Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, composer, and arranger, best known for his lush orchestral pop and easy listening music. Born in Toronto, Canada, he began as a pianist but switched to arranging and conducting after a hand injury.
Faith became a leading figure in the orchestral pop genre, pioneering the use of strings to replace vocals in popular tunes. Moving to the United States in the 1940s, he worked as a musical director for Columbia Records, collaborating with artists like Tony Bennett, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis.
His most famous recordings include Theme from A Summer Place (1960), which won a Grammy Award and became one of the most recognizable instrumental hits of all time. He also composed and arranged numerous film scores and holiday albums, cementing his status as a leading easy-listening artist.
Faith continued recording and arranging until his death in 1976, leaving behind a rich legacy of timeless orchestral music. His influence on film scores and lounge music remains significant, making him one of the most celebrated conductors of his era.
211 recordings by Percy Faith you can hear at Instrumentals Forever:
• 1, 2, 3, 4 • 2001 (Also sprach Zarathustra) • 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle) • A Man And A Woman • A Quiet Day • A Time For Love • Alfie • Amazing Grace • An Old Fashioned Love Song • And I Love Her So • Angelica • Annie’s Song • Aquarius • Aquarius • As Long As He Needs Me • Bach’s Lunch • Beautiful Obsession • Because • Behind Closed Doors • Ben • Bend Me, Shape Me • Blowin’ In The Wind • Born Free • Both Sides Now • Brian’s Song • Candy Man • Can’t Get Used To Losing You • Cherry, Cherry • Chompin’ • Clair • Coldwater Morning • Come Saturday Morning • Comes Once In A Lifetime • Conquistador • Corazón • Crunchy Granola Suite • Dareka Kokyo-O Omowazaru (Who Does Not Pine For Their Childhood Home) • Day By Day • Deep In The Morning • Diamonds Are Forever • Ding Dong • Do I Hear A Waltz • Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight • Dream Your Dream • Dueling Banjos from ”Deliverance” • El Bimbo • El Paso • Eleanor Rigby • Enter The Dragon • Eres Tu • Euterpe • Everything’s Alright • Feelings • Fifth Movement (Tubular Bells) • First Light • Fool On The Hill • For Love Of Ivy • For Once In My Life • For The Good Times • Funny Girl • Futari-Wa Wakai (We Are Young) • Georgy Girl • Gethsemane • Good Morning Starshine • Gypsies,Tramps And Thieves • Happy (Love Theme from ”Lady Sings The Blues”) • Hava Nagilah • He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother • Heaven On Their Minds • Hello Dolly • Hello Tomorrow • Help Me Make It Through The Night • Here, There And Everywhere • Hill Where The Lord Hides • Hosanna • How Are Things In Glocca Morra • How Can I Be Sure • Hurting Each Other • I Can See Clearly Now • I Could Have Danced All Night • I Don’t Know How To Love Him • I Don’t See Me In Your Eyes Anymore • I Got Rhythm • I Love How You Love Me • I Need You • I’m Gonna Go Fishin’ • Jinsei-No Namikimichi (Avenue Of Life) • Joy • Kage-O Shitaite (Longing For The Shadow) • Kanashii Sake (Sad ”Sake”) • Killing Me Softly With Her Song • Kodachrome • La Balanga • Lady Sings The Blues • Land Of A Thousand Dances • Laura • Leaving On A Jet Plane • Let It Be • Little Green Apples • Love (Can Make You Happy) • Love Music • Love Theme from ”Mary Queen Of Scots” (This Way Home) • Love Theme from ”Romeo and Juliet” • Love Theme from ”The Godfather” • Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds • Make It Easy On Yourself • Manha de Carnaval • Maria • Maybe September • Mennai Chidori (The Plover) • Michelle • Midnight At The Oasis • Midori-No Chiheisen (Green Horizon) • Mongonucleosis • Moody • Moon River • Mrs Robinson • My Heart Cries For You • My Love • My Special Angel • Never Can Say Goodbye • Never My Love • Never On Sunday • Nights In White Satin • Niizuma Kagami (New Bride’s Mirror) • Norwegian Wood • One • Orange Blossom Special • Otoko-No Junjo (Man’s Unrequited Love) • Our Love • Pata Pata • Peaceful • Pelican Dance • Pilate’s Dream • Pillow Talk • Promises, Promises • Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head • Rose Garden • Saddest Thing of All • Sake-Wa Namida-Ka Tameiki-Ka (What Is ”Sake”, Tears Or Sighs) • Send In The Clowns • Sha Bumpin’ • Simon Zealotes • Since I Fell For You • Sing • Skybird • Snowbird • Soleado • Someone Who Cares • Something • Somewhere My Love (Lara’s Theme) • Song from ”The Oscar” • Song Sung Blue • Spanish Harlem • Spinning Wheel • Star! • Stormy • Stranger On The Shore • Summer Breeze • Summer Place ’76 (Theme from ”A Summer Place”) • Sundown • Sunset Sunrise – Fiddler On The Roof • Sunstitute • Super Fly • Superstar • Sweet Surrender • That Ballad Of John And Yoko • The April Fools • The Entertainer • The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) • The Fool On The Hill • The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter • The King Is Dead • The Lion In Winter • The Most Beautiful Girl • The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia • The Shadow Of Your Smile • The Temple • The Trial Before Pilate • The Twelfth Of Never • The Way We Were • The Windmills Of Your Mind • The Wishing Doll • Theme from ”A Summer Place” • Theme from ”Chinatown” • Theme from ”Serpico” • Theme from ”Shaft” • Theme from ”The Fox” • Theme from ”The Sand Pebbles” (And We Were Lovers) • Theme from ”The Summer Of 42” • This Hotel • This Is My Song • Those Were The Days • Through The Eyes Of A Child (Un jour, un enfant) • Tokyo Rhapsody • Too Young • Vado Via • Viva Vivaldi • Washington Square • We Were Havin’ Some Fun At The Conservatory, When • What’ll I Do • What’s The Buzz • When I Fall In Love • Windmills Of Your Mind • Without Her • Without You • Yawara (Softly) • Yesterday • You Are The Sunshine Of My Life • Zorba •
