[Dixielandjazz] Johnny Mann R.I.P.

[Robert Ringwald]

Johnny Mann R.I.P.

Johnny Mann, Composer, Voice of 'Chipmunk,' Dies in Anderson
by Janice Limon
WYFF (Greenville, South Carolina), June 20, 2014
ANDERSON, S.C. -- Johnny Mann, the Hollywood composer who worked with the likes of
Nat King Cole, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, died late Wednesday night in Anderson,
according to sources close to the family.
They say Mann died at his home. He was 85 years old.
A statement issues by the family said Mann had been active until the end, having
just attended a two-hour rehearsal for the Concert of Hope and Remembrance on Tuesday
night.
Mann is best known for the 42 albums he arranged and conducted for his Johnny Mann
Singers resulting in five Grammy Award nominations and two Grammy Awards, according
to his website,
http://johnnymannsingers.com
The site goes on to say:
"Johnny got his start in Hollywood arranging scores for seven full-length motion
pictures for Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox and Columbia Studios. He then
became the choral director of the 'NBC Comedy Hour,' which led to the formation of
The Johnny Mann Singers and a record contract. Along with being musical director
of the original 'Alvin and The Chipmunks' TV series, he sang the voice of 'Theodore.'"
Mann and his wife Betty retired to Anderson, S.C., in 2005, where he continued to
produce radio station jingles, guest conduct around the country and participate in
local choirs, the family statement said. He was presented an honorary doctorate by
Anderson University in 2010, and wrote the university's new alma mater, "The Sounds
of Anderson."
Mann appeared at a reception at the school in June 2013, where he signed copies of
his memoir, "The Music Mann: My Life in Music." His family calls it a rich telling
of Mann's experiences during the golden years of Hollywood choral music.
"Not only a show business memoir, it is the testimony of one man's relationship with
God and how his faith guided, nurtured and sustained him in very bleak times," the
family statement went on to say.
Funeral arrangements are being made with McDougald Funeral Home, in Anderson.
A celebration of Mann's life is planned June 27 and 28 to allow out-of-town family
and friends to travel to Anderson, the statement said.
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-Bob Ringwald K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
916/ 806-9551

“We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.” -Will Rogers