Biography
From the 1940s into the 1960s, lyricist Ray Gilbert supplied material that reached wide audiences through pop singers and Disney productions while also rendering numerous Antonio Carlos Jobim compositions into English. Among the Jobim pieces he adapted are “Dindi,” “Amor em Paz” (“Once I Loved”), “Samba Torto” (“Pardon My English”), “Por Causa de Você” (“Don't Ever Go Away”), “Esperança Perdida” (“I Was Just One More for You”), and “Inútil Paisagem” (“Useless Landscape”). Gilbert likewise converted works by Osvaldo Farres and by Agustín Lara, the latter often called “Mexico's Cole Porter.”
Beyond these translations, Gilbert is credited with several enduring originals, among them “Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue-Bonnet,” introduced by the Andrews Sisters, and “A Ballad in Blue,” introduced by Andy Russell, both written for a 1946 Disney feature; he also wrote “And Roses and Roses” (1965), “The Face I Love” (1966), and “You Belong to My Heart.” His lyrics appear in the Disney films The Three Caballeros (1944), Song of the South (1946), and Make Mine Music, as well as in The Gay Ranchero (1948), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), and Mr. Imperium (1951). Recordings of his words have been made by Bing Crosby with Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra, Jackie Wilson, Julie London, Nat “King” Cole, Perry Como, and numerous others.
Throughout his career Gilbert partnered with an array of composers, including Hoagy Carmichael, with whom he scored the 1943 hit “Drip Drop”; Kid Ory, co-writer of “Muskrat Ramble”; Jett Powers, with whom he created the 1958 single “Go Girls Go” and its B-side “Teenage Quarrel”; and Lew Pollack.
Beyond these translations, Gilbert is credited with several enduring originals, among them “Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue-Bonnet,” introduced by the Andrews Sisters, and “A Ballad in Blue,” introduced by Andy Russell, both written for a 1946 Disney feature; he also wrote “And Roses and Roses” (1965), “The Face I Love” (1966), and “You Belong to My Heart.” His lyrics appear in the Disney films The Three Caballeros (1944), Song of the South (1946), and Make Mine Music, as well as in The Gay Ranchero (1948), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), and Mr. Imperium (1951). Recordings of his words have been made by Bing Crosby with Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra, Jackie Wilson, Julie London, Nat “King” Cole, Perry Como, and numerous others.
Throughout his career Gilbert partnered with an array of composers, including Hoagy Carmichael, with whom he scored the 1943 hit “Drip Drop”; Kid Ory, co-writer of “Muskrat Ramble”; Jett Powers, with whom he created the 1958 single “Go Girls Go” and its B-side “Teenage Quarrel”; and Lew Pollack.
Albums
