Frank Terranella

@fterranella
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Ben Weisman was a prolific composer of songs for Elvis and others

Elvis loved his songs and called him "the mad professor." But Ben Weisman was actually a very astute musician who composed many of the songs Elvis sang in his movies. It's just that dressed in a sports coat and tie, wit...

Tales of the Tarantula
Marni Nixon: The Ghostess with the Mostest

By now it is no secret that Marni Nixon sang for some of the lead actresses in major musicals in Hollywood history. For example, she dubbed Deborah Kerr's singing in The King and I. She was also Natalie Wood's singing vo...

Tales of the Tarantula
Fletcher Henderson, master arranger behind the Benny Goodman band

If you're a fan of Big Band swing music, especially bands like Benny Goodman's, you owe some thanks to a master arranger named Fletcher Henderson.

Tales of the Tarantula
Sports betting is becoming an addiction with predictable fallout

What do the states of Alabama, Georgia, Texas and California have in common? They are among only 10 states left that do not permit online sports betting. The others are Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and...

Tales of the Tarantula
Don Costa, master musician, arranged hits for Sinatra and others

We continue our tribute to great arrangers with Don Costa.

Tales of the Tarantula
Here's a peek behind the curtain at master orchestrator Sid Ramin

I wrote last time about Irwin Kostal and the important behind-the-scenes job of an orchestrator. As I said then, it is the job of orchestrators to assign the musical notes written by the composer to specific instruments....

Tales of the Tarantula
Orchestrators add colors to a composer's sketch of a good tune

When a song sounds great, composers tend to get all the credit. But that is only justified when the composer acts as orchestrator as well. Because the orchestration is what turns a collection of notes played on a piano o...

Tales of the Tarantula
Ike's warning about military spending is still sage advice

Recently I traveled to Abilene, Kansas to tour the Presidential Library and Museum of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. I knew well that he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces that landed on the beaches of Normand...

Tales of the Tarantula