Percy Faith

Percy Faith (1908–1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, composer, arranger, and conductor who helped popularize orchestral easy-listening music through radio, recordings, and television.

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Easy listening: A popular music style emphasizing accessible melodies, smooth arrangements, and unobtrusive listening. Faith became one of its leading orchestral practitioners.
Delicado: A 1952 instrumental recording by Percy Faith and His Orchestra, based on a Brazilian composition by Waldir Azevedo. Its success established Faith as a major figure in postwar instrumental pop.
Toronto: The capital of Ontario and Canada’s largest city. Faith was born there and began his musical career in its concert and radio scene.
Mitch Miller: An American record producer, musician, and television host who led Columbia Records’ popular-music division. Miller recruited Faith to Columbia and supported his recording career.
Billboard Hot 100: A U.S. weekly singles chart ranking the most popular songs across multiple measures of commercial activity. “Theme from A Summer Place” reached number one on this chart in 1960.
Orchestral pop: Popular music arranged for an orchestra or orchestral ensemble, often combining pop melodies with symphonic textures. His recordings brought orchestral sound into the pop charts.
Theme from A Summer Place: A 1959 instrumental recording by Percy Faith and His Orchestra, adapted from Max Steiner’s film score. It became Faith’s best-known hit and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960.
Royal Conservatory of Music: A Toronto-based institution providing professional music education and performance training. Faith studied piano there before an injury redirected his ambitions toward conducting.
Waldir Azevedo: A Brazilian cavaquinho player and composer best known for the choro piece “Delicado.” Faith’s orchestral adaptation of Azevedo’s composition became a major hit.
Grammy Award for Record of the Year: A Grammy category honoring a recording’s overall performance and production. Faith won the award in 1961 for “Theme from A Summer Place.”