Buck Warnick

Henry Clay Warnick, Jr., also known as Buck Warnick, Clay Warnick, and H. Clay Warnick, (born, December 14, 1915, Tacoma, Washington — died February 8, 1995, West Orange, New Jersey)[1] was an American composer, arranger, lyricist, conductor, and musical director.[1] He had an active career on Broadway from 1942 through 1963, and was also a prolific composer of jingles for advertisements on radio and television with the Young and Rubicam (Y & R) agency.[2] From 1950 to 1954 he was the music director of the television program Your Show of Shows.

Life and career

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Born Henry Clay Warnick, Jr. in Tacoma, Washington, Warnick was given the nickname "Buck" by his father as a baby because he would "buck" in his crib every time he heard music playing.[2] His undergraduate education was from Colgate University where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Epsilon.[2][1] After graduating in 1935, he pursued graduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York City where he was a pupil of Tibor Serly (composition and conducting).[2][1] While a student at Juilliard he arranged music for his first Broadway show, the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936.[2] He graduated from Juilliard in 1937.[2]

Warnick worked as a vocal arranger for many musicals on Broadway during the 1940s. These included Banjo Eyes (1941), By Jupiter (1942), Count Me In (1942), Early to Bed (1943), My Dear Public (1943), A Connecticut Yankee (1943), and Jackpot (1944).[2] He also contributed original material to the 1950 musical revue Tickets, Please!. In addition to his work on Broadway, he composed and arranged music for the Ice Capades.[2]

Warnick composed the music for the 1955 musical adaptation of the children's book Heidi which starred Wally Cox and Jeannie Carson and was broadcast on the Max Liebman Spectaculars.[3][2] He co-composed the score for the 1956 television musical The Adventures of Marco Polo with Mel Pahl, which was broadcast nationally on CBS with stars Doretta Morrow and Alfred Drake.[4] He was musical director of Your Show of Shows from 1950 through 1954.[2] He also served as musical director or arranger for numerous television programs including Caesar's Hour, The United States Steel Hour, and Your Hit Parade.[2]

With Y & R, Warnick produced music for more than 10,000 spots on radio and television.[2] Some of his more famous jingles include "The Dogs Kids Love to Bite" for Armour Hot Dogs. and "Should a gentleman offer a tiparillo to a lady?" for Tiparillo Cigars.[2] The latter song won Warnick a Clio Award in 1974.[2] His best known song is "Number One To The Sun" which he composed for Eastern Airlines.[2] That song was performed and recorded by the New York Philharmonic.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Obituary: Warnick, Henry Clay, Jr. "Buck"". Wisconsin State Journal. 10 February 1995. p. Page 4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Allen, Ben (March 28, 1980). "CLAY "BUCK" WARNICK & HIS MUSIC MAKERS". Back Stage. 21 (13): Y&R91.
  3. ^ "TV Schedules Are Loaded This Week". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. September 25, 1955. p. 97. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ J. P. S. (April 16, 1956). "Marco Polo' a la Rimsky-Korsakoff". The New York Times.
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