By Bill Meredith
BOCA RATON — Successful composers often remain in the shadows while the artists who perform their music skyrocket to fame, and one of the most versatile such writers was Luigi Federico Creatore.
The Manhattan-born Creatore died on Dec. 13 in Boca Raton due to complications with pneumonia, according to his wife, Claire Weiss Creatore. He was 93. Creatore’s compositions, some written with his cousin Hugo Peretti (1916-1986) and George David Weiss (1921-2010), included 1961 hits by Elvis Presley (Can’t Help Falling in Love, from the film Blue Hawaii) and The Tokens (The Lion Sleeps Tonight).
The latter song’s inclusion in the modern hit film The Lion King brought extra unintended notoriety. Adapted from Wimoweh, a Zulu composition by the late Solomon Linda, The Lion Sleeps Tonight caused his familial estate to sue for back royalties and receive a considerable settlement. Yet Peretti and Creatore were even more successful as producers, becoming among the first such recording engineers to have their names displayed on album jackets.
Under the professional moniker Hugo & Luigi, the duo produced an astonishing variety of Top 10 hits from the 1950s through the 1970s, including Whatever Lola Wants for jazz star Sarah Vaughan, Honeycomb for country singer Jimmy Rodgers, Twistin’ the Night Away for R&B vocalist Sam Cooke, and The Hustle for disco artist Van McCoy.
In 1977, Creatore and Peretti won a Grammy Award for their production of the original cast recording of Bubbling Brown Sugar.
“That broad range of success was unheard of then, and is practically impossible now,” said Lake Worth-based composer John Storch —who, along with his brother Bill, has written everything from ballet scores for the Demetrius Klein Dance Company to roots music for their band the Sewing Circle Sues.
As the son of Italian immigrant bandleader Giuseppe Creatore and his wife, Rosina, the young Luigi had started out writing advertising jungles before graduating to songs. Born in Manhattan, he attended Textile High School before serving as a pharmacist’s mate in the United States Navy.
And as a composer, Creatore’s talents extended beyond music. Being stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, provided the backdrop for his debut novel, The World is Mine, about a veteran suffering from amnesia, which received a favorable review in The New York Times in 1947.
In his 2009 short story Flamingo Court, Creatore detailed humor gained via his Florida residence through 10 characters living in three different condominiums. The comedy even became a stage production. “Laughs galore!” exclaimed United Press International. “Without question, the funniest play in New York today. Powerhouse performances from Anita Gillette and Jamie Farr.”
Peretti, Creatore and Weiss had also collaborated on the 1968 Civil War musical Maggie Flynn, a Broadway production starring Shirley Jones.
Mrs. Creatore, who had previously been married to Weiss, became Creatore’s third wife after Weiss’ death. The venerable composer’s first marriage had ended in divorce; his second when he became a widower. He is also survived by son Victor, from his first marriage.
Comments