Fun Fact: In the original recording of this song, the piano riff is played by John Williams...Yes, THAT, John Williams, who would later go on to become the iconic film composer for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, E.T., Schindler's List, and hundreds more.
But, before John Williams became John Williams, Henry Mancini was already busy being Henry Mancini.
Born in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Mancini studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York City, but his music career didn't begin until after serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
After the war he joined the newly re-formed Glenn Miller Orchestra, and in 1952, he began his long career of scoring for the movies: Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Creature Walks Among Us, It Came from Outer Space, Tarantula, and This Island Earth, just of the films featuring his work.
Then, in the late 1950s, there was Peter Gunn.
The "Peter Gunn Theme" was one of the first television themes to prominently feature a jazz score. Mancini's use of jazz elements, such as walking bass lines and brass sections, set the tone for the entire series and helped bring jazz into the mainstream.
The "Peter Gunn Theme" earned Henry Mancini two Grammy Awards in 1959: Album of the Year and Best Arrangement. This was a significant achievement as it marked the first time a television score won a Grammy.
And, after all these years, it is till sub-zero cool. Dig it.
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