fearless spirit. He taught his own singing class, in Stoughton, MA, which, in time, became the Stoughton Musical Society, our oldest musical society, and America's first singing school.

Among his other goals, he organized America's first church choir. He was the first to use a cello in a church music. He was the first to use a pitch pipe for church services. He wrote a number of books including The Singing Master's Assistant (1776), Music in Miniature (1779), as well as many others. By 1790, there was hardly a American psalm book that didn't contain some of his tunes.

Inspired by the American Revolution, America's first popular songs emerged from these psalms. Billings, a friend of Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, was a passionate advocate of the Revolution. Billings 'adapted' many of his hymns as war songs with new lyrics. His "Chester" became America's first war song, and was sung in all the camps. There is little doubt that the song helped maintain morale among the troops.

Billings died in extreme poverty. He was buried in an un-marked grave.

Eubie Blake
b. Feb. 7, 1883, Baltimore, MD, d. Jan. 12, 1983, New York, N.Y.
né: James Hubert Blake
Overview
Eubie Blake was a part of American music for one hundred years. As a teenager, he found work as a pianist, - and he was still working at age one hundred.

Before the turn of the century, Eubie was already playing piano in various 'sporting houses' and saloons. In 1899, he wrote his first successful song, the "Charleston Rag". In 1915 he and Noble Sissle became a double vaudeville act, writing songs for their own performances. In 1921 they brought the musical, 'Shuffle Along', to Broadway. This was a rather remarkable accomplishment, for it was the first show written, directed, performed, and produced by blacks. The show's hit song, "I'm Just Wild About Harry", was sung by Florence Mills. In 1948, Harry Truman used the tune as his presidential campaign song.

Eubie worked with other lyricists as well. For example, his hit song "Memories of You" had the lyric by Andy Razaf, who later was a favorite collaborator for Fats Waller (and others).

In 1969, John Hammond recorded Eubie playing some of the songs that he had written, and also talking of his life. The record truly caught the public's imagination and interest. In 1978, the Broadway show 'Eubie' celebrated his life and times.

In 1983, Eubie told an interviewer "If I'de known that I was going to live this long, I would've taken better care of myself." Eubie died 5 days later, after celebrating his one hundredth birthday.

1919 "Mirandy", composed with Noble Sissle and James Reese Europe.
1924 "Manda", composed for Broadway show Chocolate Dandies
1921 "Charleston Rag", Eubie Blake instrumental (piano).
1930 "That Lindy Hop", Blake and Andy Razaf.
193? "I'm A Slave To Love"
1933 For the show 'Blackbirds of 1933', he wrote:
"I Just Couldn't Take It Baby"
"100 Years From Today", a great tune that should be better known today
"Your Mother's Son In Law", a hit vocal for Billie Holiday.

Howard Blake
b. 1938 UK
This English composer studied music at the Royal Academy of Music, in London, England. Subsequently (1960s - 1990s), he has been active as pianist, conductor, composer, and has even acted a bit. As an actor, he appeared in the 1979 film 'Agatha: The Riddle of the Sands' (about Agatha Christie's disappearance where he was seen as a member of the Hotel Trio (band), but, incredibly, his score for the film was not used. He worked as the music supervisor for the 1983 film 'The Hunger', and for 'The Changeling' (1980 music box theme. The film was aka 'L'Enfant du diable' in Canada).

As a composer, Blake has written much attractive music for the films including:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996)
A Month in the Country (1987)
The Canterville Ghost (1986 TV)
The Lords of Discipline (1983)
Amityville 3-D (1983. aka Amityville III: The Demon, and Amityville: The Demon)
The Snowman (1982)
Flash Gordon (1980)
The Riddle of the Sands (1979)
S.O.S. Titanic (1979 TV)
The Odd Job (1978)
Les Liens du sang (1977) ... aka Blood Relatives (1977)
Stronger Than the Sun (1977 TV. In UK: Play for Today: Stronger Than the Sun)
The Duellists (1977. Music is on Silver Screen FILMXCD188(2 CD set)
The Rainbow Gang (1973)
An Elephant Called Slowly (1969)
Some Will, Some Won't (1969)
The Avengers (a 1961 TV Series)

Terence Blanchard
b. March 13, 1962, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Blanchard originally began performing on Spike Lee's film soundtracks before becoming that director's regular film composer. Since then, he has become a widely renowned jazz musician and a Sony Records recording artist.

As an actor, he played trumpet as a member of the Billie Holiday Quartet in the 1992 film 'Malcolm X'. He has been very active as a studio musician where he can be heard playing his trumpet on such films as Backbeat (1993), House Sitter (1992), Do the Right Thing (1989), School Daze (1988), Primal Fear (1996), and in Random Hearts (1999). He conducted the orchestra for the 1994 film 'Crooklyn', and supplied some special music for the 1996 TV show 'Soul of the game (aka 'Field of Honour' in the UK).

