George Edward Bruns was an American film score composer, who composed the music for Disney feature films and several Disney Park attractions, like the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean (he also wrote the song "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me!"), and the Country Bear Jamboree (he also wrote the song "Bear Band Serenade").
Bruns was born on July 3, 1914, in Sandy, Oregon. Bruns expressed interest in music at an early age: He began playing piano at age six, and subsequently learned how to play the bass tuba. He eventually became proficient in 15 different instruments and began performing with a high school band while still in elementary school. After graduating from Oregon State University, he worked as a musician with various groups. In 1946 he was appointed musical director at radio station KEX in Portland, and also was the bandleader for the Rose Bowl room of the Multnomah Hotel. From 1947 to 1949, he performed and recorded on trombone with Portland's Castle Jazz Band, led by banjoist Monte Ballou.
In the late 1940s, he moved to Los Angeles. That was when he was hired by Walt Disney as an arranger in 1953, eventually becoming Disney's musical director, a position he held until his retirement in 1976. Despite his retirement, he continued to work on Disney projects. Many of his film contributions included the Davy Crockett series, Mickey Mouse Club, Sleeping Beauty (his first Disney animated film he arranged the score for), Goliath II, Babes in Toyland, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, The Sword in the Stone, The Ugly Dachshund, Follow Me, Boys!, The Fighting Prince of Donegal, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, The Jungle Book, The Love Bug, The Aristocats, Robin Hood (his last Disney animated film he arranged the score for), Herbie Rides Again, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and many cartoon shorts.
During his tenure with Disney Studios, Bruns continued to play Dixieland jazz, leading his Wonderland Jazz Band on two recording sessions, and playing and recording occasionally with the Disney "house" band, the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Bruns was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2001.
Filmography[]
Trivia[]
- Bruns met a young Brad Bird on a beach in Oregon, and was asked many questions about working at Disney. This prompted Bruns to offer Bird a tour of the studio. During this tour, Bruns introduced Bird to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
