VAN ALEXANDER

Musical arranger, composer and conductor

Van Alexander's first arranging job was with Chick Webb at the Savoy Ballroom in New York but he later worked for Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Les Brown and many more. In 1938 he and Ella Fitzgerald co-wrote the nations' No. 1 hit, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." Ella was the featured singer with Chick Webb at the time and it was soon after that Van formed his own orchestra.

His first radio exposure came with his own band on The Fitch Bandwagon and then on Morey Amsterdam's "Laugh and Swing Club." They toured the one nighter circuit from Maine to Florida and as far west as Chicago, and played all the famous ballrooms and theaters including the New York Paramount, Loews State, and Capitol in New York, The Earle in Philadelphia, and The Stanley in Pittsburg. During this time, Van recorded many sides on both the Victor Bluebird label and the Varsity label. And, he wrote "FIRST ARRANGEMENT", a learning method for the novice arranger. His first two teenage pupils were Johnny Mandel and Ian Bernard. This book has inspired many of today's top arranger/composers and is still used as a guide.

In 1945, Van moved to California. Through the years, he scored 22 full length feature films, and hundreds of television segments which garnered him the EMMY nomination on three separate occasions. (The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters (a series), Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls (a special) and The Golddiggers Chevy Show (a series). His credits include composing and conducting for NBC's 50th Anniversary Show, "A Closer Look", Dom De Luise specials, 1969 Emmy Awards, The Guy Mitchell Show series; arranger and assistant conductor for 8 years on The Dean Martin Show, plus additional scoring credits for segments of Hazel, I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Donna Reed, Dennis the Menace and so on.

Van has worked with so many talents through the years... arranging and conducting for Dinah Shore, Doris Day, Dean Martin, Kay Starr, Peggy Lee, Dakota Staton, Patty Andrews and, of course, Gordon MacRae. Most of the numerous albums he recorded were for Capitol Records.

Van is a past president of the LA chapter of NARAS, a member of the music branch of the AMPAS, and a Past President(and current Boardmember) of ASMAC. He was elected to ASCAP in 1941.

Van and his wife Beth reside in Westwood.

VAN ALEXANDER PHOTOS (Click to enlarge)

Gordon MacRae albums featuring Van Alexander and his orchestra

1956. The Best Things In Life Are Free
1957. Cowboy's Lament
1957. Motion Picture Soundstage
1958. Gordon MacRae In Concert
1959. Seasons of Love
1959. Songs For An Evening At Home
1960. Hallowed Be Thy Name
1960. Our Love Story
1963. The Desert Song
1963. New Moon
1963. The Student Prince
1964. Kismet
1966. If She Walked Into My Life

See the Discography for catalog numbers and song titles