Raymond Jessel
| Ray Jessel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Raymond Jessel 16 October 1929 Cardiff, Wales |
| Died | 17 July 2015 (aged 85) Studio City, California |
| Occupation | Singer/songwriter |
Ray Jessel (born Raymond Jessel, 16 October 1929 – 17 July 2015) was a Welsh songwriter, orchestrator, and musical theatre composer.
He received a degree in music from the University of Wales and moved to Canada in 1955, where he started a career as an orchestrator and composer for CBC Radio and CBC Television. He and his songwriting partner, Marian Grudeff, wrote their first Broadway musical, Baker Street, in 1964. He later moved to Hollywood, where he wrote musicals and sketches for The Dean Martin Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, The Bob Newhart Show and others. In the 1970s and 1980s he was a writer and editor for numerous episodes of The Love Boat and Head of the Class, among other series, and co-wrote lyrics for I Remember Mama in 1979.
In the 1990s, Jessel began to perform comedy songs at parties and wrote songs for recordings with Michael Feinstein and others. His first stage performance was at age 72, and he developed his own cabaret act, which he continued to perform until shortly before his death. He was a recipient of five MAC Awards for "Original Song" and the 2004 Bistro Award. At age 84, in 2014, his audition for America's Got Talent drew media attention.
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