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The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer
American vocal music group
1
Clare Fischer
Clare Fischer
American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader
2
Cheryl Bentyne
Cheryl Bentyne
American singer
3
Mervyn Warren
Mervyn Warren
American singer
4
Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
American jazz vocalist
5
Jacob Collier
Jacob Collier
English musician and multinstrumentalist
6
Take 6
Take 6
American a cappella gospel music group
7
Alan Paul
Alan Paul
American singer
8
Randy Waldman
Randy Waldman
American musician
9
Chick Corea
Chick Corea
American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and composer
10
Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
American recording artist, singer, songwriter, actor, writer, music arranger (1925-1999)
11
King's Singers
King's Singers
British vocal group
12
Billy Childs
Billy Childs
American jazz pianist
13
Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd
American jazz drummer, percussionist, and session musician
14
Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks
American jazz singer, lyricist, jazz critic and historian
15
Woody Herman
Woody Herman
American recording artist, clarinetist, band leader
16
Bill Holman
Bill Holman
American composer, arranger, and conductor
17
Anita Kerr
Anita Kerr
American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer
18
Shelly Berg
Shelly Berg
American musician
19
Don Redman
Don Redman
American musician
20
Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson
American jazz musician
21
Nathan East
Nathan East
American musician
22
Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill
American pianist, composer and arranger
23
Steve Rochinski
Steve Rochinski
American musician
24
John Beasley
John Beasley
American jazz pianist, bandleader, and producer of music in film and television
25
Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and actor
26
Glad
Glad
Christian pop rock band
27
Frank Comstock
Frank Comstock
American composer, arranger, conductor and trombonist (1922-2013)
28
Mario Bauzá Cárdenas
Mario Bauzá Cárdenas
American musician
29
Chuck Mangione
Chuck Mangione
American jazz musician
30
Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius
American musician
31
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Turkish-American songwriter & record producer
32
Return to Forever
Return to Forever
American jazz fusion group led by Chick Corea
33
Christian Jacob
Christian Jacob
French jazz pianist
34
Frank Foster
Frank Foster
American jazz musician and bandleader
35
Flora Purim
Flora Purim
Brazilian jazz singer
36
The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen
American band
37
Bob Florence
Bob Florence
American jazz arranger and pianist
38
Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey
American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor
39
Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Danish-born American jazz musician and trombonist
40
Machito
Machito
Latin jazz musician
41
Bill Finegan
Bill Finegan
American bandleader, pianist, arranger, and composer
42
Bill Cunliffe
Bill Cunliffe
American musician
43
Billy May
Billy May
American composer, arranger and trumpeter
44
Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb
American smooth jazz guitarist and musician (1955-2017)
Gene Puerling
American musician

Gene Puerling

Intro
American musician

Eugene Thomas Puerling (March 31, 1929 – March 25, 2008) was a vocal performer and vocal arranger. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Puerling created and led the vocal groups The Hi-Lo's and The Singers Unlimited. He was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices in 1982 for his arrangement of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (as performed by The Manhattan Transfer). A Latin song he arranged for Singers Unlimited, "One More Time, Chuck Corea," inspired by Chuck Mangione and Chick Corea, has been adapted and used by marching bands, drum and bugle corps and jazz ensembles. He died just six days before his 79th birthday, due to complications from diabetes.

Puerling's vocal arrangements and chord structures were classic and instantly recognizable. In addition to the Hi-Lo's and The Singers Unlimited he contributed to Rosemary Clooney's TV show and mentored many other singers and groups, including Take 6. His vocal arranging ability and his ability to arrange musical backing by Frank Comstock's band and several others was widely regarded; John Neal of Harmony Sweepstakes said after his death: "As a craftsman of the art of blending and harmonizing the human voice in song, Gene has no equal."