#TwoForTuesday: The Sherman Brothers

Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman have written more motion-picture musical scores than any other songwriters in the history of film. They’re probably known best for their work in Disney movies, among them Mary Poppins (the story has it that when Walt was feeling depressed, they would play “Feed The Birds” from the soundtrack for him), The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and also wrote the music for the screen adaptation of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They also wrote music for the Disney theme parks and for stage adaptations of their film work, and managed to write some songs besides.

One of those songs, “You’re Sixteen,” was a #1 hit twice, for Johnny Burnette in 1960 and Ringo Starr in 1973. Here’s Ringo’s version.

Their first Top Ten hit was “Tall Paul,” written in 1958. It was recorded by Mouseketeer Judy Harriet and later covered by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. Here’s Annette’s version.

IMDb has a separate list of film credits for Robert and Richard. They do have a website, but there’s little information about their music there; the Wikipedia article about them is more complete.

The Sherman Brothers, your Two for Tuesday, November 10, 2015.