Byers, Billy, 1927-1996

Billy Byers (b. May 1, 1927 in Los Angeles, California; d. May 1, 1996 in Malibu, California) was a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and musician (trombonist).

From the description of Billy Byers collection, 1964-1980. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 652343972

Biographical Note

The following chronology is not complete, but rather represents highlights from Byers’ career–particularly items where agreement on dates and titles came from multiple sources. Most of Byers’ work as a musician is not included here, most notably the dozens of recordings on which he played the trombone. Distinctions between the term arranger and orchestrator are not always used consistently in various sources, so those differing designations here should not be taken as definitive.

• 1927, May 1: Born William Mitchell Byers III in Los Angeles, Calif.
• 1933: Began piano lessons
• 1935: Began trombone lessons
• 1941: Onset of arthritis forced him to give up keyboard performance; began scoring films
• 1942 - 1943 : Played with the Karl Kiffe’s Hollywood Canteen Kids Band
• circa 1945: Graduated from Van Nuys High School; attended Harvard where he studied law for one year
• 1944 - 1945 : Joined the Army Air Force
• 1949: Trombonist and arranger for Georgie Auld, Buddy Rich and Benny Goodman
• circa 1950: Trombonist and arranger for Charlie Ventura and Teddy Powell; joined the staff of WMGM in New York; at 23 became arranger for Your Show of Shows television program
• 1950s: Moved to Paris; musical director for American films made in France by United International Pictures; worked with Charles Aznavour
• 1955: Arranged Milt Hinton’s recording Basses Loaded
• 1956: Recorded Jazz on the Left Bank; arranged Coleman Hawkins’ recording The Hawk in Hi Fi ; arranged Gene Krupa’s recording Drummer Man
• 1956 - 1957 : Performed with Ray Ventura in France
• 1957: Composed film score for Le Grand bluff; returned to New York and joined a small radio band; active in the RCA Jazz Workshop
• 1959: Performed with Johnny Richards orchestra; arranged recording Eydie Gorme on Stage
• 1959 - 1961 : Returned to Paris; composed film scores
• 1959 - 1960 : Toured Europe in Quincy Jones’ orchestra for Harold Arlen’s blues opera Free and Easy
• 1960: Arranged Quincy Jones’ recording Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, vol. 1
• 1960 - 1965 : Quincy Jones’ assistant at Mercury Records; arranged music for a series of albums by Count Basie
• 1961: Taught Paul Newman to play trombone for film Paris Blues
• 1962: Arranged music for recordings Impressions of Duke Ellington and Peggy Lee’s Sugar ‘n Spice
• 1962, July 1: Marries Yuriko Saito
• 1963, July 9: Daughter Kimiko Byers was born
• 1963: Arranger/orchestrator for Count Basie’s recording More Hits of the 50's and 60's and for Frankly Basie: Count Basie Plays the Hits of Frank Sinatra ; orchestrated recording The Beast in Me
• 1964: Orchestrated film The Pawnbroker
• 1965, July 27: Son Bryant Byers was born
• 1965: Arranged recordings Basie Picks the Winners and Chris Connor Sings Gentle Bossa Nova; arranger/conductor/orchestrator on Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook
• 1966: Moved to Malibu
• 1967: Composed film score for Young American
• 1968: Composed film score for Hawks and Doves
• 1969: Composed scores for the films Go for Croak, A Pair of Greenbacks and The Tijuana Toads; orchestrated film Music Box
• 1970: Composed film scores for Dopey Hacienda, Hop and Chop, and The Froggy, Froggy Duo; and television score for Hauser’s Memory
• 1971, Aug. 30: Daughter Michiko Byers was born
• 1972: Composed for television show Streets of San Francisco and film Flight to the Finish
• 1973: Musical director/conductor for Rod McKuen’s television show The Borrowers; composed for Barnaby Jones television program; orchestrator on film scores for The Sting and The Way We Were
• 1974: Toured Europe and Japan as trombonist with Frank Sinatra; musical director for the film Mame; composed film score for Moonchild
• 1975: Orchestrator for A Chorus Line ; musical director for the film White Line Fever
• 1976: Orchestrated film score for Silent Movie; arranger/orchestrator on film score for Richard Rodgers–The Sound of His Music
• 1977: Musical director for television show Happy Birthday, Las Vegas
• 1978: Orchestrator/arranger for film Same Time Next Year and for television shows Ben Vereen and His Roots and Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin
• 1979: Orchestrated stage show A New York Summer; composed score for television program Hanging In; arranger/conductor on Sarah Vaughan’s recording The Duke Ellington Songbook, vol. 1
• 1980: Orchestrated stage show Perfectly Frank; won Emmy Award for arranging television show Linda in Wonderland; won Emmy Award as principal arranger for television show Baryshnikov on Broadway
• 1981: Orchestrated stage shows Broadway Follies and Hello to Harvey; wins Emmy nomination as principal arranger for Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
• 1982: Orchestrated A Doll’s Life for the stage; arranger/orchestrator for film Sophie’s Choice and television program Shirley MacLaine–Illusions “On the Outside Looking In”
• 1983: Orchestrated stage shows Chaplin and 5,6,7,8...Dance!; won Emmy nomination as principal arranger for television show Epcot Center: The Opening Celebration
• 1984: Conducted film score for Joyeuses Pâques a.k.a. Happy Easter; orchestrated opening ceremonies for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles; won Emmy Award as principal arranger for The Screen Actor’s Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration
• 1985: Orchestrated Grind for the stage; moved to Paris; conducted film score for Hors-la-loi a.k.a. Outlaws; created arrangements for the Lido de Paris!; Emmy Award as principal arranger for Christmas in Washington
• 1986: Conducted film scores for Every Time We Say Goodbye and Pirates; orchestrated the film Le Lieu du Crime
• 1987: Orchestrated Smile for the stage; orchestrated the film Les Innocents
• 1988: Orchestrated the film L’Ours a.k.a. The Bear
• 1990: Won Emmy Award as arranger for Julie Andrews in Concert on Great Performances; Emmy nomination as arranger for The 62nd Annual Academy Awards; arranged Mandy Patinkin’s recording Dress Casual
• 1991: Orchestrated The Will Rogers Follies for the stage; Emmy Award as principal arranger for The Walt Disney Company Presents “The American Teacher Awards; Emmy nomination as arranger for Christmas in Washington; arranger/conductor on Barry Manilow’s recording Showstoppers
• 1992: Arranged on the Boston Pops recording Unforgettable; orchestrator on Liza Minnelli’s recording Live from Radio City
• 1993: Arranger/conductor on Barbra Streisand’s recording Back to Broadway; arranger on the Boston Pops’ recording Night and Day; arranger on Frank Sinatra’s recording Duets; arranger on Michael Feinstein’s recording Forever; orchestrated The Goodbye Girl for the stage
• 1994: Arranger on Barbara Cook’s recording Live from London and Frank Sinatra’s recording Duets II
• 1995: Orchestrated Victor/Victoria for the stage; orchestrated Mandy Patinkin’s recording Oscar and Steve as well as Oh Brother for both stage and recording
• 1996: Orchestrated Julie Andrews’ recording Here I’ll Stay: The Words of Alan Jay Lerner and Leonard Bernstein’s New York; orchestrated portions of the recording The Life
• 1996, May 1: Died of cancer
• 1996, Aug. 27: Posthumously given the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers Irwin Kostal Award

From the guide to the Billy Byers Collection, 1964-1980, (Music Division Library of Congress)