George Cates

Born on 19 October 1911 in New York City, New York, USA, and passing away on 10 May 2002 in Los Angeles, California, USA, George Cates pursued careers as composer, arranger, conductor and record producer after completing his studies at New York University. Early professional assignments included music arrangements for the Olsen and Johnson comedy revue Hellzapoppin, followed by stints with the orchestras of Henry Busse, Dick Stabile and Russ Morgan. Following wartime service in the US Navy during World War II, he relocated to Los Angeles and took on production duties at Coral Records and Dot Records while also supervising music for Lawrence Welk’s popular television programs throughout the 1950s and 1960s; he later wrote the bandleader’s signature theme, “Champagne Time.”

During 1955 he supplied piano accompaniment for Steve Allen on the hit version of “Autumn Leaves,” recorded shortly after Allen launched The Tonight Show. Leading his own orchestra, Cates focused on soundtrack material and produced several notable singles, among them the 1955 coupling “Moonglow”/“Theme From ‘Picnic’,” which exceeded one million copies and peaked inside the US Top 5; “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” from Doris Day’s film The Man Who Knew Too Much; and the title themes from Friendly Persuasion in 1956 and the little-known Bing Crosby vehicle Man On Fire in 1957. Heart failure claimed Cates in 2002.