Biography.guide
Home › People › Conductor › Percy Faith
Portrait of Percy Faith

Percy Faith

1908 – 1976

Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Percy Faith

Lived 1908 – 1976 (aged 67). Percy Faith was a Canadian and American conductor, composer, pianist, film score composer, bandleader and musician.

Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listening" or "mood music" format. He became a staple of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s.

Early life Faith was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Beginning with stations CKNC and CKCL, he was a staple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's live-music broadcasting from 1933 to 1940, when he resettled in Chicago, Illinois. From 1938 to 1940 on the MBS radio network, and from 1948 to 1949 on the CBS radio network, he also served as the orchestra leader on The Coca-Cola Hour (also called The Pause That Refreshes). The orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. collaborated with Faith in some of these broadcasts. Faith also led the orchestra on The Woolworth Hour on CBS radio (1955–1957).

He moved from Canada to Great Neck, New York, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1945. Bim! Bam!! Boom!!! (1966) Christmas Is... (1966) The Oscar (1966) Themes for the "In" Crowd (1966) Born Free and Other Great Movie Themes (1967) No. 152 Hot 200 Today's Themes for Young Lovers (1967) No. 111 Hot 200 Angel of the Morning (1968) No. 95 Hot 200 For Those in Love (1968) No. 121 Hot 200 I Concentrate On You (1968) Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" (1969) No. 134 Hot 200 Those Were the Days (1969) No. 88 Hot 200 Windmills of Your Mind (1969) No. 194 Hot 200 The Beatles Album (1970) No. 179 Hot 200 Held Over! Today's Great Movie Themes (1970) No. 196 Hot 200 Leaving on a Jet Plane (1970) No. 88 Hot 200; No. 84 CAN Koga Melodies (1970)Sony, Japan Black Magic Woman (1971) No. 184 Hot 200 I Think I Love You (1971) No. 198 Hot 200 Jesus Christ Superstar (1971) No. 186 Hot 200 Day By Day (1972) No. 197 Hot 200 Joy (1972) No. 176 Hot 200 Ryoichi Hattori Melodies (1972) Sony, Japan Clair (1973) Corazon (1973) My Love (1973) The Entertainer (1974) (withdrawn/reissued) Chinatown Featuring the Entertainer (1974) Clair (1974) Country Bouquet (1974) Live in Japan, On May 19. 1974 at Tokyo Kosei Nenkin Kaikan (1974)Sony, Japan. The Great Concert (1974)2LP set Same concert as above and full concert. Sony, Japan New Thing (1974) Disco Party (1975) Viva!/Mucho Gusto! (1975) Summer Place '76 (1976)

Compilations Greatest Hits (1960) Forever Young (2-LP, 1968) Younger Than Springtime (1970) Harmony Records Sounds of music (1970) Harmony Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (1971) Australia A Summer Place (1971) Harmony A Time for Love (2-LP, 1971) All-Time Greatest Hits (1972) No. 200 Hot 200 Everynight at the movies (1972) Harmony Remembering the hits of the '60s (1974) All about Percy Faith (1975) 2-LP set Sony, Japan Great Moments of Percy Faith (1976) 2-LP set 16 Most Requested Songs (1989) Ultimate Collection (2001) 3-CD set, Australia The Great Percy Faith (2005) 3-CD set, Australia Definitive collection (2014) 2-CD set Real Gone Music

Singles Faith produced the following singles: "I Cross My Fingers" {Vocal: Russ Emery} US No. 20, 1950 "All My Love" (US No. 7, 1950) "Christmas in Killarney" {Vocals: Shillelagh Singers} US No. 28 – December 1950 "On Top of Old Smokey" {Vocals: Burl Ives} US No. 10, 1951 "When the Saints Go Marching In" (US No. 29 – September 1951) "I Want to Be Near You" (US No. 30 – September 1951) "Delicado" (US No. 1, 1952) "Swedish Rhapsody (Midsummer Vigil)" / (US No. 21, 1953) "Moulin Rouge Theme" {Vocals: Felicia Sanders} US No. 1, 1953 "Return to Paradise" (US No. 19 – June 1953) "Many Times" (US No. 30 – December 1953) "Dream, Dream, Dream" (US No. 25 – May 1954) "The Bandit" (US No. 25 – October 1954) "Valley Valparaiso" (US No. 53, 1956) "We All Need Love" (US No. 67, 1956) "With a Little Bit of Luck" (US No. 82, 1956) "Till" (US No. 63, 1957) "Theme from A Summer Place" (US No. 1, 1960) "Theme for Young Lovers" (US No. 35, 1960) "Theme from "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs"" (US No. 101 – November 1960) "Sons and Lovers" (US No. 111 – September 1963) "The Sound of Surf" (US No. 111 – September 1963) "Yellow Days" (AC No. 13, 1967) "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (AC No. 24, 1967) "For Those in Love" (1968) "Zorba" (AC No. 36, 1969) "Theme from A Summer Place" (vocal version) US No. 111 – July 1969 – AC No. 26, 1969 "The April Fools" (1969) "Airport Love Theme" (1970) "Everything's All Right" (AC No. 31 – February 1971) "Theme from Summer of '42" (1971) "Bach's Lunch" (1972) "Crunchy Granola Suite" (AC No. 16, 1973); (AC CAN No. 85) "Hill Where the Lord Hides" (AC No. 44, 1974) "Theme from "Chinatown"" (AC No. 35, 1974); (AC CAN No. 42) "Summer Place '76" (AC No. 13, 1976); (AC CAN No. 20)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Also known as
Peter Mars

People in Percy Faith's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Percy Faith's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Percy Faith?

Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor (1908-1976)

When was Percy Faith born?

Percy Faith was born on 7 April 1908 in Toronto.

When did Percy Faith die?

Percy Faith died on 9 February 1976 in Encino.

What was Percy Faith's occupation?

Percy Faith was a conductor, composer, pianist, film score composer, bandleader and musician.

What nationality was Percy Faith?

Percy Faith was Canadian and American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Percy Faith

· Wikidata: Q712683

· DBpedia: Percy Faith

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Percy Faith. https://biography.guide/percy-faith/

MLA: "Percy Faith." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/percy-faith/.

Chicago: "Percy Faith." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/percy-faith/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:31 UTC