Richard Maltby

After studying briefly at Northwestern University's music school, he left college to become a full-time musician. He played trumpet with several big bands, including those of Jack Little, Roger Pryor, Bob Strong and Henry Busse, as well as also doing some arranging. In 1940, he took a job as an arranger for the orchestra of the Chicago-based radio station, WBBM, before moving to New York City in 1945 to become an arranger-conductor on network radio, where he worked with Paul Whiteman. In 1942, Benny Goodman recorded his composition "Six Flats Unfurnished." During the post-war years, he made several recordings for subsidiary labels of RCA Victor, and in 1954, finally scored a Top 40 hit with "St. Louis Blues Mambo". In 1955, he began leading his own dance band, with which he had his Top 20 hit, "(Themes From) The Man With the Golden Arm", in the spring of the following year. He left RCA for Columbia Records in 1959, then moved to Roulette Records a year later. He stopped recording on his own during the mid-1960s. He was also the musical director of SESAC Jazz Classics between 1950 and 1965, and recorded several transcriptions for radio. A heart condition in his later years forced him into retirement, and he underwent several operations prior to his death.

• Name — Richard Maltby Sr. • Birth Name — Richard Eldridge Maltby • Born — 26 June 1914 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 19 August 1991 • Place of death — Santa Monica, California, U.S. • Instrument — Piano, trumpet • Genre — Swing, big band • Occupation — Bandleader, pianist, composer • Years Active — 1930s–1960s