Enrico Nicola "Henry" Mancini was born in Cleveland, raised in Pittsburgh...
and began playing flute with his dad in the
"Sons of Italy" band at the age of 12.
Later, he entered Julliard, but was drafted after only one year.
After working with Ted Beneke as a pianist and arranger,
he joined Universal Picture's music department,
writing music for several movies, like
Creature From the Black Lagoon, It Came from Outer Space...
and Touch of Evil.
By 1958, Henry was scoring the television series,
Peter Gunn,
created by Blake Edwards.
It starred Craig Stevens and Lola Albright.
Mancini's big break: Not only the connection with Edwards,
but 2 Grammys, and Best Jazz Record of the Year.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) with Audrey Hepburn,
and other Edwards/Mancini films followed...
here's Audrey "playing" Moon River.
The Pink Panther in 1963, with Peter Sellers...
Henry and Blake (under the panther!) would collaborate
on 30 films, over the course of 35 years.
Peggy Lee and Henry, Grammy-laden.
He received 20 of these babies over the course of his career
(nominated for 72!),
and a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
One film, Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), didn't go so well...
Hitch eventually rejected Mancini's score for the movie,
and replaced him with Ron Goodwin.
(Who?)
"Painting pictures with music"...for 70 years.
1924 - 1994
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