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Van Alexander

American bandleader, arranger and composer. Born May 02, 1915 in New York City, New York, USA. Died July 19, 2015 (age 100) in Los Angeles, California, USA. Brother of composer [a274673]. Van Alexander was barely out of his teens when he sold his first arrangement to Chick Webb, whose band was a frequent attraction at the fabled Savoy Ballroom in New York's Harlem. For the next couple of years, until he launched his own successful career as a bandleader, Van continued to contribute charts for the Webb band, including the now famous arrangement of 'A-Tisket A-Tasket', which became the first big record hit for Chick's young vocalist, Ella Fitzgerald. He was the chief conductor and arranger for Gordon MacRae and Sheila MacRae. He also did alot of work with singers Kay Starr and Doris Day.