Al Caiola
| Al Caiola | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alexander Emil Caiola |
| Born |
September 7, 1920 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 2016 (aged 96) Allendale, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, country, rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, conductor, arranger, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | Atco, Chancellor, Coral, HMV, RCA, Roulette, Savoy, Time, United Artists, Durium |
| Associated acts | Tony Mottola, The Living Trio, Roy Ross and the Ragamuffins with Dizzy Gillespie, The Village Stompers, The Ragtimers |
Alexander Emil "Al" Caiola (September 7, 1920 – November 9, 2016) was a guitarist, composer and arranger who spanned a variety of music genres including jazz, country, rock, western, and pop. He recorded over fifty albums and worked with some of the biggest names in music during the 20th century, including Elvis Presley, Ferrante & Teicher, Frank Sinatra, Percy Faith, Buddy Holly, Mitch Miller, and Tony Bennett. During World War II Caiola played with the United States Marine Corps 5th Marine Division (United States) Band that also included Bob Crosby. Caiola served in the Battle of Iwo Jima as a stretcher bearer.
Caiola was a studio musician in the 1950s in New York City. He released some minor records under his own name in that decade. In addition, he performed under the musical direction of John Serry Sr. on an album for Dot Records in 1956 (Squeeze Play).
In 1960 he became a recording star on the United Artists label for over ten years. He had hits in 1961 with "The Magnificent Seven" and "Bonanza". His guitar style was inspired by Duane Eddy. The arrangements were typically by Don Costa, using a large orchestral backing. Caiola continuously released singles and albums throughout the 1960s and beyond, though no others appeared on the charts except for an entry in 1964 with "From Russia with Love". United Artists used him to make commercial recordings of many movie and TV themes: "Wagon Train (Wagons Ho)", "The Ballad of Paladin", "The Rebel", and "Gunslinger". His album Solid Gold Guitar contained arrangements of "Jezebel", "Two Guitars", "Big Guitar", "I Walk the Line", and "Guitar Boogie".
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