David Hess(1936-2011)
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
David Alexander Hess was born in New York City in 1936. He began his
professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music, in 1957, under
the pseudonym of David Hill. His first recording was a quick hit, which
was later performed by and credited to
Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up."
David went on to compose "Start Movin'" for
Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the
The Ames Brothers. He continued to
write songs for Elvis throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including "I Got
Stung," "Come Along" (from the film "Frankie And Johnny"), and "Sand
Castles" (from the film "Paradise, Hawaiian Style"). He also wrote
"Make Me Know You're Mine" (first performed by
Conway Twitty, and "Blue Lagoon." "Your
Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" became a 1960s hit when it was performed
by Andy Williams. In 1963 David
wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzalez," which became a #1 single for
Pat Boone, selling more than eight
million copies worldwide. David then recorded two solo albums for Kapp
Records, again topping the charts, this time with a Top Ten folk hit
called "Two Brothers."
In 1969 he became head of A&R at Mercury Records in New York. There he
linked up with Western classical composer
John Corigliano, and together they wrote
the Grammy award-winning rock opera "The Naked Carmen", which became a
big hit of the Berlin Ballet Week in 1970. David's work with Mercury
also included "And the Children Toll the Passing of the Day," a 1969
album he wrote for Irish actor
Malachy McCourt.
In 1972 his career split off into several new directions with his
starring role in the Wes Craven horror
classic
The Last House on the Left (1972),
for which he also composed the soundtrack. He went on to score
Buck ai confini del cielo (1991),
a children's film based on a collection of
Jack London stories. It won the top
prize for film and direction at the Giffone Film Festival. A subsequent
job offer from PolyGram Records' German affiliate gave David the
opportunity to move to Munich, Germany, and a multilingual career in
film dubbing from 1972 to 1976, which in turn led him to write the
English-language shooting scripts for such German greats as
Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
Reinhard Hauff and his present
collaborator, Peter Schamoni.
His ability to switch seamlessly from in front of the camera to the
production team earned him the opportunity to direct his first American
feature film,
To All a Goodnight (1980), for
Media Home Entertainment in 1980. He also appeared in two low-budget
horror films directed by
Ruggero Deodato,
House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
and
Body Count (1986).
In 1991 he played the part of the American in
Peter Schamoni's
Max Ernst: Mein Vagabundieren - Meine Unruhe (1991).
From 1993 to 1995 he produced
Niki de Saint Phalle (1996).
David's final musical accomplishments included the release of two
albums, "Caught Up In The Moment" and "Live & Unplugged in Hollywood,
2002." He lived in Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles,
with his wife, with whom he had three children.
David Hess died on 7 October, 2011.
professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music, in 1957, under
the pseudonym of David Hill. His first recording was a quick hit, which
was later performed by and credited to
Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up."
David went on to compose "Start Movin'" for
Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the
The Ames Brothers. He continued to
write songs for Elvis throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including "I Got
Stung," "Come Along" (from the film "Frankie And Johnny"), and "Sand
Castles" (from the film "Paradise, Hawaiian Style"). He also wrote
"Make Me Know You're Mine" (first performed by
Conway Twitty, and "Blue Lagoon." "Your
Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" became a 1960s hit when it was performed
by Andy Williams. In 1963 David
wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzalez," which became a #1 single for
Pat Boone, selling more than eight
million copies worldwide. David then recorded two solo albums for Kapp
Records, again topping the charts, this time with a Top Ten folk hit
called "Two Brothers."
In 1969 he became head of A&R at Mercury Records in New York. There he
linked up with Western classical composer
John Corigliano, and together they wrote
the Grammy award-winning rock opera "The Naked Carmen", which became a
big hit of the Berlin Ballet Week in 1970. David's work with Mercury
also included "And the Children Toll the Passing of the Day," a 1969
album he wrote for Irish actor
Malachy McCourt.
In 1972 his career split off into several new directions with his
starring role in the Wes Craven horror
classic
The Last House on the Left (1972),
for which he also composed the soundtrack. He went on to score
Buck ai confini del cielo (1991),
a children's film based on a collection of
Jack London stories. It won the top
prize for film and direction at the Giffone Film Festival. A subsequent
job offer from PolyGram Records' German affiliate gave David the
opportunity to move to Munich, Germany, and a multilingual career in
film dubbing from 1972 to 1976, which in turn led him to write the
English-language shooting scripts for such German greats as
Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
Reinhard Hauff and his present
collaborator, Peter Schamoni.
His ability to switch seamlessly from in front of the camera to the
production team earned him the opportunity to direct his first American
feature film,
To All a Goodnight (1980), for
Media Home Entertainment in 1980. He also appeared in two low-budget
horror films directed by
Ruggero Deodato,
House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
and
Body Count (1986).
In 1991 he played the part of the American in
Peter Schamoni's
Max Ernst: Mein Vagabundieren - Meine Unruhe (1991).
From 1993 to 1995 he produced
Niki de Saint Phalle (1996).
David's final musical accomplishments included the release of two
albums, "Caught Up In The Moment" and "Live & Unplugged in Hollywood,
2002." He lived in Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles,
with his wife, with whom he had three children.
David Hess died on 7 October, 2011.