Raleigh, Ben (16th June 1913-26th February 1997)

He was a lyricist born in New York who worked with other songwriters such as Mark Barkan, Artie Wayne and Sherman Edwards.

He co-wrote many well known songs such as “Tell Laura I Love Her” sung by Ray Peterson, “Wonderful, Wonderful” sung by Johnny Mathis, “How Would You Like To Be” sung by Elvis Presley, “Do The Blue Beat (The Jamaican Ska)” by Ray Rivera, “That’s The Way Boys Are” by Leslie Gore, “Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)” by Dinah Shore, “Leave The Cryin’ To Me” by Christopher Robbins, “Baby, I Miss You”, “That Ain’t Right” and “It’s Getting Harder All the Time” and his Grammy Award winning “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” sung by Lou Rawls.

His work has also been heard in the movies and on TV and features on at least 15 films and TV series. These include the movies Chances Are, To Sir With Love, The Blue Dahlia and Dreamcatcher and TV series such as The Monkees. Perhaps his most famous contribution to the screen is his song “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” which is known by kids and adults alike the world over.

His songs have appeared on many albums including Scooby Doo Snack Tracks: The Ultimate Collection, More of The Monkees, The Best From Lou Rawls, Here’s The Answer by Skeeter Davis, It’s My Party! by Lesley Gore, 16 Most Requested Songs by Johnny Mathis and The Best of Dinah Shore.

His tragic death occurred when the robe he was wearing caught fire in his kitchen in Hollywood, California, when he was 83 years old.

Christopher Robbins recordings
Leave the Cryin’ to Me (Mark Barkan/Ben Raleigh)

Sources:

Raleigh, Ben (16th June 1913-26th February 1997)

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