The Music from Peter Gunn (1959)

The Music from Peter Gunn is a soundtrack album to the TV series Peter Gunn, composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, and released in January 1959 by RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-1956). It was the first album ever to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1959. The album was followed by More Music from Peter Gunn, released on RCA Victor in July 1959. In 1998, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The opening theme music is notable for its combination of jazz orchestration with a straightforward rock 'n roll beat. In his autobiography Did They Mention the Music? Mancini stated:

The Peter Gunn title theme actually derives more from rock and roll than from jazz. I used guitar and piano in unison, playing what is known in music as an ostinato, which means obstinate. It was sustained throughout the piece, giving it a sinister effect, with some frightened saxophone sounds and some shouting brass. The piece has one chord throughout and a super-simple top line.

In 1977, RCA reissued The Music from Peter Gunn in the mid-priced "Pure Gold" series under catalog number ANL1-2143. RCA first reissued the album on compact disc in 1988.

The Music from Peter Gunn was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The theme from Peter Gunn has been featured in the films The Blues Brothers, Sixteen Candles, and The Lion King 1½.

Personnel

Musicians vary from song to song, but include:

• Pete Candoli, Ray Linn, Frank Beach, Uan Rasey, Conrad Gozzo - trumpet
• Dick Nash, Jimmy Priddy, Milt Bernhart, Karl DeKarske - trombone
• John Graas, Vincent DeRosa, Richard Perissi, John Cave - French horn
• Ted Nash, Plas Johnson, Ronny Lang, Paul Horn, Gene Cipriano - reeds
• John Williams - piano
• Bob Bain, Al Hendrickson - guitar
• Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker - vibraphone
• Rolly Bundock - bass
• Shelly Manne, Alvin Stoller, Jack Sperling - drums