Tuesday, September 26, 2006

"Paul Vance" R. I. P.

News Times Live Composer of 'bikini' song, Paul Van Valkenburgh, dies: "The New Milford native and composer of the 1960s novelty tune 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' died earlier this month.

Paul Van Valkenburgh, 68, who wrote the song and several others as a young man under the name 'Paul Vance,' died at his Ormond Beach home in Florida on Sept. 6.
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The owner of a painting and decorating business in Florida, Van Valkenburgh was a Navy veteran who fought in the Korean Conflict, and who in his early years wrote several songs.

His silly, snappy tune about a girl wearing a very revealing 'yellow polka dot bikini' was a hit when it was released on Aug. 8, 1960, by artist Brian Hyland."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Bill--Paul Vance (possibly under another name also wrote the jazz classic "When Sunny Gets Blue" which was recorded last year fourteen times.

Unknown said...

Hey, it's like being a mystery writer. The guy had royalties enough to be pretty well fixed.

Anonymous said...

The rumors of his death, etc., etc...
According to NPR on 9/28, Valkenburgh, though he claimed to be Paul Vance, wasn't. The real Paul Vance is alive and well and still collecting royalties. Evidently, Valkenburgh had even convinced his wife that he wrote "Itsy, Bitsy...", and his wife had included this in his obituary.
In the meantime, I am trying to convince my wife that I wrote Sophie's Choice, War and Peace, Roget's Thesaurus, Goodnight Moon, and the Dan Rhodes mysteries. What the hell, there could be worse legacies...

-- Jerry House