Ervin M. Drake
Words and Music Ervin Drake and Paul Durand
Performed by Charles Richards
| Ervin Drake will be remembered for two songs closely associated with Perry, his 1953 recording "I Believe" and the 1967 single "The Father of Girls" but he also had a charted hit with "Sonata" in 1946 and in 1951 with "There's a Big Blue Cloud" Hans Lengsfelder, Ervin Drake and Paul McGowan also composed "Hayfoot, Strawfoot" ( 1942 ) which was introduced and recorded by Duke Ellington for RCA Victor with vocal by Ivy Anderson. In 1944 Lengsfelder and Drake added lyrics for Juan Tizol's "Perdido" an instrumental introduced and recorded by Ellington in 1942. Drake also wrote the popular song "Ai De La" and one of Frank Sinatra's signature songs, "It Was a Very Good Year". |
