Ervin Drake

Composer / Lyricist

Although many know composer / lyricist Ervin Drake for the song popularized by Frank Sinatra, "It Was A Very Good Year," for which he supplied both words and music, few are aware it was as a lyricist that he began his career.  He first found recognition when he fashioned an English language lyric for the Brazilian Samba melody, "Tico Tico," producing an international hit.  He then provided English lyrics for a string of Latino as well as Italian melodies, including "Come To The Mardi Gras," "Made For Each Other," "Al Di La" and "Quando Quando Quando."

For television, Drake wrote scripts and songs for CBS-TV musical variety series and their stars such as Jane Froman, Frankie Laine  and Patti Page.  He also wore three hats as Composer / Author / Producer on TV specials such as The Timex Comedy Hour starring Johnny Carson, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Buddy Hackett.  He won the Sylvania Award for his work as composer / lyricist of the early NBC-TV book musical The Bachelor.  Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower wrote him a note of thanks for scripting a birthday tribute to her entitled To Our First Lady With Love over CBS/NBC/ABC-TV, a simulcast for which he also composed "To Mamie With Music."

In 1960, having always cherished the saga of a heel, What Makes Sammy Run, he approached the author of that classic novel, Budd Schulberg,  with the idea of adapting it for the musical stage.  The original Broadway production ran some 540 performances, setting a long-run record for the Adelphi / 54th St / George Abbott Theatre and introduced  such popular standards as "A Room Without Windows" and "The Friendliest Thing (Two People Can Do)."

Drake's next show was a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra called Her First Roman, which received a 25th Anniversary recording in 1993, again co-starring the original Caesar and Cleopatra, Richard Kiley and Leslie Uggams.

Drake's other song hits include "Good Morning Heartache" for Billie Holiday (later reintroduced by Diana Ross in the 1972 biopic, Lady Sings The Blues), "The Father of Girls" for Perry Como, and the Frankie Laine hit, "I Believe," which has recently enjoyed multi-million copy CD sales by both Barbra Steisand and Leann Rimes.

Drake remains active as a songwriter, composing new material for various cabaret and recording artists such as Leslie Uggams, John Gabriel, and Danny Tarantino.  In recent years, several of his classic titles have been rerecorded by contemporary artists such as Tony Bennett, Lorrie Morgan, Sheryl Crow, Debby Gravitte, Jaymie Meyer and the British team of Robson Green and Jerome Flynn.  Sinatra's recording of "It Was A Very Good Year" can be heard in episodes of The Sopranos. and Sex And The City.  "A Room Without Windows" was featured on Will And Grace.  Additionally, Drake's songs have been featured in films by Spike Lee, Woody Allen, and others with stars such as Brad Pitt, Jeff Bridges, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.  For the newly revised version of What Makes Sammy Run, Drake has scored four new songs, including a potential standard, "The Mother Of All The Blues."

Lyrics from the revised What Makes Sammy Run?

[A Tender Spot]    [Mother Of All The Blues]
[I Can Trust Him]    [Bachelor Gal]

 

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