Don Ralke
Described by Gold Star Recording Studio co-owner Stan Ross as "the most well-known unknown in the business," producer, arranger, and composer Don Ralke was a fixture of the Hollywood recording studio for over four decades, overseeing a sprawling body of work extending from pop hits to golden-throat celebrity records to his own cult classic exotica LPs. Born July 13, 1920 in Battle Creek, MI, Ralke earned his Masters degree in music from the University of Southern California; according to his biography at the SpaceAgePop website, he also studied under famed expressionist composer Arnold Schoenberg. Ralke spent the bulk of his early recording career as a staffer with the budget label Crown, which specialized in knock-offs of current chart trends. His contributions to the company's output are nevertheless coveted by collectors, boasting a uniform quality and oddball charm in direct opposition to Crown's signature cut-rate approach. Following the well-received Jazz Heat, recorded in collaboration with reedist Buddy Collette, Ralke issued Bongo Madness, the first in a series of percussion-themed efforts that eventually brought him to the attention of Warner Bros., which signed him for two 1960 releases: But You've Never Heard Gershwin with Bongos and the jungle exotica landmark The Savage and the Sensuous.
During his Warner tenure, Ralke also teamed with composer Warren Barker on the jazz-inspired score for the television series 77 Sunset Strip, later the subject of a best-selling soundtrack LP, and also produced and arranged series co-star Edd "Kookie" Byrnes' novelty pop hit "Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb." Ralke is notorious for his involvement in a series of other so-called "golden throat" records performed by television and film stars seeking to cross over to pop music success; his credits include Lorne Greene's On the Ponderosa, William Shatner's camp classic The Transformed Man, and, most infamously, The Many Moods of Murry Wilson, headlined by the abusive father/manager of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Ralke also helmed a number of pop smashes, highlighted by Jewel Akens' "The Birds and the Bees," and during the late '60s teamed with engineer Brad Miller for a series of easy listening LPs credited to the Mystic Moods Orchestra. During the '70s Ralke focused on television, working for producer Garry Marshall on the blockbuster sitcoms Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, and wrapped his Hollywood career by scoring the 1987 exploitation comedy Takin' It All Off. Ralke died January 26, 2000 in Santa Rosa, California.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Savage And The Sensuous Bongos
Lounge - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 1 Jan 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
But You've Never Heard Gershwin with Bongos
Lounge - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 1 Jan 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Remastered Hits (All Tracks Remastered)
Lounge - Released by jjjedizionimusicali on 30 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Maybe
Jazz - Released by Black & Partner Licenses LLC on 30 May 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Erotic Jungle Sounds
Pop - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
But You've Never Heard Gershwin With Bongos
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Savage Bongos
Jazz - Released by Ling Music Group on 21 Oct 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
77 Sunset Strip (Billboard Hot 100 - No 69)
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 5 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Voodoo - Rare Ritual Sounds & Jazz Interpretations, Vol. 7
Latin America - Released by Documents 2 on 11 Aug 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Savage and the Sensuous Bongos
World - Released by TP4 Music on 6 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ritual of the Cobra (All Tracks Remastered, Ep)
Lounge - Released by Hit Singles Records on 11 Apr 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Very Truly Yours Medley: All the Things You Are / When Your Lover Has Gone / Pastel Blue / Tango of the Roses / The Moon Is Low / Estrellita / April in Paris / Dream a Little Dream of Me / I Cover the Waterfront / Blue Moon / Don't Blame Me / Dark Eyes
Pop - Released by JB Production on 19 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bembe Negro / Pasion Caliente / Ritmo Marteo / Afro-Mambo Alegre / Belleza y Diablo / Calypso Cubano / Sesion Grande / Noche en Havana / Afro-Bop / Mgombo
Don Ralke, Buddy Collette, Jack Burger
Pop - Released by JB Production CH on 3 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo