Nelson Riddle

Nelson Riddle is one of the most refined, innovative and well-regarded arrangers in the history of pop vocal music. Born in 1921, the New Jersey native built his chops as a composer, arranger and trombonist in his teens before joining several big bands in the early ’40s. After a stint in the army, Riddle began his career in earnest working as an arranger for NBC Radio. His career-making association with Capitol Records came in the ’50s, first arranging for Nat “King” Cole before being charged with helping to rehabilitate Frank Sinatra’s flagging career. The legendary work Riddle and Sinatra did together on lushly orchestrated concept albums like 1955’s In the Wee Small Hours, 1956’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! and 1958’s Sings for Only the Lonely not only catapulted Sinatra to an unparalleled level of stardom; they reinvented popular singing and showed the creative potential of the nascent LP format. While keeping up work with Sinatra, Riddle embarked on collaborations with pop and jazz royalty like Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Judy Garland in the ’60s and ’70s. He also recorded his own instrumental albums while writing prolifically for film and television and serving as music director for awards ceremonies and political events. Just as Riddle’s career seemed to be dwindling in the early ’80s, Linda Ronstadt expressed interest in recording a set of classic standards, which led to three acclaimed albums entirely arranged by Riddle. He died in 1985 of cirrhosis before the release of the final album in the trilogy.