George Wyle

American composer, orchestra leader, and pianist.

Born March 22, 1916, New York City, New York, USA.

Died May 2, 2003 (age 97), Tarzana, California, USA.

Best known for composing "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island", the theme song to the television sitcom [i]Gilligan's Island[/i] and the Christmas standard, "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", first recorded by [a=Andy Williams] in 1963. The song has charted 19 times alone in the U.S. & the U.K.--15 of those from Williams.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s his orchestra served as backup for a number of [l=Columbia] Records singers, including [a=Doris Day].

Wyle charted 28 times on the U.S. charts between 1948-2013, with his top charting song (#3) "I Said My Pajamas (And Put on My Pray'rs)" by Tony Martin & Fran Warren coming in 1950 (co-written by Eddie Pola). He also charted 18 times on the U.K. charts between 1955-2023, with his top charting song hitting #1: "Give Me Your Word" by Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955 (co-written by Irving Taylor). He is also well-known for the song "I Didn't Slip, I Wasn't Pushed, I Fell" (co-written by Pola).