College Prom - Leroy Holmes Orchestra

I found this album in a cut-out record shop in Chicago in 1964. It's been a longtime favorite for just nice smooth danceband medleys with many familiar standards (and a few oddball tunes)  skillfully arranged by Holmes and played with precision by a group of unidentified studio musicians. Original release on MGM was May of 1959.

According to Wikipedia LeRoy Holmes was born September 22, 1913, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died July 27, 1986, Los Angeles, California) was an American songwriter, composer, arranger and conductor. Holmes studied music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and the Juilliard School in New York, before working with a number of bandleaders during the 1930s and early 40s. These included Ernst Toch, Vincent Lopez, and Harry James. After serving as a lieutenant in the US Navy during the Second World War, he moved to Hollywood, where he was hired by MGM Music Studios as a house arranger and conductor, before later moving to United Artists.

During his time with MGM, he backed numerous vocalists, including Judy Garland, and in 1954 made what is possibly his best known recording, a version of the theme to the film The High and the Mighty. The song is known for its distinctive accompanying whistling, which was provided by Fred Lowery. Holmes provided the orchestration for Tommy Edwards epic 1958 hit "It's All In The Game", and tried rock and R&B with his backing to the Impalas "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)".

Holmes also wrote the theme song to the television series International Detective. He moved to United Artists Records in the early 1960s, where he contributed to many compilations of movie themes, released albums under his own name and backed a succession of singers, notably Gloria Lynne and Shirley Bassey.

Holmes also wrote some published "stock" arrangements of swing era tunes for several publishing companies.

If there's any big band leaders reading this, I'm always interested in doing transcriptions of these or other arrangements for dance bands.

College Prom - Leroy Holmes Orchestra
1. When I Take My Sugar to Tea-Lousie-Tangerine-Love is Just Around the Corner
2. Out of Nowhere-I Don't Want to Walk Without You-If I Should Lose You-You Brought a New Kind of Love To Me
3. My Old Flame-Heart & Soul-My Future Just Passed, Thanks for the Memories
4. Moon Song, Moonlight & Shadows, I Wished on the Moon, Moonlight Becomes You
5. You're a Sweet Little Headache, What Am I Gonna Do About You?, Crosspatch, In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening
6. I Hear Music, Sing You Sinngers, I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine, Jingle Jangle Jingle
7. Penthouse Serenade, Isn't it Romantic?, Two Sleepy People, You're Mine You.