HENRY MANCINI
The Mancini Generation, a syndicated TV series that premiered in 1972, was hosted by none other than the man himself, award-winning composer Henry Mancini, and featured instrumental 40-man band versions of standards from pop hits to movie themes to classical overtures as well as originals composed by the series' star. After a brief run the show was canceled, perhaps having come a bit too late to appeal to the tastes of an audience that several years earlier would have more readily embraced a program perceived as cooler than The Lawrence Welk Show but not as cool as rock and roll. But there's a ring of truth to the short-lived series' title; the period from the late '50s through early '70s could easily be seen as an era defined by Mancini's music ... MORE ››
