Richard M. Sherman, prolific Disney songwriter, dies at 95

Richard M. Sherman, half of the prolific, award-winning sibling duo who helped shape millions of childhoods by writing the instantly memorable songs “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” – also as the most played song on Earth, “It’s a Small World (After All)” – has died. He was 95 years old.

Sherman, along with his late brother Robert, won two Oscars for Walt Disney’s 1964 hit “Mary Poppins” – best score and best song, “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” They also won a Grammy for best film or TV soundtrack. Robert Sherman died in London aged 86 in 2012.

The Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital from an age-related illness.

“Generations of moviegoers and theme park visitors have been introduced to the world of Disney through the magnificent, timeless songs of the Sherman Brothers. Even today, the duo’s work remains Walt Disney’s quintessential lyrical voice,” said the company in a remembrance posted on Twitter. your site.

His hundreds of credits as a lyricist and joint composer also include the films “Winnie the Pooh,” “The Slipper and the Rose,” “Snoopy Come Home,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Magic of Lassie.” His Broadway musicals included 1974’s “Over Here!” and productions of “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in the mid-2000s.

“Something good happens when we sit down together and work,” Richard Sherman told the Associated Press in a joint interview in 2005. “We’ve done this all our lives. We’ve been working together practically since college.”

His awards include 23 gold and platinum albums and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They became the only Americans to win first prize at the Moscow Film Festival for “Tom Sawyer” in 1973 and were inducted into the Composers’ Hall of Fame in 2005.

President George W. Bush awarded them the National Medal of Arts in 2008, commended for music that “helped bring joy to millions.”

On a 2013 interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” Sherman said that in the early 1960s, he and his brother occupied adjacent offices on Disney land in Burbank, just down the hall from Walt Disney.

“He (Walt Disney) named us ‘the boys.’ He didn’t like formality and he hated being called Mr. Disney, he liked being called Walt,” Sherman told “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Most of the songs the Shermans wrote — besides being catchy and fun — work on multiple levels for different ages, something they learned from Disney.

“He once told us, early in our career, ‘Don’t insult the child – don’t write to the child. And don’t just write for adults.’ So we write to Grandpa and the 4-year-old – and everyone else – and we all see it on a different level,” said Richard Sherman.

The Shermans began a decade-long partnership with Disney during the 1960s after writing hit pop songs such as “Tall Paul” for former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and “You’re Sixteen”, later recorded by Ringo Starr .

They wrote more than 150 songs at Disney, including soundtracks for films such as “The Sword and the Stone”, “The Parent Trap”, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, “The Jungle Book”, “The Aristocrats” and “The Tigger Movie”. .”

“It’s a Small World” – which accompanies guests on a Disney theme park boat ride sung by animatronic dolls representing world cultures – is considered the most performed composition in the world. It was first released at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair pavilion.

Both brothers credit their father, songwriter Al Sherman, for challenging them to write songs and for their love of writing words. His legacy of songs includes “You Gotta Be a Football Hero”, “(What Do We Do On a) Dew-Dew-Dewy Day” and “On the Beach at Bali-Bali”.

“’I bet you guys couldn’t get together and write a song and some kid would give his lunch money to buy a record. I don’t think you guys would have enough intelligence to do that,’” Sherman told “CBS Sunday Mornings” his father told them one day.

His children popularized the terms “ghostly” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.

The Shermans teased each other’s songs, discussing titles and then trying to outdo each other with improvements.

“Being brothers, we kind of cut each other off,” Richard Sherman said. “We can almost look at each other and know, ‘Hey, you’re on the right path, kid.'”

Away from the piano, the two raised families and pursued their own interests, but still lived near each other in Beverly Hills and continued working into their 70s. When “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” hit Broadway in 2005, they added new lyrics and four new songs.

“I was always the bright, happy guy, everything was great and wonderful… Bob was more serious-minded,” Sherman told “CBS Sunday Morning.”

Richard Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children: Gregory and Victoria. He is also survived by a daughter, Lynda, from a previous marriage.

A private funeral will be held on Friday; Disney said a lifetime service celebration will be announced later.

Although they were estranged for several years, the brothers largely avoided sibling rivalry. When asked about it, Richard Sherman was philosophical, moving and playful all at the same time – much like the trunk full of songs he wrote with his brother.

“We are human. We have weaknesses and weaknesses. But we love each other very much, we respect each other,” he said. “I’m glad he’s a successful guy. That makes me a successful guy.”