Billy May, Grammy-Winning Composer and Trumpeter, Dead at 87

by Jeremiah Marquez
Associated Press, January 24, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- Billy May, a Grammy-winning composer and trumpeter who
arranged such standards as "Cherokee," "Take the A Train" and
"Serenade in Blue" and worked with such stars as Bing Crosby, Frank
Sinatra and Glenn Miller, died at age 87.

May died Thursday of heart failure at his home in San Juan
Capistrano, his wife, Doris May, told The Associated Press on Friday.

The musician, who won a Grammy in 1958 for his album "Big Fat Brass,"
was noted for his brass-heavy, "slurping saxophone" arrangements, but
his command of styles extended from swing to the mambo.

He also had a brilliant sense of humor, said satirist Stan Freberg,
who collaborated with May on Freberg's Grammy-winning 1961 comedy
album "The History of the United States, Vol. 1," and 1996's Grammy-
nominated "History of the United States, Vol. 2."

"I feel like I've lost my musical soul mate," said Freberg, whose
albums featured a full swing orchestra with songs written by the
satirist but arranged and conducted by May.

"It was just a great honor for me to work with him because he was
such a brilliant arranger," Freberg said. "The great thing about
Billy is he wrote in all schools. He could do Glenn Miller because he
played with Glenn Miller. He played trumpet with the Glenn Miller
Orchestra."

Born in Pittsburgh, May played in several local bands before getting
his break in 1938 when he joined Charlie Barnet's orchestra as an
arranger and trumpeter. Among his contributions was arranging the Ray
Noble song "Cherokee," which became Barnet's signature tune and one
of the biggest hits of the swing era.

He later joined Miller's band, where he arranged the standards "Take
the 'A' Train" and "Serenade in Blue" and gained attention for his
trumpet work on Miller's version of "American Patrol."

During the 1940s, he wrote arrangements for Les Brown, Woody Herman
and Alvino Rey, and in the 1950s he worked on Sinatra's
acclaimed "Come Fly With Me" album.

In a career that spanned five decades, he also led his own band, the
Billy May Orchestra, arranged and conducted for Peggy Lee and
Nat "King" Cole, and worked in radio and television. With Milton
Raskin, he wrote the theme music for the popular 1950s police
drama "Naked City."

He was nearly 80 when he reunited with Freberg for "History of the
United States Vol. 2," and the satirist, who is working on a
concluding volume three, said Friday he was at a loss for who to
collaborate with.

"Life goes on, and I'll write other songs. But there will never be
another Billy May, I'll tell you that," Freberg said.

In addition to his wife, May is survived by daughters Cynthia May,
Laureen Mitchell, Joannie Ransom and Sandra Gregory, and a brother,
John.
.