Gene Page -

Gene Page (Sept. 13, 1938 — Aug. 24, 1998) was an American arranger, conductor, composer, and producer from Los Angeles. He arranged recordings for the Righteous Brothers, Solomon Burke, Barbra Streisand, the Jackson 5, Barry White, and Love Unlimited. Page also worked extensively with Motown and arranged numerous soul and pop sessions across the 1960s and 1970s. His screen work included the films Brewster McCloud and Blacula and the NBC Saturday-morning fantasy series H.R. Pufnstuf.

Background

Gene Page was born Eugene Edgar Page Jr. on Sept. 13, 1939, in Los Angeles, California. Page spent childhood in New York in a musical household, where the father taught Gene piano. Billy Page, an older brother, became a professional songwriter and producer and later wrote songs including “The ‘In’ Crowd,” a 1964 hit for Dobie Gray.

Gene studied classical music with the aim of becoming a concert pianist and won a four-year scholarship to Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Page left the conservatory before completing the program and returned to the West Coast, where further college study preceded a move into popular music.

Page joined Billy in Los Angeles and began writing songs for American Music. Billy used Gene to arrange demonstration recordings, with Glen Campbell and Johnny Rivers among the singers used on the demos. The work placed Page around a circle of Los Angeles musicians and songwriters connected with American Music, including drummer Hal Blaine and singer-producer Jimmy Bowen, who brought Page into commercial sessions by 1962, when Page arranged the Donna Loren singles “Hands Off” (b/w “I’m So Lonely”) and “Sailor, Sailor” (b/w “Tony”) for Crest Records at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood.

Page expanded his arranging work in 1963 with assignments that included “The Broken Hip” for the Olympics and the October Bob & Earl single “Harlem Shuffle” (b/w “I’ll Keep Running Back”) for Marc Records. Phil Spector hired Page for the 1964 Righteous Brothers single “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” co-arranged with Jack Nitzsche.

In February 1965, Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler used Page as arranger and conductor on the Solomon Burke single “Got to Get You Off My Mind.” Berns hired Page again for the July Drifters single “I’ll Take You Where the Music’s Playing.” In November, Berns used Page arrangements on both sides of the Drifters single “We Gotta Sing” (b/w “Nylon Stockings”).

Danny Hutton used Page arrangements on both sides of the April 1966 MGM single “Funny How Love Can Be” (b/w “Dreamin’ Isn’t Good for You”). Al De Lory used Page arrangements on both sides of the June Capitol single by Bobby Sheen, “Sweet Sweet Love” (b/w “Dr. Love”). Stu Phillips used a Page arrangement on the 1967 Nichelle Nichols recording “Why Don’t You Do Right?” for Epic Records.

Page made an early artist release in 1968 as Page One Gene Page Orchestra with “Walk Away Renee” (b/w “Of Our Other Days”) for VMC. Frank Wilson and Deke Richards used Page as arranger on “Funky Broadway” for the Motown album Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations.

In 1969, Page arranged Dylan’s Gospel, an album of Bob Dylan covers by gospel group Brothers and Sisters. Page also contributed arrangements to the Four Tops album Soul Spin, produced by Frank Wilson with five other arrangers. Sid and Marty Krofft hired Page to compose music for the NBC Saturday-morning fantasy series H.R. Pufnstuf. Lou Adler hired Page for the 1970 Merry Clayton debut Gimme Shelter. Richard Perry hired Page to arrange “Stoney End” and “Time and Love” for Barbra Streisand. Robert Altman hired Page to score the 1970 film Brewster McCloud.

In 1971, Hal Davis hired Page to arrange and conduct “Never Can Say Goodbye” for the Jackson 5. The Corporation and Page shared arrangement credit on both sides of the November Jackson 5 single “Sugar Daddy” (b/w “I’m So Happy”). Barry White and Page arranged the 1972 Love Unlimited debut album for Uni, including “Walkin’ in the Rain with the One I Love.”

Page composed the score for the 1972 American International horror film Blacula. Billy Page produced the soundtrack album for RCA Victor, the first album-length release under the Gene Page name.

Discography: