Perry Botkin (July 22, 1907 – October 14, 1973) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist, and composer.
Career
Born in Springfield, Ohio, Perry Botkin started working in the 1920s for Wayne Euchner, who had a big band in West Baden, Indiana. Around 1928 he worked with Phil Napoleon's Original Memphis Five. Later he played the guitar on Hoagy Carmichael's Hong Kong Blues. He also recorded with Al Jolson, Buddy Cole Trio, Connee Boswell, Eddie Cantor, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Spike Jones, Roy Rogers, and The Dorsey Brothers.
The single The Executioner Theme from the film Murder by Contract reached number 39 on Canada's CHUM Chart.
For 17 years he worked as musical director for Bing Crosby. He appeared as a musician in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1956-1957). In 1958 he composed the score for Murder by Contract, and in the 1960s he composed many songs for The Beverly Hillbillies, e.g. "Elly May's Theme". His son, Perry Botkin Jr., was also a musician and composer.
Perry Botkin died in Van Nuys, California at the age of 66.
Discography
- The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise (Decca, 1951)
References
- Schiedt, Duncan P. (1977). The Jazz State of Indiana. p. 247.
- ^ "Jazz & Ragtime in Indiana". Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
- ^ "Perry Botkin: Pioneer of American Music". Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "CHUM Hit Parade - August 17, 1959".
External links
- Perry Botkin Sr. at IMDb
- Perry Botkin at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Perry Botkin discography at Discogs
- Perry Botkin recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- 1907 births
- 1973 deaths
- American male jazz composers
- American film score composers
- American male film score composers
- American male songwriters
- American jazz guitarists
- 20th-century American classical musicians
- 20th-century American guitarists
- American male guitarists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 20th-century American jazz composers
- People from Springfield, Ohio