Walker, Don, 1907-1989

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1907-10-28
Death 1989-09-13

Biographical notes:

Biographical Note

1907, Oct. 28 Born Donald John Walker in Lambertville, New Jersey, only child of Thomas J. Walker and Blanche S. Walker (nee Basford) circa 1920 circa 1929 Studied piano and pipe organ Organist, St. Andrews Episcopal Church Studied flute, clarinet, and tenor saxophone Started local dance band 1922, June 7 Graduated, Lambertville High School Salutarian of class circa 1922 circa 1928 Played tenor sax in Don Walker’s Interfraternity Five Played solo clarinet in University of Pennsylvania marching band 1926 B.C.S. and B.S., Accountancy, Rider College of Business, Trenton, N.J. 1928 Member, honorary scholastic fraternity, Beta Gamma Sigma 1929 B.S., Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 1929 1932 Arranger and assistant conductor of recordings (Victor), Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians 1931, Mar. 14 Married Audrey Langrill Simpson of Moore Park, Toronto, Canada (died 2003) 1932, Mar. 8 Daughter Ann Audrey Walker born 1932 1933 Composer, arranger and conductor, Mask and Wig Productions, University of Pennsylvania Productions included Ruffneck and Out of the Blues 1933, Sept. 3 Son David Ellsworth Walker born 1933 1935 Head arranger, Al Goodman Orchestra (for radio shows Lucky Strike Program, Good Gulf Program and others) 1934 Co-orchestrator, Life Begins at 8:40 Co-orchestrated and composed two numbers, Caviar 1935 Co-orchestrator, At Home Abroad Co-orchestrator, May Wine 1935 1942 Head arranger for Frank Black at NBC 1935 1952 Staff arranger, Harms (sold to Chappell and Co.) Worked with Robert Russell Bennett, Hans Spialek, Conrad Salinger, Ted Royal 1936 Co-orchestrator, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 Orchestrator, Forbidden Melody 1936 1951 Head arranger for Sigmund Romberg (for radio programs, operettas, concert tours, albums) 1937 Orchestrator, Hooray for What! Co-orchestrator, Three Waltzes 1938 Additional orchestrations, You Never Know Orchestrator, Leave it to Me! 1939 Musical director, conductor, arranger, Nice Goin’ Orchestrator, Stars in Your Eyes Co-orchestrator, George White’s Scandals 1940 Orchestrator, Two for the Show Co-orchestrator, Keep Off the Grass Co-orchestrator, Boys and Girls Together Orchestrator, Panama Hattie Orchestrator, Hold on to Your Hats Co-orchestrator, Hi Ya, Gentlemen Co-orchestrator, Walk with Music 1941 Orchestrator, Let’s Face It! Orchestrator, Best Foot Forward 1942 Co-orchestrator, Count Me In Orchestrator, By Jupiter 1943 Conductor and arranger, CBS radio program Only Yesterday Orchestrator, Something for the Boys 1944 Joined ASCAP Co-composer and orchestrator, Allah Be Praised! Co-orchestrator, On the Town 1945 Co-orchestrator, Carousel Composer, adaptor, co-orchestrator, Memphis Bound! 1946 Composer, Fabulous Doll 1947 Co-orchestrator, Finian’s Rainbow 1948 Co-orchestrator, Kiss Me Kate Co-orchestrator, Heaven on Earth Co-orchestrator, That’s the Ticket Some orchestrations, Inside U.S.A. 1948 1973 Founder, vice-president, president, Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pennsylvania Composer and arranger, various productions of The Bucks County Revue Vice-president and director, Playhouse Inn 1949 Some orchestrations for, Miss Liberty; Touch and Go; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; South Pacific Orchestrator, NBC television series The Admiral Broadway Revue 1950 Co-orchestrator, Great to Be Alive! Orchestrator, Call Me Madam Orchestrator, Bless You All 1951 Composed and orchestrated, Courtin’ Time Some orchestrations, The King and I 1952 Special orchestrations, Pal Joey (revival) Co-orchestrator, Of Thee I Sing (revival) 1953 Arranger and orchestrator, Wonderful Town Arranger and orchestrator, Me and Juliet Arranger and orchestrator, Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre 1954 Orchestrator, The Girl in Pink Tights Orchestrator, The Pajama Game Orchestrator, On Your Toes (revival) 1955 Orchestrator, Silk Stockings Orchestrator, Damn Yankees Co-orchestrator, Finian’s Rainbow (revival) Additional orchestrations, Catch a Star! 1956 Orchestrator, The Most Happy Fella Additional orchestrations, Happy Hunting 1957 Musical director and arranger, Your Hit Parade, NBC television show Orchestrator, The Music Man Composed and scored, Mistress of the Inn, Bucks County Playhouse (continued to work on the show through revised version, The Inn People (1972)) 1957 1959 Lecturer, “Music Heard-Music Written,” Hunter College School of Adult Education 1958 Composed and orchestrated incidental music, Comic Strip Orchestrated, The Gift of the Magi (television musical) Musical supervisor and orchestrator, The Red Mill (television musical) Worked on novel The Bucket of Blood 1959 Orchestrator, First Impressions 1960 Orchestrator, Greenwillow Co-orchestrator, Finian’s Rainbow (revival) Orchestrator, The Unsinkable Molly Brown 1961 Orchestrator, The Gay Life 1962 Composed and orchestrated incidental music, The Beauty Part 1963 Orchestrator, She Loves Me Orchestrator, Here’s Love 1964 Orchestrator, What Makes Sammy Run Orchestrator, Anyone Can Whistle Orchestrator, Fiddler on the Roof 1965 Orchestrator, Baker Street Orchestrator, Flora, the Red Menace Orchestrator, Anya Scored A Thousand Clowns (film) Academy Award nominee for Scoring of Music–Adaption or Treatment, A Thousand Clowns 1966 Orchestrator, Cabaret 1967 Orchestrator, Hellzapoppin ‘67 1968 Orchestrator, The Happy Time Orchestrator, Zorba 1969 Co-composer and orchestrator, The Appointment (film) Co-composed incidental music, Angela 1970 Orchestrator, The Rothschilds 1971 Orchestrator, 70, girls, 70 1973 Orchestrator, Pajama Game (revival) Began project for Music Theatre International to adapt Italian and French operas for performance by American high schools and colleges 1974 Co-orchestrator, Lorelei Orchestrator, Shenandoah, at Goodspeed Opera House 1975 Orchestrator, Shenandoah Co-orchestrator, Jeeves Orchestrator, Hans Christian Andersen 1976 Orchestrator, The Baker’s Wife Orchestrator, Fiddler on the Roof (revival) 1978 Orchestrator, Angel 1978 1980 Adapted score, Ragtime Blues 1979 Orchestrator, The Most Happy Fella (revival) 1980 Orchestrator, The Music Man (revival) Orchestrator, The Barber of Guadalajara, adaption of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in mariachi style 1981 Orchestrator, Fiddler on the Roof (revival) 1982 Orchestrator, The Little Prince and the Aviator Composed film score for Freedom 1982 1983 Worked on novel 6-Piece Quintet 1983 Orchestrator, Zorba (revival) 1984 Worked on memoir Men of Notes 1987 Orchestrator, Cabaret (revival) 1989, Sept. 13 Died, Mercer Medical Center, Trenton, New Jersey

From the guide to the Don Walker Collection, 1932-1984, (Music Division Library of Congress)

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Subjects:

  • Arrangers (Musicians)
  • Composers
  • Instrumentation and orchestration
  • Motion picture music
  • Music
  • Musicals
  • Musicals
  • Popular music
  • Orchestrators
  • Songs
  • Television music

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