Ernie Hatrak(1920-2010)

Composer, songwriter, author, conductor, arranger, pianist and teacher, educated at Juilliard. He was music-director at WTTM in Trenton NJ between 1941 and 1943, then conductor and accompanist to Belle Baker from 1943 to 1945. Thereafter and until 1947 he was a music critic and columnist for a Trenton newspaper. In 1952, he assumed the musical directorship, pianist and arranging duties for Ernie Kovacs' television show, until 1954. He then directed a private music studio. Joining ASCAP in 1955, his chief musical collaborator was Gene Arzo, and his popular-song and instrumental compositions include "Etude in Swing", "Calypso", "Playtime March", "Someone, Somewhere", "Shopping Spree", and "Chip's Boogie".