Lew Davies born 25 September 1911

Lew Davies  (25 September 1911 - 11 December 1968) was an American bandleader, composer and arranger, long associated with Enoch Light's Command Records.

Davies was born Lewis A. Davies in 1911 at Ashland, Kentucky. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and later studied composition with the noted teacher, Tibor Serly. He began arranging for dance bands in 1928 including the Tommy Tucker band and also  worked in radio as well.

A half-hour musical variety radio program, It’s Wheeling Steel debuted over WWVA in Wheeling on November 8, 1936. Conceived and produced by the Wheeling Steel Corporation’s advertising director, John L. Grimes, the program’s purpose was to promote public relations and serve as a vehicle for advertising the corporation’s products. The program’s content consisted of light classics, popular songs, and show tunes, performed by The Steelmakers Orchestra, which consisted of local musicians, as well as an assortment of amateur ‘‘headliner’’ performers, all of whom were drawn from the corporation’s extended family of employees.

John L, Grimes with Lew Davies

During the 1938/39 season Davies joined the show as its new arranger. The program was an instant success with local audiences. Davies’ arrangements brought the Steelmakers Orchestra to the cutting edge of the big band sound. When it was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in January 1939, its appeal proved to be nationwide. On June 25, 1939, Wheeling Steel musicians performed at the World’s Fair in New York, and more than 26,000 people attended the outdoor performance. In 1941, It’s Wheeling Steel jumped to the NBC Blue Network, where it rose to fifth place in listener ratings. During 
World War II, the show supported the war effort by encouraging listeners to buy bonds. One program, broadcast from West Virginia University’s field house, generated $663,000 for the “Buy a Bomber”
campaign.

The program was at the height of its popularity when it was discontinued in 1944, primarily due to Grimes’s declining health. Davies found employment wrighting arrangements for Perry Como’s “Chesterfield Hour” which was broadcast live from the New Yorks fancy Chesterfield Club.

When the club closed Davies was hired by bandleader and recording industry mogul, Enoch Light in the late 1950s and soon became Light's primary arranger he arranged for Command stars Tony Mattola, Dr. Severinson and others.  Many of the early Command releases include one or two original compositions by Davies, and the label released five albums under his own name. He also snuck in one album for Columbia, but is only credited in passing in the liner notes.

        
        Here’s “Riders In The Sky” from above 1961 album.

                               

Davies also assisted Lawrence Welk in developing a musical variety show for television that was a reflection of Its Wheeling Steel’s format and character. Although he primarily collaborated with Light, Davies did occasional arrangements for Lawrence Welk, Perry Como, and Lena Horne. Davies' arrangements hit a nice balance between showing off stereo effects and creating a genuine musical mood, and are among the more listenable

recordings from the stereo showcase period.

There's almost no trace left of Lew Davies except for his arrangements on the "Persuasive Percussion" series and most of the rest of Command's records. Enoch Light certainly contributed the inspiration and technical genius behind the Command style, but Davies, not Light, receives the arranger credit on the majority of Command's releases.

Lew Davies died in New York City, New York 11 December 1968

(Edited from Spaceagepop and Wheeling Heritage.org)