Chanteur, compositeur et pianiste US né Donald Irwin Robertson, le 5 Décembre 1922 à Pekin (Chine).  Don Robertson a composé de nombreuses chansons pour Elvis Presley. Il est mort le 16 Mars 2015.

Donald Irwin Robertson was born in Pejing, China on December 5, 1922, his father was O.H. Robertson, a physician and medical scientist who was then head of the Department of Medicine at Peking Union Medical College. His mother, Ruth, was a talented pianist and poet/playwright who, upon noticing his interest in the piano, insisted he began formal lessons at the age of four. He began composing simple songs around seven years old. Moving back to the USA, he had to also learn how to play brass instruments as the school band did not have a piano. He joined the marching band, specializing in the trombone and tenor horn but did not forget his piano training as he played with local dance orchestras in Chicago. He was torn between following his father's medical career, as both his brothers, or following a career in music and he dropped out of the University of Chicago and landed a job as musical arranger at the radio station WGN, arranging for a trio of girls, the Brandt Sisters. After the war, he accompanied another girl trio, the Dinning Sisters to Los Angeles as their accompanist and arranger, marrying one of the trio, Lou Dinning. Along with his new wife, he made several demo recordings for publishers and songwriters and worked at Capitol records as a rehearsal pianist. His career as a song writer began with the collaboration with Hal Blair about 1953, the following year, scoring his first major success when his song, "I Really Don't Want to Know," was recorded by Eddy Arnold. Also in 1954, Hank Snow's version of Robertson's song, "I Don't Hurt Anymore," was a big hit on the country charts and during this period, his songs were recorded by artists as diverse as Faron Young, the Chordettes, Les Paul & Mary Ford, and even Elvis Presley who sang his "I'm Counting on You" for his debut album in 1956, which led to Presley inviting him to his house one evening, a meeting from which followed Robertson accompanying Presley on the piano and organ on the soundtrack of It Happened at the World's Fair. Robertson was interested in all genres of music from the symphonic recordings in his father's collection to hymns he had sung in the Chicago church choir. He was also a proficient whistler, although he did claim that he had been whistling all his life but never expected to ever do it professionally. "I am not proficient at it like some of the whistlers around who can whistle classical scores and bird calls, etc. I just happened to hit on a little tune that caught on." That little tune in question was "The Happy Whistler" which he took into the Top Ten of the singles chart as a solo recording in 1956. One of the biggest hits of 1960 was his song "Please Help Me I'm Falling," co-written by Hal Blair, which has since become a country music standard. Several of his songs went all the way to number one during the '60s including "Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger" by Charley Pride on the country charts in 1967 and Lorne Greene's recording of the cowboy song "Ringo" which hit the top of the pop charts in 1964. In 1967, Robertson's name was added to the Walkway of Stars at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 1972 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter's Hall of Fame. For many years he could be heard as the voice of Gomer the bear singing and playing the piano in the opening number of the Disneyland-Disneyworld Country Bear Jamboree exhibition. In the latter years of the 20th century, he has appeared with and accompanied Waylon JenningsBilly Swan (of "I Can Help" fame), Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson, and in 2003, EMI issued a CD of his songs, Songs for Elvis/And Then I Wrote Songs for Elvis.

http://www.donrobertson.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Robertson_(songwriter)

Talents : Vocals, Songwriter, Piano

Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll, Pop, Contemporary Country

The Happy Whistler (1956) (Don Robertson)

So Long (1957) (Don Robertson & Lou Dinning)

Longing To Hold You Again (1957) (Don Robertson & Lou Dinning)

Tennessee Waltz (1961) (Don Robertson)

Years in activity :

1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 10 20

DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

03/1956 SP CAPITOL F3391 (US)

The Happy Whistler / You're Free To Go (with Lou Dinning)

09/1956 SP CAPITOL F3527 (US)

Every Day That I Live (with Lou Dinning) / You

01/1957 SP CAPITOL F3625 (US)

Rockaway / Fantasy

03/1957 SP CAPITOL F3675 (US)

I Don't Know If I'll  Ever Love Again (with Lou Dinning) / Remember You Belong Me

07/1957 SP DOT 45-15609 (US) Don Robertson & Lou Dinning - So Long / Longing To Hold You Again
09/1959 SP CAPITOL 4282 (US)

The Merry Men / A Fine Day

05/1960 SP DOLTON 635 (US) ECHOES - Born To Be With You / My Guiding Light
03/1961 SP RCA VICTOR 47-7862 (US)

Buttons And Bows / Bobby-O

03/1961 SP 33 t. RCA VICTOR 37-7862 (US) (special edition) Buttons And Bows / Bobby-O
07/1961 SP RCA VICTOR 47-7909 (US)

Tennessee Waltz / Feather In The Wind

07/1962 SP RCA VICTOR 47-8059 (US) Stand In / You Don't Need Me Anymore
04/1963 SP RCA VICTOR 47-8177 (US)

It's Hard For A King To Step Down / Life Goes On

11/1963 SP RCA VICTOR 47-8269 (US)

What A Day / The Dictionary Song

05/1965 SP RCA VICTOR 47-8584 (US)

Born To Be With You / Ninety-Nine Miles An Hour (Down A Dead End  Street)

08/1966 SP MONUMENT 45-964 (US)

I Dreamed I Lost You / Pianjo!

08/1967 SP RCA VICTOR 47-9289 (US)

Don't Keep Me Lonely Too Lo / Jamaica Rum

10/1968 SP RCA VICTOR 47-9659 (US)

Earl's Breakdown / You Still Turn Me On

02/1969 SP RCA VICTOR 47-9721 (US)

Honey Eyed Girl / I'm Yours

11/1975 SP MONUMENT ZS8-8674 (US)

Marguerita / Must Be A Better Way To Say Goodbye

03/1976 SP MONUMENT ZS8-8694 (US)

When I Was With You / She Comes Home To Me






Albums

1965 LP 12" RCA VICTOR LPM-3348 (mono) / LSP-3348 (stereo) (US)

Heart On My Sleeve - I Stepped Over The Line / Hummingbird / Not One Minute More / Please Help Me, I'm Falling / You're Free To Go / I Love You More And More Every Day / Ninety Miles An Hour (Down A Dead End Street) / I Really Don't Want To Know / Born To Be With You / I Don't Hurt Anymore / Anything That's Part Of You / The Happy Whistler

09/2003 CD Bear Family BCD-16654 (GER)

And Then I Wrote Songs for Elvis - Stand In / They Remind Me Too Much Of You / Anything's That's Part Of You / Hummingbird / You Don't Need Me Anymore / The Image Of Your Face / Here Comes Heartache Again / Starting Today / There's Always Me / Your Happiness Means Everything To Me / Love Me Tonight / Love Finds A Way / My Side Of The Story / Faithful Forever / Hi Lee Hi Lo / I Met Her Today / What Now, What Next, Where To / Not One Minute More / Road To Heartbreak / I Hurt / Darling, Let's Go Home / I'm Counting On You (Lou Dinning) / Does He Mean That Much To You / I've Come To Say Goodbye / Feather In The Wind / Road To Heartbreak (short version)

© Rocky Productions 14/01/2018