Abe
(Glenn) Osser (August 28, 1914 – April 29, 2014) was an American musician,
musical arranger, orchestra leader, and songwriter. His birth name was Abraham
(Abe), but much of his work was under the name Glenn; he can be found with
references under both names. He also worked under a number of other names:
Arthur Meisel, Bob Marvel, Maurice Pierre, and others.
He
was born Abraham Osser in Munising, Michigan, the child of Russian-Jewish
immigrants. He studied piano, violin, saxophone and clarinet in high school and
went on to study music at the University of Michigan, beginning in music
education and switching to music theory. After graduating in 1935 he worked
with a college dance band and, on advice from the band leader, moved to New
York City, where he met music publisher Charles Warren, who became Osser's
mentor. With introductions from Warren, Osser began arranging for Bob Crosby,
Vincent Lopez, Al Donahue, Charlie Barnet, Bunny Berigan, and Ben Bernie. (Photo of Glenn with Slam Stewart & Bob Haggart)
He
also began some radio work, hired by NBC to be a staff arranger with a young
conductor, Al Roth. He also played sax and clarinet in some orchestras,
including Les Brown's Band of Renown, where he became a close friend of
Brown's. He also got to work with Benny Goodman on his radio program, and
(although he was not officially credited) wrote the arrangement of Martha
Tilton's recording of "And the Angels Sing" with the Goodman
orchestra.
During
World War II Osser served in the U.S. Maritime Service, stationed on Hoffman
Island in New York harbor. After his discharge in 1944 he began to arrange for
the Paul Whiteman orchestra. (According to one source, it was Whiteman who,
disliking the name "Abe Osser," suggested the name "Glenn."
Another source credits the name change to Bud Barry, director of programming at
ABC.) Osser rehearsed and conducted Whiteman's orchestra on the NBC Blue
Network, which became the ABC Network, and when Whiteman went on ABC
television, Osser joined him. Whiteman became music director at ABC and put
Osser on as staff, where he served from 1947 to 1969, when staff orchestras
were eliminated. During his time at ABC, Osser was the orchestra director for
Theater-Five (1964-5), ABC's attempt at reviving theatrical radio.
Osser
became an arranger/conductor, first for Mercury Records, where he backed such
vocalists as Georgia Gibbs, Vic Damone, Jack Jones, Frankie Laine, John Raitt,
Maurice Chevalier and Guy Mitchell. Osser was also recording his own
instrumental albums, notably some with Bobby Hackett and Joe Bushkin. Further
albums found Osser backing Johnny Mathis, Jerry Vale, Tony Bennett, Robert
Goulet and Leslie Uggams. Leaving US Columbia Records and moving to RCA
Records, Osser worked with Della Reese and Sam Cooke.
On
television he was musical director for the 1949 series Blind Date (also titled
Your Big Moment), conductor for the 1953 series The Vaudeville Show, and
orchestrator and conductor for the 1957 production of Pinocchio. In 1959 he was
the Orchestra leader for the series Music for a Summer Night, which was
repeated the following year as Music for a Spring Night. Osser was the
conductor and provided the arrangements for the 1963 Sergio Franchi RCA Victor
Red Seal album, "Broadway, I Love You!."
Until
1987 he was Music Director and arranger for the Miss America Beauty Pageant on
television, with Osser and his wife contributing various original songs
including ‘Miss America, You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Look At Her’. He has also
written many works for concert bands that are still regularly performed by many
high school and college bands in the USA.
He
wrote a number of songs, usually with his wife, Edna contributing the lyrics.
Osser died at the age of 99, in Harrison, New York. on April 29, 2014. (Info from Wikipedia)
Here's "Beguine
for Band" by Glenn Osser, performed
by the Heart of Texas Concert Band for the Fiesta - Side by Side concert
Mike
Olson conducting.
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