Archie Bleyer

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Archie Bleyer (June 12, 1909-March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger and band leader.

He was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. He began playing the piano when he was only seven years old. In 1927 he went to Columbia College, intending to become an electrical engineer, but as a sophomore switched to a music major. Without graduating, he left to become an arranger.

In 1934, he started leading a band of his own at Earl Carroll's club in Hollywood, California. Bleyer's orchestra recorded for Brunswick Records, and one of the vocalists who worked with this orchestra was Johnny Mercer, who became better known as a songwriter and co-founder of Capitol Records.

In the 1940s he became musical director for Arthur Godfrey, serving in this role until 1953. Many close to Godfrey considered Bleyer's creativity and understanding of music to be pivotal to the success of Godfrey's radio and TV programs. And while Godfrey was known to be short-fused and controlling, he often deferred to Bleyer's judgment.

In 1952 he founded Cadence Records, whose first artist was Godfrey alumnus Julius La Rosa. Along with several instrumental hit singles of his own, Bleyer went on to sign many other artists who had performed on Godfrey's programs (including The Chordettes, one of whose members, Janet Ertel, became his wife).

In the fall of 1953, shortly after Godfrey dismissed La Rosa on the air and later claimed the young singer "lacked humility." Days later, Godfrey fired Bleyer, claiming he was offended when Bleyer recorded Chicago radio personality Don McNeill, host of the "Don McNeill Breakfast Club." This Godfrey-like show was based in Chicago and broadcast nationally, but its popularity was mainly in the Midwest. Always insecure, Godfrey felt McNeill a competitor and took offense that Bleyer recorded him. Godfrey later claimed that when he confronted Bleyer, that the conductor simply shrugged, told him to do what he had to do. When Bleyer left the show, he never made a public statement about his days with Godfrey. The public furor that surrounded LaRosa's firing and, to a lesser extent, Bleyer's, began the unraveling of Godfrey's seemingly unstoppable dominance of radio and TV while Bleyer's career was just beginning to blossom.

Later Cadence artists included Andy Williams and the label's biggest act of all, The Everly Brothers whose hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie" were produced by Bleyer in Nashville with country studio musicians led by Chet Atkins. Bleyer at one point was also the father-in-law of Phil Everly. He had his own instrumental recording hits on the Cadence label as well. Eventually Bleyer sold the Cadence label and all its recordings to Andy Williams. Today the Cadence material is owned by Sony BMG Music.

He died in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.