View Full Version : Sonny Curtis (The Mary Tyler Moore Theme Song Performer) Then & Now!


Brian Damage
03-22-2011, 10:26 PM
http://www.buddyhollyonline.com/related/scurtis.jpg

http://www.pasoroblesfilmfestival.com/images/SonnyCurtis.jpg

His most famous song is probably the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "Love is All Around", which he wrote as well as recorded.

Q: What is the story behind your song “Love is All Around”

As for Love Is All Around a good friend of mine, Doug Gilmore, was working for the Williams & Price agency in L. A., who managed Mary Tyler Moore. One morning in early summer of 1970, he called and told me that they were planning to do a show with Mary. He asked if I’d be interested in writing a theme song. “Sure,” I said. At lunch, he came by my house and dropped off a format of about four pages that described the show. I wrote the song in a couple of hours and called him to ask where I should go to sing it. He sent me to CBS Television Studios in Studio City to see James L. Brooks, the executive producer of the show. Mr. Brooks took me to a big, empty room (except for a black telephone on the floor), had a couple of iron back chairs sent in, and informed me that they weren’t anywhere close to choosing a theme song. I think Doug had allowed me to get the jump on other songwriters. Anyway, I sang him the song. He said, “sing that again.” Then he got on the phone and had some other people come in to listen to it. He had a cassette recorder sent in and I recorded it for him. He said he wanted to take it to Minneapolis that weekend to listen to when they filmed the opening segment of the show. At that point, I thought I might have a pretty good chance.

It aired for the first time, September 19, 1970.

http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/200805/sonny-curtis-feature.aspx

catlover79
03-22-2011, 11:46 PM
Cool - thanks for the link!! (He was also one of The Crickets!) :cool: :D

Retro4Life
03-23-2011, 12:38 AM
Wow, he looks great! Must be close to 70 by now, too! Thanks for the article.

catlover79
03-23-2011, 01:05 AM
He'll actually turn 74 in May!! (born May 9, 1937) :cool: :D

PGood97041
03-23-2011, 02:38 PM
Wow!
I'd never known what Sonny looked like, nor ever read the story about the creation of the theme song from his point of view.
Thanks for posting!

OH Nuts!
03-23-2011, 06:36 PM
Great piece of info Brian - and the pictures are great! Thx!

tmac81s
05-19-2011, 11:27 PM
Sonny was also a country singer, he took "Love is All Around" to #29 on the country charts in 1980, three years after MTM went off the air! His highest charting hit came the next year with the #15 "Good Ol' Girls."

Check out his full-length country version of "Love Is all Around" on youtube, it also has extra lyrics! i was kinda surprised it wasn't put out as a single in the early 70s, when the show was on the air and a hit.