Creatore, Luigi (21st December 1921-13th December 2015)

He is a songwriter and record producer born in Hells Kitchen, New York City, into a musical family where his father had led a symphonic band in Italy and his siblings were musicians.

When he left his education he took up writing as a career but this was put on a hold during WWII so he could serve in the US military. After completion of his service he resumed his writing and after going into a partnership with his cousin, Hugo Peretti, while attending a family wedding reception, they formed the successful songwriting and production collaboration known as Hugo & Luigi.

From the mid-1950s they began to gain recognition with hit records for Mercury Records producing artists such as the Gaylords, Sarah Vaughan and Georgia Gibbs, and after buying into Roulette Records in 1957 they would soon see major chart success with their songs produced for Jimmie Rodgers such as “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” and “Honeycomb”, and also songs they had written for Valerie Carr among others, often under the pseudonym Mark Markwell.

In 1959 they joined up with RCA records and from here on in their writing and production would see hit after hit for artists such as Sam Cooke, Perry Como, Ray Peterson and the Isley Brothers. Their songwriting, often in collaboration with George David Weiss, also includes the Elvis Presley hits “Wild in the Country” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and the English lyrics for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” sung by The Tokens.

From 1964 they went to work with George David Weiss on the musical Maggie Flynn which appeared on Broadway in 1968 for a short run and from the early 1970s they became co-owners of Avco Records which would once again see them working with top artists that included Van McCoy.

From around 1975 they started their own H&L Records, which Van Mcoy would also record for, as well as the successful groups The Softones and The Stylistics.

Continuing with their work in musicals they produced Bubbling Brown Sugar, which won them the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 1977.

At the end of the 1970s they went into retirement but their work can still be heard on albums such as Let’s Fall In Love and Cascading Voices of the Hugo & Luigi Chorus, The Very Best of John Gary, Jukebox Babyby Perry Como, Night Beat by Sam Cooke, The Best of the Stylistics, Hoagy Carmichael Songbook, All Time Greatest Hits Vol. 2 by Neil Sedaka, Shout: The RCA Sessions by the Isley Brothers, The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens, The Best of The Softones and Disco Baby by Van McCoy.

His An Error of the Moon play was performed off-Broadway until 2010.

A week before his 94th birthday he died in Boca Raton, Florida in December 2015 suffering from complications of pneumonia.

Van McCoy recordings
Good Night Baby (Hugo & Luigi/George David Weiss
Love Child (Hugo & Luigi/George David Weiss)

Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony recordings
Hey Girl, Come and Get It (Hugo & Luigi/George David Weiss)

Sources:

Creatore, Luigi (21st December 1921-13th December 2015)

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