Richard M. Sherman
RICHARD M. SHERMAN and his brother Robert are probably best known for their music from Mary Poppins, winning two Oscars® for best score and best song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee"), while "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" became a pop hit entering the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1965. They composed "It's a Small World" for the 1964 World's Fair, and it later became a mainstay at the Disney theme parks. During the Sherman Brothers' 13-year career at Disney (1960-73), they received four Academy Award® nominations for more than 200 songs they wrote for 27 films and two dozen television productions. They also wrote music for a number of theme park attractions, including the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. In 1951, the Sherman Brothers' first song, "Gold Can Buy You Anything But Love" was recorded by cowboy crooner Gene Autry and played daily on his radio show. Their big break came in 1958, when Mouseketeer Annette Funicello recorded their song "Tall Paul," which shot up to number seven on the charts and sold 700,000 singles. The Sherman Brothers continued to write a string of top ten hits for Annette, including "Pineapple Princess," when Walt Disney took notice and soon hired them as staff composers. Over the years, they contributed to such films as The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the entire Winnie the Pooh series, including Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, as well as television shows, such as Zorro and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Among their last projects before leaving Disney were songs for EPCOT Center and Tokyo Disneyland. In 1998, the brothers returned to Disney to compose music for The Tigger Movie. They also penned their autobiography, Walt's Time: From Before to Beyond. Outside of their work for Disney, The Sherman Brothers composed the score for the film musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was later adapted for the stage, as well as the original musicals Over Here and Busker Alley. Bio as of April, 2007. American Theatre Wing programs, interviews and/or credits include: Downstage Center (audio) Richard M. Sherman and George Stiles - April, 2007 - Listen Now. Internet Broadway Database Listing (IBDB.com)