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Biography
In the News
Photo Album
Maury Laws has been in the music business since the age
of twelve. He began playing the guitar and singing country
music in his
native North Carolina and by age sixteen was a featured soloist with
local dance bands and jazz groups.
After returning from
World War II, he performed in clubs and theaters throughout the U.S. and
Canada, eventually settling
in New York
where he pursued a formal education in music. Among his teachers was
Tibor Serly, the associate
of Bela Bartok.
In the waning days of
the big bands, he toured with the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra and during the
so-called golden age
of television,
he appeared with vocal groups on the Perry Como, Arthur Godfrey, Milton
Berle and Ed Sullivan shows.
He wrote arrangements for
many of the top recording artists of the 1950’s and ‘60’s. He also
created and performed in
commercials for General Electric,
Eastman Kodak, American Motors, Firestone and Revlon.
Laws’ first job as a
musical director was for the animated production “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer.” It has aired on
network
television every year since 1964, making it the longest running special
in TV history. He went on to compose,
arrange and conduct music for the Rankin/Bass television specials and films (www.RankinBass.com)
including
“The Hobbit” which won a Peabody
Award and an Emmy nomination.
His work has been
performed by some of the world’s most renowned artists including Fred
Astaire, Danny Kaye,
Angela Lansbury,
Burl Ives, Danny Thomas, Art Carney, Judy Collins, John Houston and
Ethel Merman. He has also
composed for the Off-Broadway
theater and has scored symphonic works for orchestras in this country
and in Europe.
Maury is married to
former NBC News producer, Karen Rutledge. Their son, John, lives in
Chicago. Daughter, Wendy,
resides in
Phoenix and son, Christopher, lives on Cape Cod.
Laws continues to
compose and arrange music for vocalists, jazz artists and symphony
orchestras.
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