Biografia
Johnny Mandel, inducted into the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame in 2009 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010, is best known for composing the iconic theme song "Suicide is Painless" for M*A*S*H (1972). Born and raised in Manhattan, he was the son of a garment manufacturer and an opera singer, with music deeply rooted in his family—an uncle was a show tune writer. Mandel quickly learned piano, trumpet, and trombone, and was mentored in arranging by Van Alexander. He honed his skills at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. By his mid-teens, he was performing with big bands, beginning professionally in 1943 with violinist Joe Venuti's orchestra. Renowned as an accomplished arranger and trombonist until 1954, he worked with top swing bands led by Artie Shaw, Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, Alvino Rey, and Buddy Rich. From the mid-1950s onward, Mandel focused mainly on arranging and composing jazz pieces for artists such as Stan Getz, Count Basie, and Woody Herman. His notable songs include standards like "The Straight Life," "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams," and "The Shadow of Your Smile," the latter earning him an Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside lyricist Paul Francis Webster, with whom he also collaborated on An American Dream (1966). Mandel contributed as a composer, conductor, and orchestrator to numerous film and TV soundtracks. As an arranger, he worked with legendary artists including Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole (notably on her "Unforgettable" album), and Barbra Streisand. A five-time Grammy winner, Mandel was an ASCAP member from 1956 and served on its Board of Directors starting in 1989.
