Ralph Marterie

Ralph Marterie (24 December 1914 – 10 October 1978) was an Italian big-band leader born in Acerra (near Naples), Italy. In the 1940s, he played trumpet for various bands. In 1957, he hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Tricky", and in 1957 he reached No. 10 with "Shish-Kebab". His compositions included "Dancing Trumpet", "Dry Marterie", and "Carla".

Joel Whitburn's pop chart research books say that Marterie's version of "The Song Of Love" peaked at No. 84 for the week ending December 26, 1955. However, Billboard did not put out an issue that week and Marterie never recorded this tune; the listing is in fact a copyright trap, to prevent others from stealing Whitburn's work.

He died on October 10, 1978, in Dayton, Ohio.

Partial discography Albums Ralph Marterie (1955) Music for a Private Eye (1959) Marvelous Marterie (1959) Dance Band In Town - Esquire Mercury MG20066 Australia Dancers Choice (1967)

N.B.: A separately published discography of Ralph Marterie's recordings and of his recording sessions is Ralph Marterie and His Orchestra, by Ross Brethour, Charles Garrod, and Edward Novitsky (Zephyrhills, Fla.: Joyce Record Club Publications, 1992; 65 + 5 leaves).