Don Costa

Don Costa (July 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was a United States pop music arranger and record producer.

Related Topics:
July 10 - 1925 - January 19 - 1983 - United States - Pop music - Arranger - Record producer

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Dominick P.Costa was born in Boston to an Italian American family. He had several siblings.

Related Topics:
Boston - Italian American

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As a child he took a keen interest in learning the guitar and became so adept that he was accepted as a member of the CBS Radio Orchestra by the time he was in his teens. In the late 1940's Costa moved to New York City to further his career by becoming a session musician. He ended up having the good fortune of playing guitar along with Bucky Pizzarelli on Vaughn Monroe's hit recording of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." It was around this time that Costa started experimenting with combinations of instruments producing musical arrangements and peddling them to a few notable big bands.

Related Topics:
Guitar - CBS - New York City - Bucky Pizzarelli - Vaughn Monroe - Big band

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It was this self-promotion that caused two young up and coming singers to notice his work. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme invited Costa to write some vocal backrounds for their future recordings. He agreed, and thus began a winning association between the three that led to them joining a new record company being headed up by Sam Clark as president: ABC-Paramount records. It was here that Costa accepted the position of head A&R man as well as chief arranger and producer. Many hits were to follow, not only with Lawrence and Gorme, but with Lloyd Price, George Hamilton, and Paul Anka.

Related Topics:
Steve Lawrence - Eydie Gorme - Sam Clark - ABC - Paramount - Lloyd Price - George Hamilton - Paul Anka

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Many hits followed in succession until Costa found several of his own instrumental recordings becoming huge hits, including Never on Sunday and the Theme from the Unforgiven. Costa was also voted number one in Cashbox Magazine as the most popular recording arranger and conductor. It was at this time that Lawrence, Gorme, and Costa left ABC to join the United Artists label. Costa continued to produce and arrange as well as put out instrumental albums.

Related Topics:
Cashbox Magazine - United Artists

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During this time Frank Sinatra had formed a new recording label called "Reprise", and hired Costa to arrange one of his albums, Sinatra and Strings.

Related Topics:
Frank Sinatra - Reprise

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Later on in the mid 60's Costa moved from New York to Hollywood, formed his own company DCP International, scoring big with the labels artists Little Anthony and the Imperials. Heading toward the later 60's Frank Sinatra called upon Costa to do more work for him. After a while it was becoming quite apparent that Frank was making Costa his new main arranger, and the work with Lawrence and Gorme abated. During this period Sinatra culminated with one of his greatest hits arranged by Costa and written by Paul Anka, entitled My Way.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Little Anthony and the Imperials - Paul Anka

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Costa continued working for Sinatra conducting in Las Vegas as well as arranging his records when suddenly he had a heart attack and needed bypass surgery.

Related Topics:
Heart attack - Bypass surgery

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After recovering, he returned to a hectic schedule of arranging for a bevy of famous people, including Sammy Davis Jr.. In the late 60's Costa started working with MGM records and Mike Curb producing and arranging The Osmond Brothers hits, as well as having a hand in Sammy Davis' Candy Man as well as Petula Clark's My Guy.

Related Topics:
Sammy Davis Jr. - MGM - Mike Curb - Osmond Brothers - Petula Clark

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In the early 80's Costa scored again as an artist with a hit with his 10 year old daughter Nikka entitled Out Here On My Own. The two were planning a follow up when Costa suddenly died of a heart attack in New York City.

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Costa's ability to write string lines earned him the soubriquet the "Puccini of Pop."

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