When you listen to "West Side Story" and the character Tony, played by Richard Beymer, singing such Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim gems as "Something's Coming," "Somewhere" and "Maria" you'll actually be hearing Birmingham native Jimmy Bryant. In 1961 when the movie was released, Bryant was the "ghost singer" for that role.
At that time no screen credit or credit on the soundtrack album was given but the new remastered CD and DVD have finally given Mr. Bryant credit for his work.
Years later, Bryant sang for James Fox in the Julie Andrews musical comedy "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
His most famous unknown credit, however, is probably the theme song to the old "Batman" TV series.
Bryant, who grew up in Tarrant and attended Birmingham-Southern College and the Birmingham Conservatory of Music, went to New York in 1953, where he worked as a background singer.
Three years later, he made the move to Los Angeles and played bass in the house band a Puccini's, the Beverly Hills restaurant owned by Frank Sinatra.
Bryant met the musical supervisor for "West Side Story" and after several rounds of auditions, he got the gig dubbing Beymer's voice.
Bryant was more interested in composing and arranging than ghost singing. He became friends with Oscar-winning composer John Williams, with whom he worked on the movies "Not With My Wife, You Don't!" and "Penelope" and the TV series "Lost in Space."
At 73 Bryant composes the piped-in music heard at theme parks, including Tokyo Disneyland and Disney World in Orlando.
From an article in
Birmingham News
7/12/2002
by Bob Carlton
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