George Bruns
| George Bruns | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 3, 1914 Sandy, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 1983 (aged 68) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | Film score |
| Occupations | Composer, conductor |
George Bruns (July 3, 1914 - May 23, 1983) was a composer of music for film and television who worked on many Disney films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.
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[edit] Career
Bruns was born in Sandy, Oregon[1] and went to college at Oregon State University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, graduating in 1936.[2] In 1946 he was music director at radio station KEX in Portland, Oregon.
Among his work is the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" (which he co-wrote with Xavier Atencio), used in the Disney theme park attraction Pirates of the Caribbean and the movies based on that ride. He also co-wrote "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" with Tom W. Blackburn, as well as the song "Love" for the Disney animated film Robin Hood. During the mid 1950's, he adapted the music from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet for use as background score in the 1959 Disney film version. He also composed the score for The Jungle Book and provided Herbie the Love Bug with his sprightly theme song featured prominently throughout the series.
Bruns retired from Disney in 1976 and moved back to Sandy, Oregon.[1] He taught part-time at Lewis & Clark College and continued to play and compose music, including recording at least one locally distributed album of jazz.[1]
As a musician, George Bruns was famed for his skill both on trombone and tuba and was in great demand with various jazz groups up and down the Pacific Coast. He is known to have recorded with his Walt Disney Corporation colleagues in the Firehouse Five Plus Two[3] as well as with the famous San Francisco jazz trombonist Turk Murphy.[4]
[edit] Death
Bruns died of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) on May 23, 1983 in Portland, Oregon.[1] Bruns was named a Disney Legend in 2001.
[edit] External links
- George Bruns at the Internet Movie Database
- George Bruns profile from the Oregon State University alumni association
