
George Bruns
Biography
George Edward Bruns (July 3, 1914 – May 23, 1983) was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions for numerous Disney films from the 1950s to the 1970s, among them Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Absent-Minded Professor (both 1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Love Bug (1968), The Aristocats (1970), and Robin Hood (1973). In the 1930s he worked as a musician with various groups in the Portland, Oregon area. In 1946 he was appointed musical director at radio station KEX in Portland, Oregon, and also was the bandleader for the Rose Bowl room of the Multnomah Hotel. From 1947 to 1949 he performed and recorded on trombone with Portland's Castle Jazz Band, led by banjoist Monte Ballou.
In the late 1940s he moved to Los Angeles, where he did studio work, and performed and recorded with trombonist Turk Murphy's Jazz Band. In 1953 he was hired by Walt Disney as an arranger, eventually becoming Disney's musical director, a position he held until his retirement in 1976. Despite his retirement he continued to work on Disney projects.
Among his work is the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" (which he co-wrote with Xavier Atencio), used in the Disney theme park attraction Pirates of the Caribbean and the movies based on that ride. He also co-wrote "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" with Tom W. Blackburn, as well as the song "Love" for the Disney animated film Robin Hood. During the mid-1950s, he adapted the music from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet for use as background score in the 1959 Disney film version. He also composed the score for The Jungle Book, and provided Herbie the Love Bug with his sprightly theme song, featured prominently throughout the series.
During his tenure with Disney Studios, Bruns continued to play dixieland jazz, leading his Wonderland Jazz Band on two recording sessions, and playing and recording occasionally with the Disney "house" band, the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Bruns retired from Disney in 1976 and moved back to Sandy, Oregon.He taught part-time at Lewis & Clark College and continued to play and compose music, including recording at least one locally distributed album of jazz.-Wikipedia
Acting (1 movie)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Man in Space | 1955 | Original Music Composer |
| Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier | 1955 | Original Music Composer |
| Jack and Old Mac | 1956 | Original Music Composer |
| A Cowboy Needs a Horse | 1956 | Original Music Composer |
| Westward Ho, The Wagons! | 1956 | Original Music Composer |
| Johnny Tremain | 1957 | Original Music Composer |
| The Truth About Mother Goose | 1957 | Original Music Composer |
| Paul Bunyan | 1958 | Original Music Composer |
| Sleeping Beauty | 1959 | Original Music Composer |
| Noah's Ark | 1959 | Original Music Composer |
| Goliath II | 1960 | Original Music Composer |
| The Absent-Minded Professor | 1961 | Original Music Composer |
| One Hundred and One Dalmatians | 1961 | Original Music Composer |
| The Saga of Windwagon Smith | 1961 | Original Music Composer |
| Mooncussers | 1962 | Original Music Composer |
| Son of Flubber | 1963 | Original Music Composer |
| The Sword in the Stone | 1963 | Original Music Composer |
| Freewayphobia | 1965 | Original Music Composer |
| Steel and America | 1965 | Original Music Composer |
| Goofy's Freeway Troubles | 1965 | Original Music Composer |
| The Ugly Dachshund | 1966 | Original Music Composer |
| The Fighting Prince of Donegal | 1966 | Original Music Composer |
| Follow Me, Boys! | 1966 | Original Music Composer |
| Island of the Lost | 1967 | Original Music Composer |
| The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin | 1967 | Original Music Composer |
| Mosby's Marauders | 1967 | Original Music Composer |
| The Jungle Book | 1967 | Original Music Composer |
| Pablo and the Dancing Chihuahua | 1968 | Original Music Composer |
| The Young Loner | 1968 | Original Music Composer |
| Daring Game | 1968 | Original Music Composer |
| The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit | 1968 | Original Music Composer |
| The Love Bug | 1968 | Original Music Composer |
| The Social Side of Health | 1969 | Original Music Composer |
| Physical Fitness and Good Health | 1969 | Original Music Composer |
| New Girl | 1970 | Original Music Composer |
| Cristobalito, the Calypso Colt | 1970 | Original Music Composer |
| Dad... Can I Borrow the Car? | 1970 | Original Music Composer |
| The Aristocats | 1970 | Original Music Composer |
| The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove | 1971 | Original Music Composer |
| The City Fox | 1972 | Original Music Composer |
| Michael O'Hara the Fourth | 1972 | Original Music Composer |
| I'm No Fool with Electricity | 1973 | Original Music Composer |
| VD Attack Plan | 1973 | Original Music Composer |
| Robin Hood | 1973 | Original Music Composer |
| Herbie Rides Again | 1974 | Original Music Composer |
| Man, Monsters & Mysteries | 1974 | Original Music Composer |