As a Composer, Blanchard has scored music for about 30 films, including:
Original Sin (2001)
Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Bamboozled (2000)
The Truth About Jane (2000 TV show)
Navigating the Heart (2000 TV show
Love & Basketball (2000)
Next Friday (2000)
Summer of Sam (1999)
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999 TV)
Free of Eden (1999 TV show)
The Color of Courage (1999 TV show)
A Saintly Switch (1999 TV show. aka: In Your Shoes)
The Tempest (1998 TV show)
Gia (1998 TV show)
Eve's Bayou (1997)
Little Girls (1997)
'Til There Was You (1997)
Get on the Bus (1996)
The Promised Land (1995 TV show)
Clockers (1995)
Crooklyn (1994)
The Inkwell (1994. aka: No Ordinary Summer)
Trial by Jury (1994)
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994 TV show)
Harlem (1993. aka: Sugar Hill)
Malcolm X (1992)
Jungle Fever (1991)
Mo' Better Blues (1990. supplied special music for which he is uncredited)

William Blezard
b. 1921.
A fine British composer, Blezard composed music for a number of film documentaries. He is also well remembered for having arranged Noel Coward's music for his play The Astonished Heart. He also composed the music for the 1948 film, Song of Tomorrow.

William Best
May 27, 1913, Sunflower, Mississippi, USA. d. February 27, 1962, Hollywood, CA, USA. (cancer)
(Note: Another singer/composer who was also born in Sunflower, MS, USA, was Jerry Butler)
For unknown reasons, this composer was widely known as "Pat Best".
A reader has sent this uncredited photo of Best, taken possibly circa 1949 when be was a member of the singing group 'The Brown Dots'. During the 1930s and '40s, Best was a popular actor in various (118) Hollywood films, appearing in roles portraying a shuffling, illiterate, superstitious porter, stableboy, chauffeur, and the like. He was credited as "Willie Best", and up to the mid-1930s, if he was given any screen credit at all, he was listed in the on-screen credits only as "Sleep 'n' Eat."
Today, Best is perhaps best recalled for composing the extremely popular tune "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons". Deek Watson was credited as the lyricist, but later research indicates that he had nothing to do with the tune, William Best having composed both the words and music when he was just 14 years old. In 1945, when the song was published, Best sold the rights, for $2500 dallars, to Maxine Andrews' (The Andrews Sisters) husband, then the owner of a music publishing company, for $2500. (He registered the tune in the name of Maxine's granddaughter.) Incidentally, many years later, Best sued and, in 2000, regained full rights to the tune.

To give an indication of the song's popularity, here is a (partial) list of the many stars who recorded the tune (together with the song's rankings in the Pop Charts) : Nat King Cole (#1), Eddie Howard (#2), Dinah Shore (#2), Charlie Spivak Orch. (instrumental) (#5), Ella Fitzgerald vocal with the Delta Rhythm Boys (#8), Art Kassel Orch. (Jimmie Featherstone vocal) (#15 -on a Vogue Picture Record), Sam Cooke vocal release (#17), Brown Dots (Joe King lead singer), Brown Dots (Jimmie Nabbie lead singer), Three Rays, The Ink Spots Quartet), The Righteous Brothers, The Tunes (Pat Best himself as the lead singer), Original Charmers, Rivileers, The Cleftones, Jesse Belvin, Dick Hayman, Linda Ronstadt, Jose Feliciano, Natalie Cole, Peggy Lee, Ames Brothers, Four Lovers, Pookie Hudson And Spaniels, Smiley Lewis, Four Knights, Voices Five (Chanters), plus many contemporary artists.

Best also wrote many of the songs for such vocal groups as 'The Brown Dots'. That group, formed ca. 1945, consisted of Best, Jimmy Gordon, and Jimmie Nabbie, and Deek Watson (formerly of 'The Ink Spots') and recorded for the 'Regis' label. In 1946, Danny Owens replaced Watson, and as "The Sentimentalists" recorded for the Manor label. About 1947, they began renamed themselves as "The Four Tunes", and among their Manor releases were "Is It Right", "Let's Give Love Another Chance", "Is It Too Late", "You're Heaven Sent", "Where Is My Love", "All My Dreams", "Wrapped Up In A Dream", "Take My Lonely Heart", "Sometime, Someplace, Somewhere", "Don't Cry Darling", and "I Want To Be Loved", the latter two backing vocalist Savannah Churchill. The Manor labels often indicated that the songs were written (or co-written) by 'Silver-Heyman-Sherman', Deek Watson, Savannah Churchill, or Irving Berman (owner of Manor Records), but, regardless of the label credits, William Best was the sole composer. Ca. 1949, the same group, still called "The Four Tones", recorded for the RCA label (but Manor/Arco still owned the 'Rights' to the "Four Tunes"). In 1953, they recorded for the Jubilee label, waxing such hits as "Marie" and "I Understand (Just How You Feel)" (the latter also composed by Pat Best).

Rudolph Bernauer
b. January 20, 1880, Vienna, Austria, d. November 26, 1953, London, England, UK
Currently no information
aka: Rudolf Bernauer, Rudolf Bernnauer
This Weimar-era impresario wrote the lyric (composer Walter Jurmann, wrote the music) to the hit song "Du Bist Nicht Die Erste", (483 kb)."You Are Not The First". This 'schlager' was first heard in the film "Ihre Majestät - Die Liebe" (1931). Vocalist Leo Monosson is backed by the Juan Llossas Orchestra,