Al Caiola

Al Caiola first built his name as a guitarist through extensive studio work, contributing to releases by Percy Faith, Andre Kostelanetz and numerous other artists. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he worked as conductor and arranger for United Artists Records. After his departure from the label he joined RCA and issued several singles across the 1950s. Returning to United Artists in the early 1960s, he landed his initial success with the main theme from the film The Magnificent Seven. The track reached position 35 early in 1961 and was soon followed by the theme from the television series Bonanza, which rose to number 19. Throughout the remainder of the decade Caiola issued multiple easy listening instrumental albums while also hosting a television program that remained on the air only briefly. He continued recording in the decades that followed and died in Allendale, New Jersey in 2016 at the age of 96.