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Ervin Drake oral history interview, December 13, 1996

 Item — othertype: Oral History
Identifier: M142_DrakeE

Dates

  • Creation: December 13, 1996

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

Ervin Drake (1919-2015, New York City) decided to pursue a career as a songwriter after completing a bachelor's degree in social science at CCNY in 1940. Among his early successes were "Tico-Tico" (1942; lyrics), "Perdido" (1944; lyrics), and "The Rickety Rickshaw Man" (1943; lyrics and music). He went on to work in television in a variety of capacities from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. One of his most famous songs during this period was "I Believe" (1952), which was written in collaboration with Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman, and Irvin Graham. In the 1960s he turned to the musical; his most successful show, What Makes Sammy Run? (1964), ran on Broadway for 540 performances. Late in his career, Drake undertook formal study in composition and orchestration at the Juilliard School of Music, and he served as president of the American Guild of Authors and Composers from 1973 to 1982.

Extent

2 item(s) (audio (45:54 duration) transcript (26 pages))

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

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