American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator (1921-1985)

Nelson Riddle

Intro
American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator (1921-1985)
Awards Received
Academy Award for Best Original Song Score
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Nominated For
Academy Award for Best Original Song Score Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score Academy Award for Best Score, Adaptation or Treatment Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score

Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith. He scored and arranged music for many films and television shows, earning an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards. He found commercial and critical success with a new generation in the 1980s, in a trio of Platinum albums with Linda Ronstadt.