Milton DeLugg

Best known for his stint as bandleader for the infamous game show The Gong Show, composer and arranger Milton DeLugg was born in Los Angeles on December 2, 1918. After attending UCLA, he travelled to New York City to study under Tibor Serly; in 1938, DeLugg joined the Matty Malneck Orchestra as an accordionist, and following a stay with the Army Air Corps during World War II, he formed his own group. Freelance television and radio projects yielded themes for everything from The Fred Allen Show to What's My Line? to the Junior Miss pageant; a prolific composer, DeLugg also authored songs including "Hoop Dee Do," "The Happy Wanderer," "Just Another Polka" and "Orange Colored Sky." In 1964, he penned the score to the cult classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, and following the 1966 departure of Skitch Henderson assumed bandleading duties on NBC's The Tonight Show, only to be replaced a few months later by Doc Severinsen; much longer-lived was his stay on Chuck Barris' 1970s favorite The Gong Show, where he and his group were dubbed "Milton Delugg and the Band with a Thug." In addition to composing music for a number of children's records released through RCA and Golden Books, in 1967 DeLugg also issued the solo album Accordion My Way--Ole! ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi