THE VINCE GUARALDI TRIO

Linus And Lucy

composed by Vince Guaraldi

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I’m making this page July 17th, 2021, which would have been the

93rd birthday of Vincent Anthony Guaraldi, jazz composer and

pianist famous for bringing the TV specials and feature films of

Charles Monroe Schulz’ (or as they informally called him,

“Sparky”’s) ageless and classic comic strip Peanuts to musical life.

Happy Posthumous Birthday, VG.

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Vince was born in San Fran, California, 1928, and was introduced to music by two uncles on his mother’s side, who headed up big bands of the era. He began cutting demos in the early ’50s. By the middle of the same decade, he’d struck a deal with L.A.-based Fantasy Records, known at the time for producing the albums of fellow jazz great Dave Brubeck, comedian Lenny Bruce, and a decade later, the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival.

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TV producer Lee Mendelson was looking for a composer to score the upcoming documentary film about Charles—er, ’scuse me; Sparky—and his creation of Peanuts. It would be entitled A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Lee was driving, and heard a Guaraldi composition dance through the radio. The rest, as they say, would be history, except for the fact that when it came time to produce the documentary, the crew could not find a network that would air it. It remains unreleased (though you can buy it on DVD here). Nonetheless, the following Christmas, Fantasy Records released its “soundtrack” of sorts—Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown—originally with nine instrumental pieces composed by Vince. One of them was the now legendary, timeless “Linus And Lucy.”

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The yuletide after that brought the very first Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, making both the strip and Vince’s work famous. I doubt many deny that a big chunk of the animated Peanuts success is owed to Vince’s soundtracks. The inane balance of the Peanuts cast’s effortless immaturity with their philosophical banter is complemented delightfully and humorously by the genre of piano jazz.

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Vince went on composing for the franchise, collaborating with John Scott Trotter and Rod McKuen for the first full Peanuts movie, 1969’s A Boy Named Charlie Brown—the title put to good use due to the 1963 documentary’s never being released. An average of over one television special a year came the next few decades. Vince scored each of them up through 1976, when he passed away, quite young. His work was used for the next couple specials as well into 1978. During his lifetime, the only Peanuts production not scored by Vince was feature film number two, Snoopy Come Home (1972)—which introduced Snoopy’s tiny companion Woodstock to the screen, and was composed by the Sherman brothers, Richard M. and Robert B. You can detect some real distinction in the style of that film’s songs.

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It goes without saying I had to choose “Linus And Lucy” for Vince’s birthday tribute. No Peanuts piece—and heck, few other instrumental piano jazz pieces ever—have been met with the level of acclaim and point-blank recognizability as has been “Linus And Lucy.” Kids of the 20th and 21st centuries, young and old, know the tune, having had a history with the franchise or not (though not everyone may know the title). A total no-brainer.

RIP Vince, 7/17/28 to 2/6/76.

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Have notes to add? Let me know!

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