Tony Mottola

Tony Mottola (April 18, 1918 – August 9, 2004) was an American guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey, and died in Denville, New Jersey.

Career
Like many of his contemporaries he started out learning to play the banjo and then took up the guitar. He had his first guitar lessons from his father and by the late 1930s he was playing in George Hall's orchestra in a rhythm section that included Johnnie Guarnieri and Nick Fatool.

Mottola was one of the most sought after and respected studio musicians in the recording and music industry. He worked extensively with Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, and orchestrated albums for Burl Ives. He appeared on the DuMont Television Network program Melody Street.

Mottola also played with Doc Severinsen's Orchestra on The Tonight Show and composed music for the films Running on Empty and Violated (1953) as well as the 1950s television series Danger, which starred Yul Brynner.

Mottola is a distant cousin of record company executive Tommy Mottola.

Mottola is interred in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, New Jersey.

Several of his songs were heavily sampled by The Avalanches for their album Since I Left You.

Mottola's only charted single under his own name was "This Guy's In Love With You" which reached #22 on Billboard's "Easy Listening Top 40" in the summer of 1968.

Partial Discography
In addition to performing as a sideman on thousands of commercial recordings from 1941 to 1986, Mottola released more than 50 albums as a leader between 1950 and 1983. His 1950 MGM album of music he composed and performed for the CBS TV weekly drama series "Danger" is believed to be the first recording of a television soundtrack.

A) COMMAND RECORDS (#s 1 – 15)

1) Mr. Big [1959 Command Records R 33 807, RS 807 SD]

2 Roman Guitar [1960 Command Records R 33 816, RS 816 SD]

3) Folk Songs [1961 Command Records R 33 823, RS 823 SD]

4) String Band Strum Along [1961 Command Records RS 828 SD]

5) Roman Guitar Volume 2 [1962 Command Records R 33 836, RS 836 SD]

6) Spanish Guitar [1962 Command Records R 33 841, RS 841 SD]

7) Romantic Guitar [1963 Command Records R 33 847, RS 847 SD]

8) Guitar...Mottola (previously released as "Mr. Big") [1963 Command Records RS807SD]

9) Sentimental Guitar [1964 Command Records R 33 864, RS 864 SD]

10) Guitar Paris [1965 Command Records R 33 877, RS 877 SD]

11) Command Performance [1965 Command Records R 33 885, RS 885 SD]

12) Love Songs of Mexico, South America [1965 Command Records R 33 889, RS 889 SD]

13) Amor Mexico and South America [1966 Command Records R 33 900, RS 900 SD)

14) Guitar U.S.A. [1967 Command Records RS 908 SD]

15) Tony "Mr. Guitar" Mottola, Volume II [1973 Command Records RSSD 966/2] Two record set.

B) PROJECT 3 RECORDS (#s 16-39)

16) Heart & Soul Guitar [1966 – Project 3 PR 5003 SD]

17) Tony Mottola Joins the Guitar Underground [1966 – Project 3 Records]

18) Warm, Wild & Wonderful [1968 Project 3 Records PR-5025 SD]

19) Lush, Latin, and Lovely [1968 – Project 3 Records PR 5020 SD]

20) Roma Oggi [1968 Project 3 Records Project 3 Records PR 5032 SD]

21) The Tony Touch [1969 – Project 3 Records PR 5041 SD]

22) Close to You (A Guitar For Lovers) [1970 Project 3 Records PR 5050 SD]

23) Warm Feelings [1971 Project 3 Records PR 5058 SD]

24) Tony & Strings [1972 Project 3 Records PR 5069 SD]

25) Two Guitars for Two in Love [1972 Project 3 Records PR 5074 SD]

26) I Gotta Be Me: The Guitar Artistry of Tony Mottola [1972 Project 3 Records PR 60-35, 2LPs]

27) A Latin Love-In [1973 Project 3 Records PR 5010 SD]

28) Tony Mottola and the Quad Guitars [1973 Project 3 Records PR 5078 SD]

29) Tony Mottola and the Brass Menagerie [1974 Project 3 Records PR 5082 SD]

30) Guitar Factory [1975 Project 3 Records PR 5044 SD]

31) I Only Have Eyes for You [1975 Project 3 Records PR 5094 SD]

32) Feelings [1977 Project 3 Records PR2-6025, 6026SD, 2 LPs]

33) Favorite Italian Songs 1979 Project 3 Records PR 5032]

34) Goin’ Out Of My Head [1979 – Project 3 Records PR 5101]

35) Superstar Guitar [c1970s Project 3 Records PR 5062 SD]

36) Holiday Guitars [c1970s Project 3 Records PR 5090 SD]

37) Stardust (previously released as "Warm Feelings") [1980 Project 3 Records PR 5068]

38) All The Way 1983 Project 3 Records PR 5112 SD]

39) My Favourite Things [Date Unknown Project 3 Records PR 6007 SD, 2 LPs]

C) OTHER (#s 40-58)

40) Fun On The Frets – Tony Mottola and Carl Kress [Yazoo 1061]

41) Sixteen Great Performances [1971 ABC Records – ABC S 738-A]

42) Guitar Jamboree [1982 Seagull Records LG-8200]

43) Guitar On Velvet [1976 Readers Digest RD3-219-1, FR1S-9501, 6 LPs]

44) Midnight Magic [Queue FLS 10]

45) Tony's Touch [Grand Prix Series K-413]

46) Let's Put Out the Lights [RCA Camden CAL-305]

47) A Guy and a Guitar – Tony Mottola with Johnny Parker [Kapp KL-1019]

48) Danger (soundtrack) [1950 MGM E111]

49) Hawaii Five-O – Jimmy Mitchell & Tony Mottola [Design Records (2) – SDLP 306]

50) Little Red Monkey / Little Joe Worm – Rosemary Clooney With Tony Mottola Orchestra [Columbia MJV 164 – 10", 78 RPM]

51) The Tap Dance Record – Tony Mottola Orchestra [1951 Columbia MJV-116 78 RPM disc]

52) Heart & Soul Guitar [2002 – Varèse Sarabande, CD 2002 SKU: VSD-6301, UPC: 030206630121]

53) Swing to Bop Guitar – Tony Mottola and others [2000 – HEP Records CD 66]

54) Dance Party – Tony Mottola and his Orchestra [2007 and more bears ASIN: B0010C5NDQ]

55) Light Calvary Overture (song title) – Al Duffy And Tony Mottola [Date, Label unknown]

56) Kings of the Jazz Guitar – Tony Mottola and others [2000 Hallmark MP3]

57) Tony's Touch [2000 Hallmark MP3]

58) Tony Mottola, His Guitar and Orchestra – Tony Mottola [1955 MGM 10" LP]